"Are you on to that inspector?"
"What for?" asked Archie.
"He's boostin' bolts."
Archie thought of this for a long time. It took several days for him to realize a new idea. The inspector, in pretending to throw out defective bolts, threw out quite as many perfect ones. These were boxed, shipped and sold by the contractor, who pocketed the entire proceeds without reporting them to the authorities. The Kid had discovered this system after a week of experience in having his labor stolen from him, and the inspector, more and more greedy, had grown bolder, until now he was stealing large quantities of bolts; and the tasks of Archie and the Kid were becoming more and more impossible of performance. The Kid was silent for days; his brows contracted as he jumped nimbly up and down before his clanking machine. Then one day when McBride was in the shop the Kid obtained permission to speak to him.
"Mr. McBride," he said, "I want a thousand dollars."
McBride took his cigar from his lips, flecked some dust from his new top-coat, and a laugh spread over his rough red face.
"What's the kid this time, Willie?"
"This is on the square," said the Kid. "I want a thousand case, that's all."
McBride saw that he was serious for once.
"I'll blow it off, if you don't," said the Kid.