“Bet you can’t do it,” says Mark. “I kin do it every day for a year hand-runnin’ and not sweat a hair,” says Charlie. “How about you other f-f-fellers?” says Mark. “Calc’late we kin equal anythin’ Charlie can do,” said Jake Marks. “Charlie hain’t no wizard.” “Then,” says Mark, “you ought to be p-plumb tickled with my piece-work schedule, for it don’t require no sich amount as Charlie says to earn what you’re earnin’ now. I figgered consid’able lower. So you kin git a day’s work done in maybe an hour less, and git the same money for it, or you kin keep right on to work and make a dollar and maybe more than you be.” “I won’t do it,” says Charlie. “Why?” “I jest don’t like the idee.” “All right, Charlie,” says Mark. “I’m s-s-sorry, because I wanted you to keep on workin’ here. When you git your lunch et come up to the office for your p-pay.” “Eh? What? What’s that? Firin’ me?” “No. You’re quittin’.” He turned to the other men as if nothing had happened, and told them how much he planned to pay for what they was making on piece-work rates. “You kin see,” says he, “that I aim to be f-f-fair. And more ’n that, I’m goin’ to t-tack on a bonus. Every man that t-turns out a full day’s work every day will git an extry d-d-dollar Saturday n-night.” They did a little talking among themselves, and then Jake got up and says, “The boys says they’ll try it a week, anyhow.” “Good!” says Mark. “Sorry Charlie don’t feel that way. I’m goin’ to the office now, Charlie. Come along and g-g-git your money.” Charlie he sort of hemmed and hawed, and then he said he guessed maybe he was a mite hasty, and he figgered to stay on with the rest. “Suit yourself,” says Mark, as independent as a hog on ice. “Whatever you say.” Well, next day they went on piece-work, and it was a surprise to me. Maybe it wasn’t to Mark, but I was plumb took off my feet when Tallow and Binney turned in their report at night. They was doin’ the checkin’ up. We had the biggest day we’d ever had. Mark said he was gettin’ all of ten per cent. more for his money than he ever did before. The surprising thing about it was that it kept right up, and even got bigger. Mark said the men sort of felt they was working for themselves, and that it was up to them to stay busy because they wasn’t cheating anybody but their own selves when they loafed. That night Mark’s notice came out in the paper, and next day about half a dozen folks come in with little bills, and Mark paid them right up. We was getting all ready to slap ourselves on the back and say that we had been afraid of something that there wasn’t any danger in, when, late in the afternoon, who should come stomping into the office but old-man Fugle from up the river.