"Ellsworth, General Manager.

"Have not interfered in any way with honest merchants of Paloma. Men
are at liberty to spend their money any way they choose. I did give the
men a talk about the foolishness of spending their wages in buying
liquor or in gambling. Result was that men banked about two thirds of
the total pay roll with the bank people you sent on pay train yesterday
at my request. Also drove off a gambler who tried to erect two tents on
railroad property in order to fleece the men more speedily.

"(Signed) READE,

"Chief Engineer."

"That will tell the general manager about the kind of merchants that
I've been injuring," smiled Tom, first showing the sheet to
Superintendent Hawkins and then handing it to the waiting messenger.

"I hope Ellsworth, will be satisfied," nodded Hawkins. "Good will is an
asset for a railway, and your enemies in Paloma may be able to stir up a
good deal of trouble for you. Mr. Reade, I stood with you yesterday,
and I'm still with you. If Ellsworth is so cranky that you feel like
throwing the job here, then I'll walk out with you."

"Oh, I'm not going to give up the work here," predicted Reade
cheerfully. "I'm too much interested in it. Neither am I going to have
my hands tied by any clique of gamblers and dive keepers. If Mr.
Ellsworth isn't satisfied, then I'll run up to headquarters and talk to
him in person. I'm not going to quit; neither am I going to be