et's see," he said, "you're the man that was clerking here."

There was no reply.

"And your name's--what?"

"Briggs."

"Well, Mr. Briggs, did you get a message from me?"

"I don't know what you mean," said the young man, his eyes on the
ground. "Max, he come around, but I wanted to wait and see you. He's a
mean cuss----"

"You see me now, don't you?"

"Yes." The reply was indistinct.

"You keep out of the office after this. If I catch you in there again, I
won't stop to talk. Now, clear out."

Briggs walked a little way, then turned.

"Maybe you think you can lay me off without notice--but you'll wish----"

Bannon turned back to the office, giving no heed to Briggs' last words:
"I've got you fixed already." He was thinking of the girl there on the
stool. She did not look like the girl he had expected to see. To be sure
her hair was red, but it was not of the red that outcropped from Max's
big head; it was of a dark, rich color, and it had caught the light from
the lamp with such a shine as there is in new red gold. When he entered,
she was again footing columns. She was slender, and her hand, where it
supported her forehead was white. Again Bannon stood motionless, slowly
shaking his head. Then he came forward. She heard his step and looked
up, as if to answer a question, letting her eyes rest on his face. He
hesitated, and she quietly asked:--

"What is it, please?"

"Miss Vogel?"

"Yes."

"I'm Mr. Bannon. There wasn't any need of your working to-night. I'm
just keeping the men on so we can get in this cribbing. When did you
come?"

"My brother telephoned to me. I wanted to look things over before
starting in to-morrow."

"How do you find it?"

She hesitated, glancing over the jumble of papers on the desk.

"It hasn't been kept up very well," she presently said. "But it won't be
hard, I think, to straighten it out."

Bannon leaned on the rail and glanced at the paper on which she had been
setting down totals.

"I guess you'd better go home, Miss Vogel. It's after nine o'clock."

"I can finish in an hour."

"You'd better go. There'll be chances enough for night work without your
making them."

She smiled, cleared up the desk, and reached for her jacket, which hung
from the nail behind her. Then she paused.

"I thought I would wait for my brother, Mr. Bannon."

"That's all right. I guess we can spare him. I'll speak to him. Do you
live far?"

"No; Max and I are boarding at the same