The Young Engineers in Arizona | Page 9

the gambler replied evasively.
"Have you any authority to be on the railroad's land's?" persisted Tom Reade. "Yes or no?"
"No-o-o-o, I haven't, unless I can persuade you to see how reasonable it is that your men should be provided with enjoyment right at their own camp."
"Take the tents down, then, as quickly as you can accomplish it," directed Tom, though in a quiet voice.
"And--if I don't?" asked Duff, smiling dangerously and displaying his white, dog-like teeth.
"Then I shall direct one of the foremen to call a sufficient force, Mr. Duff, to take down your tents and remove them from railroad property. I am not seeking trouble with you, sir; I don't want trouble. But, as long as I remain in charge here no gambling or drinking places are going to be opened on the railroad's land."
"Mr. Reade," inquired the gambler, his smile fading, "do you object to giving me a word in private?"
"Not at all," Tom declared. "But it won't help your plans."
"I'd like just a word with you alone," coaxed the gambler.
Nodding, Reade stepped away with the gambler to a distance of a hundred feet or so from the rapidly increasing crowd.
"I expect to make a little money out of this tent outfit, of course," explained Jim Duff.
"I expect that you won't make a dollar out of it--on railway property," returned Reade steadily.
"I'm going to make a little money--not much," Duff went on. "Now, if I can make the whole deal with you, and if no one else is allowed to bother me, I can afford to pass you one hundred dollars a day for the tent privilege."
Before even expectant Tom realized what was happening, Duff had pressed a wad of paper money into his hand.
"What is this?" demanded Reade.
"Don't let everyone see it," warned the gambler. "You'll find two hundred dollars there, in bills. That's for the first two days of our tent privilege here."
"You contemptible hound!" exclaimed Tom angrily.
Whish! The tightly folded wad of bank notes left Tom's hand, landing squarely in Jim Duff Is face.
In an instant the gambler's face turned white. His hand flew back to a pocket in which he carried a pistol.

CHAPTER III
TOM MAKES A SPEECH ON GAMBLING
"Cut out the gun-play! That doesn't go here!" Tom uttered warningly.
One swift step forward, and one hand caught Jim Duff by the throat. With the other hand Tom caught Duff's right wrist and wrenched away the pistol that instantly appeared in the gambler's hand.
The weapon Tom threw on the ground, some feet away. Then, with eyes blazing with contempt, Tom Reade struck the gambler heavily across the face with the flat of his hand. Hard work had added to the young engineer's muscle of earlier days, and the gambler was staggered.
Another instant, and Superintendent Hawkins who, with Hazelton and the foremen, had run up to them, seized Duff roughly from behind, holding his arms pinioned.
Harry Hazelton picked up the revolver. Quickly opening it, he drew out the cartridges.
"Mr. Bell!" called Harry, and the foreman of that name hastened to him.
"Take this thing back to the office and break it up with a hammer," directed young Hazelton, as he passed the revolver to the foreman. The latter sped away on his errand.
"Let Duff go, Mr. Hawkins," directed Tom. "I'm not afraid of him. Duff, I wish to apologize to you for striking you in the face. I wouldn't allow any man to do that to me. But your action in reaching for a pistol was so childish--or cowardly, whichever you prefer to call it--that I admit I forgot myself for a moment. Now, you are not going to erect any tents for gambling or other unworthy purposes on the railroad's property. It's bad business to let you do anything of the sort. I trust that there will be no hard feeling between us."
"Hard feeling?" hissed Jim Duff, his wicked-looking face paler than ever. "Boy, you needn't try to crawl back into my good graces after the way you acted toward me!"
"I'm not trying to crawl into your esteem, or to get there by any other means," Tom answered quietly, though with a firmness that caused superintendent and foremen to feel a new respect for their young chief engineer. "At the same time, Duff, I don't believe in stirring up bad blood with anyone. You and I haven't the same way of regarding your line of business. That's the main difficulty. As I can't see your point of view, it would be hardly fair to expect you to understand my way of regarding what you wished to do here. Your tents will have to come down and be moved, but I have no personal feeling in the matter. How soon can you get your tents down?"
"They are not coming down, I tell you!" snarled the gambler.
"That's where you and