xes
locked. Joe's specialty is stealing fancy ties---neckties, I
mean."

Joe laughed good-humoredly as he shook hands, adding:

"We'll tell you all about Blaisdell himself, boys, one of these
days, but not now. It's too far from pay day, and old Blaze stands
in too thickly with the chief."

"If you folks don't come into supper soon," growled the voice
of the cook, Jake Wren, from the doorway of the engineer's mess
tent, "I'll eat your grub myself."

"He'd do it, too," groaned Slim Morris, a young man who nevertheless
weighed more than two hundred pounds. "Blaze, won't you take
us inside and put us in our high chairs?"

There was infinite good humor in this small force of field engineers.
As was afterwards learned, all of them were graduates either
of colleges or of scientific schools but not one of them affected
any superiority over the young newcomers.

Just as the party had seated themselves there was a step outside,
and Bad Pete stalked in looking decidedly sulky.

"Evening," he grunted, and helped himself to a seat at the table.

"Reade and Hazelton, you've had the pleasure of meeting Pete,
I believe?" asked Blaisdell, without the trace of a smile.

"Huh!" growled Pete, not looking up, for the first supply of food
was on the table.

"We've had the pleasure, twice today, of meeting Mr. Peter," replied
Tom, with equal gravity.

"See here, tenderfoot," scowled Bad Pete, looking up from his
plate, "don't you call me 'Peter' again. Savvy?"

"We don't know your other name, sir," rejoined Tom, eyeing the
bad man with every outward sign of courtesy.

"I'm just plain Pete. Savvy that?

"Certainly, Plain Pete," Reade nodded.

Pete dropped his soup spoon with a clatter letting his right hand
fall to the holster.

"Be quiet, Pete," warned Blaisdell, his eyes shooting a cold glance
at the angry man. "Reade is a newcomer, not used to our ways
yet. Remember that this is a gentleman's club."

"Then let him get out," warned Pete blackly.

"He belongs here by right, Pete, and you're a guest. Of course we
enjoy having you here with us, but, if you don't care to take us
as you find us, the fellows in the chainmen's mess will be glad to
have you join them."

"That tenderfoot is only a boy," growled Pete. "If he can't hold
his tongue when men are around, then I'll teach him how."

"Reade hasn't done anything to offend you," returned Blaisdell,
half sternly, half goodhumoredly. "You let him alone, and