," he said. "They're bound to keep me
busy at something. I'll just stay until they tell me to go somewhere
else. They ain't happy except when they've just put me in a hole and
told me to climb out. Generally before I'm out they pick me up and chuck
me down another one. Old MacBride wouldn't think the Company was
prosperous if I wasn't working nights and Sundays."

"You won't be doing that down here."

"I don't know about that. Why, when I first went to work for 'em, they
hired me by the day. My time cards for the first years figured up four
hundred and thirty-six days." Peterson laughed. "Oh, that's straight,"
said Bannon. "Next time you're at the office, ask Brown about it. Since
then they've paid me a salary. They seem to think they'd have to go out
of business if I ever took a vacation. I've been with 'em twelve years
and they've never given me one yet. They made a bluff at it once. I was
down at Newport News, been doing a job for the C. & O., and Fred Brown
was down that way on business. He----"

"What does Brown look like?" interrupted Peterson. "I never saw him."

"You didn't! Oh, he's a good-looking young chap. Dresses kind of sporty.
He's a great jollier. You have to know him a while to find out that he
means business. Well, he came 'round and saw I was feeling pretty tired,
so he asked me to knock off for a week and go fishing with him. I did,
and it was the hardest work I ever tackled."

"Did you get any fish?"

"Fish? Whales! You'd no sooner throw your line over than another one'd
grab it--great, big, heavy fish, and they never gave us a minute's rest.
I worked like a horse for about half a day and then I gave up. Told
Brown I'd take a duplex car-puller along next time I tackled that kind
of a job, and I went back to the elevator."

"I'd like to see Brown. I get letters from him right along, of course.
He's been jollying me about that cribbing for the last two weeks. I
can't make it grow, and I've written him right along that we was
expecting it, but that don't seem to satisfy him."

"I suppose not," said Bannon. "They're mostly out for results up at the
office. Let's see the bill for it." Vogel handed him a thin typewritten
sheet and Bannon looked it over thoughtfully. "Big lot of stuff, ain't
it? Have you tried to get any of it here in Chicago?"

"Course not. It's all ordered and cut out up to Ledyard."

"Cut out? Then why don't they send it?"

"They can't get the cars."

"That'll do to tell.