“Here's his hat,” she said. “You'd better take it, I guess.”
“Thanks,” said Hunch, without looking at her, and he hurried Bruce down the stairs.
CHAPTER XIV—CONSIDINE'S WORK IS ENDED
THE next morning Bruce was still in bed when Hunch went to work. McGuire did not appear with the other men, and at noon his brass check still hung on its nail in the timekeeper's shanty. Shortly after lunch Bruce and McGuire, both a little the worse for drink, appeared and went to work with the gang. Hunch had gone up to the mill, and did not see them until his return; When he came near they were dawdling over their work, chuckling together over some incident of the morning.
“What you two doing here?” Hunch asked.
Bruce started and moved away from McGuire.
“Speak up.”
McGuire muttered, “Guess we know what we're doing.”