"Well, I'm sayin' it again, for it stands you in hand to remember it."
"I won't forget."
Skip turned quickly as if the tone offended him, and after glaring fiercely at the breaker boy, walked slowly toward his friends.
"What's in the wind now? Is he making any more threats?"
Looking around quickly Fred saw Sam Thorpe, who had just come up the slope with Bill Thomas.
"Skip is afraid the shutting down has some connection with the doings of the regulators. Isn't it queer to stop the machinery so soon when Mr. Wright was anxious to keep everything a secret?"
"I heard him say that the pumps were out of order. One set got choked this morning, and it wouldn't be safe for the miners to stay in the lower level till they were repaired."
Sam winked meaningly as if he thought the matter had been arranged very skillfully; but Fred was yet at a loss to understand how anything could be gained by this move.
"Why were all hands thrown out?"
"There are some general repairs to be made, and it was better to do the whole at the same time."