er. However, you know that you
can't get teams or men for love or money now when harvest's coming on, and
so we're going to strike you for another two cents per measure."

"Might stretch that far," said the other after more figuring, "but somehow
we'll take it out of you. Here, fill your distinguished names into this,
and if you like to take it there's another lot--it's hauling in birch logs
for stump piles and fencing purposes."

We signed both papers, and on leaving the surveyor we found a man in old
blue overalls, whose appearance suggested the Briton, waiting for us near
the construction train which had just come up with its load of rails and
rail-layers.

"Did you get the grading contract?" he asked; and, when Harry nodded, he
continued: "Then as a preliminary I'll introduce myself, Ellsworthy
Johnston, one-time barrister, and, as the surveyor classified me, general
roustabout. Had a bush ranch in British Columbia and came to grief over it
by fooling time away gold prospecting. Rode in and asked yonder eloquent
autocrat for a contract, but he didn't see it. Said, and he explained it
wasn't flattery, I looked too much of a gentleman, and in consequence if I
liked I could shovel ballast at one dollar seventy-five daily. Now
shoveling ballast grows monotonous, and one gets a confounded back-ache
over it, so if you're agreeable I'll fling in a small sum and my services
as junior partner."

"We're not too rich," said Harry, "and we'll talk it over."

"Get a move on there, Sam Johnsing, before the flies eat you! Guess the
rails are growing rusty while you're resting," called somebody in
authority, and with a smile of whimsical resignation our new acquaintance
hurried away.

We made a bargain with him that evening, to the satisfaction of all
concerned, and the next morning Harry rode away to divide our few head of
stock among our neighbors and hire if possible one or two among those
whose crops had also suffered from frost. The latter, like the devastating
hail, performs its work erratically, wiping out one man's grain and
sparing his neighbors'. Meanwhile I found plenty to do making arrangements
to commence our work on the track.

CHAPTER XI

ON THE RAILROAD

It was a hot autumn morning when we prepared to commence our task of
railroad building, the last forlorn hope between ourselves and ruin. Harry
and I stood each beside our teams, which were harnessed to a great iron
scoop or scraper designed to te