ng about in wet clothes
brought it on."

"No; I have had it before. Besides, I've often been as wet; so have you.
Anyhow, the pain's going, and there's a thing I forgot to mention. I met
Wilkinson this afternoon."

Festing knitted his brows. "Wilkinson! What do you think has brought
him?"

"Chance and Sadie's scheming. I've cause to suspect she forced him off
his ranch, though she would probably wish she hadn't meddled if she knew
she'd sent him here. As he looked surprised when he saw me, I imagine
he'd no particular object in coming, except that he wanted a job."

"Did you speak to him?"

"I did not. It's very possible he'd have resented my remarks. Then I was
on the company's business and the foreman was about."

"Well," said Festing thoughtfully, "it might be better to keep out of
his way as far as you can. I don't know that he's likely to do us harm,
but wish he had gone somewhere else."

They let the matter drop and talked about other things until they went
to bed. Next morning broke bracingly cold, but thin mist rolled among
the pines a few hundred feet above the track. For the most part the
climate of the interior of British Columbia is dry, and there are belts
where artificial irrigation is employed, but some of the valleys form
channels for the moist winds from the Pacific. Except in the bitter
cold-snaps, it was seldom that the white peaks above the track were
visible, and now something in the atmosphere threatened heavy rain.

Charnock began his work as usual with the gravel gang. It was his
business to spread the ballast thrown off the cars by the plow that
traveled along the train, and although the labor was not exhausting it
had tried his strength at first. His muscles, however, were hardening,
and until the last few days, he had been able to scatter heavy
shovelfuls of stones with a dexterous jerk that distributed them among
the ties.

Streaks of dingy haze that looked like steam rose from the river. The
fresh smell of pines hung about the track, and the clash of shovels and
ringing of hammers mingled harmoniously with the deep-toned roar of
the rapids. The cold braced the muscles and stirred the blood, and
the sounds of activity had an invigorating influence while the day was
young, but Charnock felt slack. His pain had gone, but he was conscious
of a nervous tension and knew what it meant. A small blister on his hand
annoyed him, he growled at comrades who got in his way, and swore when
the