out it when he makes his
speech. Not much, you know--nothing you wouldn't like--he says it would
tickle the boys right down to their corns."

Bannon looked around toward Hilda, and slowly shook his head.

"Max," he replied, "if anybody says a word about it at this dinner I'll
break his head."

That should have been enough, but when James' turn came to speak, after
nearly two hours of eating and singing and laughing and riotous good
cheer, he began in a way that brought Bannon's eyes quickly upon him.

"Boys," he said, "we've worked hard together on this job, and one way
and another we've come to understand what sort of a man our boss is.
Ain't that right?"

A roar went up from hundreds of throats, and Hilda, sitting next to
Bannon, blushed.

"We've thought we understood him pretty well, but I've just found out
that we didn't know so much as we thought we did. He's been a pretty
square friend to all of us, and I'm going to tell you something that'll
give you a chance to show you're square friends of his, too."

He paused, and then was about to go on, leaning forward with both hands
on the table, and looking straight down on the long rows of bearded
faces, when he heard a slight noise behind him. A sudden laugh broke
out, and before he could turn his head, a strong hand fell on each
shoulder and he went back into his chair with a bump. Then he looked up,
and saw Bannon standing over him. The boss was trying to speak, but he
had to wait a full minute before he could make himself heard. He glanced
around and saw the look of appeal in Hilda's eyes.

"Look here, boys," he said, when the room had grown quiet; "we aren't
handing out any soft soap at this dinner. I won't let this man up till
he promises to quit talking about me."

There was another burst of laughter, and James shouted something that
nobody understood. Bannon looked down at him, and said quietly, and with
a twinkle in his eye, but very firmly:--

"If you try that again, I'll throw you out of the window."

James protested, and was allowed to get up. Bannon slipped into his seat
by Hilda.

"It's all right," he said in a low tone. "They won't know it now until
we get out of here." His hand groped for hers under the table.

James was irrepressible. He was shouting quickly now, in order to get
the words out before Bannon could reach him again.

"How about this, boys? Shall we stand it?"

"No!" was the reply in chorus.

"All right, then. Three cheer