"Why, sure, I'll help you out. How did you happen to get in the way of that dump?" "Never mind how. I believe you did that on purpose, Bob Jarvis, and you will have to answer to me for it," declared Steve Rush in a resolute tone. CHAPTER III TWO THOUSAND FEET UNDER GROUND Jarvis sprang forward and with shovel in hand began throwing the dirt in all directions. "If you don't mind, please don't pile any more of this red stuff on my head than you can help. I have plenty as it is," said Steve. "That's so; I was throwing it your way, wasn't I?" chuckled Bob, laughing good-naturedly. Steve found time to study the other boy while the latter was digging him out. In spite of Jarvis' meanness to him, Rush felt certain that the lad possessed a good heart, and it was a strong, resourceful face that Steve found himself studying as the digging progressed. "Bob," he said finally, "have you ever been thrashed?" "Thrashed? Licked, you mean?" "Yes." "Well, not since my dad gave me a walloping last," laughed the boy. "Don't you think a good, sound thrashing would do you a whole lot of good?" Bob grinned broadly. By this time he had dug down around Rush until the latter was able to clamber from the pile of ore. "Well, I don't know about that." "I do, and I know you've got to have one before very long," announced young Rush with strong emphasis. "I will, eh?" "You will," affirmed Steve, brushing the dirt from his clothes. "And who's going to give me this licking, Little Miss Hurry-up?" demanded Jarvis threateningly. "I am," replied Steve in a quiet tone. Jarvis began to take off his coat. "Not now, Bob," spoke up the other quickly. "This is the company's time. We should both be discharged if we were to be caught fighting here and now. We will settle our difficulty some other time." "So you were only bluffing, eh? I knew you didn't have the spunk to fight anything." Steve pointed off to the mine shaft. "There comes the skip with a load of ore. You had better get your car back there or you will have trouble enough without a fight." Jarvis, with an exclamation, began pushing the tram car back over the top of the dump, Steve picking up his shovel and beginning his work of clearing the end of the tracks. All day long the lad toiled industriously. It was hard work and his back ached, yet he kept to his task. When night came Steve had the satisfaction of being told that he had done a man's work that day. A truce had been declared between the two boys, so far as fighting was concerned, though Jarvis continued his nagging at every opportunity. Steve took the other's scoffing good-naturedly, turning Bob's jibes with soft answers. For a full week both lads had labored far up on the ore dump. They had been too busy to think of their personal grievances for any great length of time. Saturday night had arrived, and when Steve left the dump to start for his boarding house he was told that the general superintendent wished to see him.