Bannon knew from long experience how to pile the different sizes so that each would be ready at the hands of the carpenters when the morning whistle should blow. He was all about the work, giving a hand here, an order there, always good-humored, though brusque, and always inspiring the men with the sight of his own activity. Toward the middle of the evening Vogel came up from the wharf with a question. As he was about to return, Bannon, who had been turning over in his mind the incident of the section boss, said:-- "Wait a minute, Max. What about this railroad business--have they bothered you much before now?" "Not very much, only in little ways. I guess it's just this section boss that does it on his own hook. He's a sort of a fool, you know, and he's got it into his head that we're trying to do him some way." Bannon put his hands into his pockets, and studied the checkered pattern in the ground shadow of the nearest arc lamp. Then he slowly shook his head. "No," he said, "that ain't it. He's too big a fool to do much on his own hook. He's acting on orders of some sort, and that's just what I don't understand. As a general thing a railroad's mighty white to an elevator. Come to think of it, they said something about it up at the office,"--he was apparently speaking to himself, and Max quietly waited,--"Brown said something about the C. & S. C. having got in the way a little down here, but I didn't think much about it at the time." "What could they do?" Max asked. "A lot, if they wanted to. But that ain't what's bothering me. They haven't any connection with the G. & M., have they?" "No"--Max shook his head--"no, not that I know of." "Well, it's funny, that's all. The man behind those orders that the section boss talks about is the general manager; and it's my notion that we're likely to hear from him again. I'll tell you what it is. Somebody--I don't know who, but somebody--is mighty eager to keep this house from being finished by the first of January. After this I wish you'd keep your eyes open for this section boss. Have you had any trouble with the men?" "No, only that clerk that we laid off to-day, he 'lowed he was going to make trouble. I didn't say anything about it, because they always talk like that." "Yes, I know. What's his name?" "Briggs." "I guess he can't hurt us any." Bannon turned back to his work; and Vogel disappeared in the shadows along the path.