"There's no shut-down. Any man who wants work can have it and be taken care of. Any one who wants to quit, come for your time right now!"
As Firmstone again turned toward the office he was conscious for the first time of a thick-set man with kindly eyes, now steely-hard, who followed his every motion. It was the night-shift boss.
"You're with me?"
"You bet, and plenty more."
"Hold them down. Send the men in, one by one, who want to quit. How about the magazine?"
"All right. Two men and four guns. They're with you till hell freezes, and then they'll skate."
It was midnight before the last man called for his time. Firmstone laid down his pen.
"I'm shy a foreman. Will you take the job?" Firmstone addressed the shift boss.
"Yes, till you can do better."
"All right. You better move around pretty lively for to-night. I'll stay in the office till morning."