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Page 12
TOM MAKES A SPEECH ON GAMBLING
"Cut out the gun-play! That doesn't go here!" Tom uttered warningly.
One swift step forward, and one hand caught Jim Duff by the throat.
With the other hand Tom caught Duff's right wrist and wrenched away the
pistol that instantly appeared in the gambler's hand.
The weapon Tom threw on the ground, some feet away. Then, with eyes
blazing with contempt, Tom Reade struck the gambler heavily across the
face with the flat of his hand. Hard work had added to the young
engineer's muscle of earlier days, and the gambler was staggered.
Another instant, and Superintendent Hawkins who, with Hazelton and the
foremen, had run up to them, seized Duff roughly from behind, holding
his arms pinioned.
Harry Hazelton picked up the revolver. Quickly opening it, he drew out
the cartridges.
"Mr. Bell!" called Harry, and the foreman of that name hastened to him.
"Take this thing back to the office and break it up with a hammer,"
directed young Hazelton, as he passed the revolver to the foreman. The
latter sped away on his errand.
"Let Duff go, Mr. Hawkins," directed Tom. "I'm not afraid of him.
Duff, I wish to apologize to you for striking you in the face. I
wouldn't allow any man to do that to me. But your action in reaching
for a pistol was so childish--or cowardly, whichever you prefer to call
it--that I admit I forgot myself for a moment. Now, you are not going
to erect any tents for gambling or other unworthy purposes on the
railroad's property. It's bad business to let you do anything of the
sort. I trust that there will be no hard feeling between us."
"Hard feeling?" hissed Jim Duff, his wicked-looking face paler than
ever. "Boy, you needn't try to crawl back into my good graces after the
way you acted toward me!"
"I'm not trying to crawl into your esteem, or to get there by any other
means," Tom answered quietly, though with a firmness that caused
superintendent and foremen to feel a new respect for their young chief
engineer. "At the same time, Duff, I don't believe in stirring up bad
blood with anyone. You and I haven't the same way of regarding your
line of business. That's the main difficulty. As I can't see your
point of view, it would be hardly fair to expect you to understand my
way of regarding what you wished to do here. Your tents will have to
come down and be moved, but I have no personal feeling in the matter.
How soon can you get your tents down?"
"They are not coming down, I tell you!" snarled the gambler.
"That's where you and I fail once more to agree," replied Tom steadily,
looking the other straight in the eyes. "It's merely a question of
whether you will take them down, or whether I shall set our own men to
doing it."
Jim Duff had brought with him about a dozen men of his own. They were a
somewhat picturesque-looking crowd, though not necessarily dangerous
men. They were mostly men who had been hired to run the gaming tables
under the canvas. A judge of men would have immediately classified them
as inferior specimens of manhood.
So far these men had not offered to take any part in the dispute. Now
Duff moved over to them quickly, muttering the words:
"Stand by me!"
As for Tom Reade, he was backed by five men, including his chum. Though
none of Reade's force was armed, the young engineer knew that he could
depend upon them.
Followed by his adherents, Duff took a few quick strides forward. This
brought him face to face with Reade's labors, of whom now more than two
hundred were present.
"Are you men or squaws?" called, Duff loudly. "I have brought the stuff
over here for a merry night of it. This boy says you can't have your
enjoyment. Are you going to let him rule you in that fashion, or are
you going to throw him out of here?"
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