“In the logs. Every sawyer expects to find some nails when he’s sawin’ maple. Especially in a sugar country. They was drove in to hold sap buckets. But a man don’t expect to find ’em in beech and birch—and he don’t expect to find brand-new ten-penny nails, neither. The saw-filer’s tearin’ his hair. If it keeps on we won’t have a saw to cut with in the big mill. You know what a nail’ll do to a saw, Mr. Ashe.” “Why doesn’t the sawyer keep his eyes open for them?” Jim snapped. “Keep his eyes open! Mr. Ashe, before he puts a log on the carriage now he goes over it from end to end. You can’t see a nail that’s countersunk so the head’s half an inch in.” “The way you say that sounds as if you meant something. Out with it.” “I mean,” said Nelson, doggedly, “that it looks to me as if somebody was plantin’ them nails so’s we’d saw into ’em. I mean it looks to me like somebody sneaked in here and tampered with things after we get through inspectin’. I mean that the things that’s happened in this mill couldn’t ’a’ happened without bein’ helped to happen.” John Beam nodded his head in agreement. “That’s nonsense,” Jim said, emphatically. “Maybe it is. Maybe a crazy man’s doin’ it. But, Mr. Ashe, it’s bein’ done. I know it as well as if I’d seen the feller doin’ it.” “How about the watchmen?” “All of ’em worked for us in the old mills. ’Tain’t none of them. I’d take my Bible oath on that.” Jim sat silent a moment, scowling at the floor. “You men know what shut-downs mean,” he said. “Here’s five hours in three days—half a day’s time gone. That means a loss in wages alone of a hundred dollars, which is a small part of it. It’s got to stop. I don’t care whether these accidents are accidents or whether somebody is arranging them-they’ve got to quit, and quit sudden. Suppose we lose a hundred dollars every three days. That’s two hundred a week and ten thousand a year. Have you talked about this to anybody?” “No,” said Nelson. Beam shook his head, “Is there any talk in the mill?” “Haven’t heard any.” “Well, keep quiet about it. If you fellows are right, we don’t want to advertise it. Now clear out of here and do the best you can. Keep your eyes open. Don’t get suspicious of anybody till you have mighty good reason. I’d hate to think it was any of the crew.” “It’s somebody that knows the run of things.” “Yes.” “What possible reason could anybody have, Mr. Ashe—” “That’ll be my job—to find out. This suspicion of yours is upsetting. I want to think about it. Then I’ll do something.” Nelson’s eyes twinkled as he glanced sideways at Beam. As they went out Jim heard him say in a low tone: “You bet he’ll do somethin’—and it’ll come sudden and astonishin’. Sudden Jim!” There was a note of affection in Nelson’s voice as he pronounced the name.