forehead. His whole attitude spoke impenitent scorn.

"I also licked the Pilgrim and hazed him away from camp and told him
particular not to come back," he informed the other defiantly. He did
not add, "What are you going to do about it?" but his tone carried
unmistakably that sentiment.

"And the Pilgrim happens to be a stepbrother uh the widow the Old Man
is at present running after, and aiming to marry. I was sent over here
to put the can onto you, Billy. I hate like thunder to do it, but--"
The foreman waved a hand to signify his utter helplessness.

The face of Billy stiffened perceptibly; otherwise he moved not a
muscle.

"The Old Man says for you to stay till he can put another man down
here in your place, though. He'll send Jim Bleeker soon as he comes
back from town--which ain't apt to be for two or three days unless
they're short on booze."

Billy caught his breath, hesitated, and reached for his smoking
material. It was not till he had licked his cigarette into shape and
was feeling in his pocket for a match that he spoke. "I've drawed
wages from the Double-Crank for quite a spell, and I always aimed
to act white with the outfit. It's more than they're doing by me,
but--I'll stay till Jim comes." He smoked moodily, and stared at his
boots. "Yuh ain't going back tonight, are yuh?"

The foreman said he must, and came back to the subject. "Yuh don't
want to think I'm firing yuh, Billy. If it was my say-so, I'd tell the