Boy's Cinema (1935-39)

(he mouth (hat Jarred his toclh. but lie was up in an instant—and Shane paid for that blow. Five times tho shifter was sent reel- ing back against, (he rock, and his face became bruised and battered and his ':o-e bled profusely. The thud of fists against, flesh echoed and re-echoed along the tunnel, mingling with the murmurs of the men who had suffered from Shane's tyranny; but only Tony ever had any doubt as to the issue. Finally, with a swift upper-cut to the <hin that would have lifted the bully off his feet had he weighed a couple of stone less, O'llara sent, him flat on his back and unconscious. A cheer rewarded him and, smoothing his tumbled hair with his hand, he addressed t lie men collectively. "My name's O'llara." he said. "I'm the new boss around here. When this shifter conies to, you can tell him I said he's through, and he's to get his pay anil clear out of camp." Tony Moreno ran up to him, beam- ing all over his face. "Grazie, signor!" he cried ecstatically. "Grazie!" "You run the air'.'" asked O'Hara. "Oh, sure!'' replied the Italian. " Well, run il !" "Oh, sure, I run it '." Tony almost danced over to the wheel-valve. "You bet your life I run it!" O'llara walked slowly back through the tunnel 10 the ofiice, and in the inner room, which now was his, proceeded to go through a number of files. Shane, a very crestfallen giant, joined Bill Anderson outside the equipment ware- house some little time later, and gave him a more or less accurate account of what hail happened. "Huh!" snorted the assistant en- gineer. "Ten minutes after OTIara comes on (he job you get yourself fired ! A lot. of good you're gonna be to nic now !" "Maybe you can do something about it," suggested Shane. "Maybe 1 can," said Anderson curtly. "Listen," blustered Shane, "you've got to gei O'Hara out of the way the same as the others, haven't yon? Well, I'll take care of that guy—and like it." "All you can do now," Anderson retorted; "is to hang around town till I need you. Go, on, now. Get your dough and beat il. out of camp." Another Dismissal HAVING allowed a sufficient in- terval for the shifter to collect his pay and set off across the trestle bridge in the direction of Indio, Bill Anderson sauntered along the rail- way track in the direction of the office, and lie met O'Hara at the door. "O'Hara?" he inquired pleasantly'. " My name's Anderson. Sorry to have missed you when you arrived. Didn't expect you till to-morrow." "That's all ifight," said O'Hara, view- ing his assistant with appraising eyes^ "I heard about that Shane episode," venture,! Anderson, stroking his little clipped moustache. " D'you mind my saving something?" " Go ahead I' 1 "Well, from what I heard ho had it coming to him all right; but he's a \aluahle tunnel man. and they're scarce around here.'' "I'm afraid he wouldn't be much good to mi', Anderson," returned O'Hara grimly._ "I'd probably have him in the hospital most of tho time." The assistant engineer realised (hat it would not be profitable to pursue the subject of Shane's dismissal. "('are (o have a look round (he office '.' " he asked. May 16th, 1936. BOY'S CINEMA "I don t work in an ofiice," said O'Hara, who had changed into working clothes. "Let's see how the wheels go round—or why they don't!" "Sure." Anderson fell into step with him and they went from one corru- gated iron building to another. In tho grindery the machines were idle, and thero was not a man to be seen. Why isn't this place running?" de- manded O'Hara sharply. " Not enough work to keep a crew on," Anderson replied. >. "Sounds impossible." O'Ha proached a bench on which a heap of drill-steels were lying. "Are these what they're using?" "Yes." Several of the steels were picked up, one after another, only to be tossed back again. "This steel is full of flaws," said O'llara disgustedly. "They're seconds! Doesn't this stuff crack under the heat?" "That's another reason why this place isn't working," stated his companion. "No use sharpening them." "No wonder each crew's only driving two feet instead of eight! Have you reported this?" "They won't listen to me. Maybe you can do something about, it." "Yeah, maybe I can." They visited tho power-house and the stores, and then, on a motortruck driven by a mechanic, they travelled into the tunnel. Some way beyond the junction O'Hara pointed downwards at a patch where the rails ran over metal plates instead of earth or rock. "What's that?" he asked. "That's where we had the bad cave- in last March," Anderson explained. "Ground gave way without warning, but, those new sfeel liner plates seem to be holding all right." Beyond the metal covering of the floor of the tunnel O'Hara saw something that made him ask abruptly: Who's the inspector here?" "Suede Mulhousen," replied Ander- son, with a frown. "Goodman. Why?" "Better get a new inspector. The ground along here looks as if it had been swelling for about a month. If he hasn't seen it by this time he'll never see it until there's another cave in !" The bad patch was passed, the noise of drilling grew louder, and the truck came to a standstill near the spot where Shane had met more than his match. Anderson motioned to Tony Moreno to (urn off the compressed air, then addressed the men who turned to see why their work had been stopped. "This is Mr. O'Hara, our new en- gineer," he announced. "I believe he's got a few words to say." O'Hara stood up in the truck." "Well, boys," he said, "making speeches isn't my business, and I don't intend to go through this routine with tin- other two shifts, so all I have to say you can pas< on to the others. Now, to begin with, there's a lot of bunk being spread around about this being a jinx damp—a hoodoo section. Well, I don't believe in jinxes or hoodoos ] know that when accidents happen there's only one reason for them— negligence !" Some of llie men looked rather pointedly at Anderson, who was stand- ing beside O'Hara, but he appeared to be unaware of the fact. "It means," continued the new en- gineer, "(hat somebody's laying down on the job. Well, from now on (hat's all over. boys. Either you work and you work hard, or you got out 1 This section is months behind schedule, and we're going to make up that time. But that 'doesn't mean I, expect tho impos-| * very Tuesday sible. I won't ask any pf you to do any thing that I won't do myself. But be- tween us we're going to Hck this job >*' "Like you did Dave Shane?" one of the men inquired with a grin. "Well, something like that," said O'Hara, and turned to Anderson. "Where's that inspector?" "Swede!" Anderson shouted. "Swede Mulhousen 1" A big, thick-lipped fellow hurried alop.g the track to the truck from tho direction of the junction. "You Mulhousen?" asked O'Hara.' "Yeah,'' replied the man, with a note' of defiance in his voice. "There's a limber segment down the : line a quarter of a mile that's ready Eo crack—looks as if it's been that way for about a month. Now if I sec any- thing like that again, you're through. Get it fixed !" "All right." "Start the hammers, Tony," directed O'Hara, and the tunnel became filled with the noise of the drills once more. That day O'Hara wrote to the head ofiice of tho Whitney Construction Com- pany ordering all sorts of equipment, which he deemed necessary, and it was' not till late" at night that he sought his own quarters—a two-roomed structure near the camp gates—and went to bed. In company with Bill Anderson, two days later, ho stopped short beside a machine for mixing concrete which had broken down. The man in charge of it was lounging against its platform, smoking a cigarette, which he threw away as O'Hara strode towards him. "How long have you been running the mixer?" O'Hara inquired. "Ever since this job started," was the reply. "Why?" "Did it ever occur to you tq use a little oil?" An accusing finger pointed. "Those cables are rusted through!" "I'm doing the best I can," grumbled the man. "That isn't good enough!" snapped O'Hara. "Two days are going to be wasted getting that thing fixed!" "Say what you like," Anderson inter- posed, "there it some sort of jinx on this section." "Well, I'm going to run 'em out of camp one after .another," retorted O'Hara. "Get your time, you, and clear out !" "Huh?" Tin- man in charge of (he mixer gaped at him as though he could not believe his ears. " You heard me !" The fellow went off, scowling. "Machines jamming." growled O'Hara, "drill-steel snapping, cave-ins I What a construction camp !" "llow're you gonna beat il. chief." purred Anderson. "I'll get, new equipment down here if I have to build it myself !" A clerk from the ofiice came up to them. "Mr. O'llara," he said, "Mr. Billings, the company engineer, waiting for you in your office." "Thanks!" O'Hara made a grimace at Anderson 1 . "Now comes the squawk about the new equipment I ordered. said. Ann Meets Her Match ALONG the winding road from Indio a grey louring-car travelled swiftly between the high banks of rock, and Ann Miller was at (he wheel and Willie Dent was sitti beside her. "According to the signs," said Ann, " we ought (o be (here any minute." "Thai means it's just as hot there." lamented Willie Dent, "Aw, gee. Ann, 1 wish we'd stopped at Pomona 1"