the contrary, they continue to dribble
away, a few every day. And though they appear to do nothing but talk
their time away in the saloons in the lower end of the town, they seem
to have just as much money to spend, as they did when they were getting
their time checks from us."

Steve leaned over and with nice deliberation selected a sandwich.

"What sort of talking?" he wanted to know, suddenly.

Again Elliott smiled in self-deprecation.

"That's just it," he exclaimed. "Their talk leads nowhere. I went
down and attempted to find out what their grievance might be, but they
close up like clams whenever I come within earshot. They stare at the
ceiling, rub their chins, and laugh when there's nothing to laugh at.
This morning, however, I finally convinced McLean that something was
radically wrong. So he took one of them who had just decided to quit
and pinned him up against the embankment--but you know McLean and his
methods! He shoved his jaw up within an inch of the other's nose and
invited him to talk, and--well, he found out enough to make him begin
to worry, too. Somebody's been talking to them, Mr. O'Mara; somebody
has put the fool notion into their heads that this strip of railroad
will mean the end of all lumber operations in this country--the
old-time river drives, of course. And some of them are beginning to
believe--whoever was responsible for that statement.

"You know and I know how absurd it is. We know that this road will
mean work for every riverman in this section, as often as he wants to
work. But it isn't going to help us any if they can't see it that way.
It isn't going to replace the men who quit. I've been deliberating one
point. Don't you suppose we might import a regular squad of
construction men now, before it's too late?"

"It's too late now," Steve told him, his words none the less final for
all that they were absently quiet. "It was too late the day we began
operations. And yesterday at this time I wouldn't have given much
worry to this particular brand of trouble. They're an odd lot; they're
the hardest working, hardest living crowd of big men that ever failed
entirely to grow up." Steve stopped and looked down at the sandwich
untouched in his hand, much as though he were surprised to find it
there. "But since yesterday--since yesterday--who, did you say, was
responsible for that statement, as you call it?"

"I didn't say." Elliott brushed away a persistent bluebottle