The Young Engineers in Arizona

s that my fly gets off the

e that be

lounging in Abe Morris's barber shop

nty," continued t

" assented the

hing as squander their money on idle

ir, tucked up in white to the ch

lighted on each of the mirr

-Jim Duff by name, by occupation one of the meanest and most dis

ld soon learns to understand that the really honest and "square" gambler is a creature of the imagination. The gambler m

ents of this part of Arizona who would meet him at the gaming table. He plied his trade mostly amo

of unblushing cheating for a living, had also shot and k

, somewhere in his forties. Duff always dressed well-with a foundation of the late

ur money now," drawled Duff, after a fe

ond man, with the air and tone of one who coul

Clarence Farnsworth, about twenty-five years of age, was as verdant a

little desert town that Farnsworth had lately chopped his name to "Clare." Ye

y to spend. He was well-dressed, lived at the Mansion House, often hired automobiles, e

miled Jim Duff. "He's on the point of mo

y fly is taking nap. He appears to be sound asl

h he gave no sign in return, that barber understood, and shifted his shears

the gambler took wing and vanis

. They had realized from the start that young Farns

Clarence, in a tone th

e fumbled until he found a twenty. This he

y, as he tucked away the money in one of his coat pock

I am," replied Claren

between his teeth. They were handsome teeth, though, in s

hotel this afterno

esitated

u say?" persist

e my mail first. Th

t a trace of irony as the y

sworth continued, looking rather shame-faced. "I-

this if you have more interesting mat

opinion. Clarence Farnsworth was, as yet, too green to know that, too often, the man who has seen much of the world has seen onl

, "I must get out on the desert and take a look at the

ross that quicksand," remarked Jim Duff, t

t that," continued Far

whole of New Mexico, transport the dirt here and dump it on top of that quicksand, and still the quicksand woul

ence made haste to answer. "You've lived here for year

sought to do was to raise an argument with

acks across the quicksand? That's a bad quicksand, you know. It has been called the 'Man-ki

mile to the south of where the tra

er. Yet what they'll find, in the end, is that the Man-killer is a bad affair, and that it extends, under the earth, in ma

" assented Cl

railroad can ever get across

hopeful report of the new en

though that one word of con

good engineers, are they no

of mere boys,"

out my age, you mean

! You're a man. Reade and Hazelton, as I've told you,

nce, much pleased at hearing himself styled a man. "But these youn

, the Man-killer is no task for boys. It is a job for g

sn't the road shift the track by two

, the railroad was chartered on condition that it run through certain

ift, just after it leaves

ough the range beyond here-would have to tunnel under the hills for a distance of three miles. That would cost millions of dollars. No,

man, who had entered the shop only a moment or two before. "

, eyeing the newcomer's re

game. These youngsters came down here four days ago, looked over the scene, and promised t

with a sidelong glanc

boys figure on using dirt and then more dirt, and still more, until they've satisfied the appetite of the Man-killer, filled up the quicksand and laid a bed of solid earth on which the tracks will run safely for the next hundred years. The Colthwaite people have looked over the whole proposition. They know that it can't be done. The two hundred and fifty thousand dolla

greed Jim

y keenly this stranger, even after the latter had ceased t

er who had been trying to improve the gam

ot yet through with his barber. Duff, after lighting a f

the Mansion House?"

ed the strang

"So I shall probably have the

quick, keen look at Duff. Undoubtedly this newcomer wa

neers!" chucked

agreed th

ow so common in surveying camps in warm climates. Below the knee the trousers were confined by leggings. Above the belt blue flannel shirts showed, yet these were of excellent fabric and

rry," said the taller of the two

ng pleasantly to all inside. Then, hanging up the

ng out, Jim Duff had ste

oad has just put in charge of the Man-killer job," whispered one kno

y were stopping at the Mansion House. He uttered a

heard this exclamation, nor would the

ood old town of Gridley. Tom and Harry were members of that famous sextet of schoolboy athletes known at home as Dick & Co. The exploits of Tom Reade and Harry Hazelton,

cott and Greg Holmes are told in the "West Point Series," while all that befell Dave

orking life made by Tom Reade and Harry Hazelton. Back in the old High School days Reade and Hazelton had been fitting themselves

e good, and had earned the confidence of the chief engineer in charge of the work. When, owing to the sudden illness of both the chief engineer and his principal assistant the road's work had been

W. C. & A., stood ready to buy out the S. B. & L. and reap the profits that the latter road had planned to earn. Not only had the young engineers succeeded in overcoming all natural o

had remained with the railroad for several months, still serving as chi

encounter. The Arizona, Gulf & New Mexico Railroad-more commonly known as the A., G. & N. M.-while laying its tracks in an attempt at record-beating, had come af

ears of successful experience, could have, "stopped" the quicksand, but this Chicago firm

he S. B. & L. road, had written the latter, asking whether the services of Tom and Harry could be secured. The reply had been in the affirmative, and Tom and Harry had speedily traveled down into Arizona. In the few days they had been

road's credit at your command, and we look to you to make good. You

r had boarded one of the rough-looking construction

s was not surprising, for both were good, sane, wholesome American boys, with no more than the average share of conce

eade, aren't you?" inquired one of

up pleasantly from the weekly

an. By this time every man in the barber shop was secretly watching the young eng

it, but my friend, Hazelton, is really as much at the head

ou're going to win out on th

ir," no

nfident about it,

good-naturedly. "We always try to keep

are rea

, and we feel sure that we see a way of stopping the Man-kill

ood reason for being interested. When the iron road was finished, Paloma would be an intimate part of the n

Tom, still speaking pleasantly, "if

another barber-shop idler. His tone expressed merely curiosi

because we regard the method we are going to use as being mainly

n," replied the

, made an excellent impression on the

y, he was now silent, apparently greatly absorbed in a three-days-old newspaper th

s who are going to solve the problem of the Man-killer," declared Clarence

om, with all his usua

a splendid thing for you in your professional c

dly," nod

h the barber at last. Though the day was scorchingly hot in this desert

f large cities. Yet it was a very good hotel, indeed, for this part of Ari

broad porch he caught sight of Jim Duff,

" was Duff's greeti

odded the

d Duff. "As I dislike to eat alone, I have ordered the table spread for tw

. "I shall accept with much pleasure, f

e largest and most comfortable guest room in the hotel, and was furnished in good taste. The main apart

brought in a table for two, with the napery. This he quickly arranged. As he turned towa

ed Duff. Soon the two new acquaintances were alone together,

th the Colthwaite Company?

r been with the Colthwaite C

mbler; "but I took th

met in an exchange of keen loo

to conceal rather evident facts from you. I am Freder

filling up the Man-killer quicksand?" Duff

A., G. & N. M. has decided to do the work itself, with th

azelton," no

es

rse, Mr. Ransom, you will have a very excellent chanc

f the young

. Ransom? Have you laid your plans yet for

. Jim Duff, however, from long experience in fleecing greenhorns, had

silence Fred Ransom burst into a l

lly clever at reading oth

pen books," the gambler confessed modestly. "So you have, as yet, no pla

question that Fred Ransom remained sil

ven't been able

lay my finger on men who can be trusted to do unusual things. I shall come high, Mr. Ransom, but I am really worth the

iberal enough," protested Ransom, "and

the Colthwaites, have always been accustomed to paying for favors that requir

ther, fell to plotting. An hour later the outlook was dark