"Oh, no! The old yards where they had a touch of fever were burned off the face of the earth a year ago. The new yards are perfectly sanitary. The loss of the bridge has crippled us, you know. Your cattle are being well cared for, Mr. Dunning, and if you doubt it you may go up and give our men any orders you like in the matter at our expense." "You're taking altogether too much on yourself when you run my stock over the country in this way," exclaimed Dunning, refusing to be placated. "How am I to get to Point of Rocks--walk there?" "Not at all," returned McCloud, ringing up his clerk and asking for a pass, which was brought back in a moment and handed to Dunning. "The cattle," continued McCloud, "can be run down, unloaded, and driven around the break to-morrow--with the loss of only two days." "And in the meantime I lose my market." "It is too bad, certainly, but I suppose it will be several days before we can get a line across Smoky Creek." "Why weren't the cattle sent through that way yesterday? What have they been held at Point of Rocks for? I call the thing badly managed." "We couldn't get the empty cars up from Piedmont for the transfer until to-day; empties are very scarce everywhere now." "There always have been empties here when they were wanted until lately. There's been no head or tail to anything on this division for six months." "I'm sorry that you have that impression." "That impression is very general," declared the stockman, with an oath, "and if you keep on discharging the only men on this division that are competent to handle a break like this, it is likely to continue!" "Just a moment!" McCloud's finger rose pointedly. "My failure to please you in caring for your stock in an emergency may be properly a matter for comment; your opinion as to the way I am running this division is, of course, your own: but don't attempt to criticise the retention or discharge of any man on my payroll!" Dunning strode toward him. "I'm a shipper on this line; when it suits me to criticise you or your methods, or anybody else's, I expect to do so," he retorted in high tones. "But you cannot tell me how to run my business!" thundered McCloud, leaning over the table in front of him. As the two men glared at each other Rooney Lee opened the door. His surprise at the situation amounted to consternation. He shuffled to the corner of the room, and while McCloud and Dunning engaged hotly again, Rooney, from the corner, threw a shot of his own into the quarrel. "On time!" he roared. The angry men turned. "What's on time?" asked McCloud curtly. "Number One; she's in and changing engines. I told them you were going West," declared Rooney in so deep tones that his fiction would never have been suspected. If his cue had been, "My lord, the conductor waits," it could not have been rung in more opportunely.