or on the Friday afternoon after Job came home.

The young man grasped his cap and hurried to the gate, finding there,
to his surprise and consternation, the superintendent of the Yellow
Jacket Mine sitting in his buggy. At sight of Job, he sprang out,
extended his gloved hand to the lad, and proceeded to surprise him
still more by saying that he had come after him, as they wanted him
back; he felt sure he now knew who had taken the money, though he
could not arrest the person; he was very sorry he had so greatly
wronged Job; would raise his salary.

Job was greatly astonished. He expressed his thanks, but finally
managed to stammer out that he really had had all he cared for of
mining life, and did not want to leave the old ranch.

Then the man took his arm, and as they walked up and down together, he
told Job there was trouble brewing at the mine; the men were reading
all the news they could get about the great mining strike East, and a
whole crowd stood in front of the store each evening between shifts,
listening to agitators; the fellow Dean was talking strike on the sly
to all the men, and he was afraid that under the passing excitement
the best of the men would be duped by worthless leaders. So he wanted
Job back; Job knew the men, they liked him, they would hear him; the
company needed him, it must have him at any salary.

So Job went back to the Yellow Jacket with the memory of that
home-coming to cheer him in the dark times that were to follow. When
the next day the scowling men came one by one to the pay-window at the
office, muttering about starvation wages, they looked surprised to see
Job there. Some reached out their rough hands for a shake, and said,
"Shure and it does me eyes good to see you, lad;" others only scowled
the deeper; and one looked almost as if shot, forgot his pay, and
turned and walked away muttering, "Bother the saint! He's forever in
my way!"

It was just two weeks from that day that the storm broke at the Yellow
Jacket Mine. A deep undertone of discontent and rebellion had filled
the air during that time. Job had felt it more plainly than he had
heard it. The superintendent had kept a calm, firm face, though Job
knew he was anything but calm within.

It was just before Job had gotten ready on Saturday to shove up the
pay-window and begin his weekly task, that a group of burly men, with
O'Donnell, the boss of the eight-hundred-foot level, as spokesman,
came in and desired to see t