neral manager stepped directly into the
office.

"Reade," he began. Deep breathing from the corner greeted him. General
Manager Ellsworth gazed down at the sleeping form, and a new light of
admiration dawned in his eyes.

"So that's the young man whom they're talking of shooting, poisoning
or blowing into the next world with dynamite?" he thought. "A lot this
young man appears to think about his enemies! There's real courage in
this young man. Reade, wake up--if you can spare the time."

Tom opened his eyes, rubbed them, then sat up, next springing to his
feet.

"Not having any real work to do makes me sleepy," laughed Tom
good-naturedly. "I trust you didn't have to call me many times, Mr.
Ellsworth?"

The general manager held out his hand.

"Reade, I've just learned in town what a plucky thing you did, and
how coolly you went through it all. A young man with your courage and
purpose simply can't be fool enough to be very far wrong."

"Then you learned that the real Arizona people over in Paloma don't find
any fault with what I did?" queried Tom.

"Reade, what I discovered is that you have a lot of the finest manhood
in Arizona just wild with respect for you," declared Mr. Ellsworth. Then
the general manager lowered his voice before he resumed:

"At the same time, Reade, I've also learned that you've stirred up such
an evil nest of rattlers that you'll be fortunate if you escape with
your life. Candidly, if you feel that you'd like to leave here--"

"Do you want me to quit, sir?" demanded Tom, looking steadily into his
chief's eyes.

"I don't," declared Mr. Ellsworth promptly. "If you and Hazelton were to
quit me now I don't know where I could get another pair of men who could
put into the work all the skill and energy that you two employ."

"Did you have dinner in town, sir?" Tom asked.

"No, for I came out to take you two young men in. Hawkins will also be
with us at dinner this evening. He has told me about the Mansion House
affair, so the Cactus House shall be the railway house hereafter. That
fellow Ashby is uneasy; I think he will be more than uneasy after a
while."

The dinner party motored back to town. Dinner was more like a reception
that evening, for the news of Tom's plucky fight against the
rough element had spread through the town. Nearly two score of men
representing the better part of the population of Paloma called at the
hotel to shake hands with the young engineers.

"They don't se