This director of the Arizona road, being a friend of President Newnham, of the S.B.& L.road, had written the latter, asking whether the services of Tom and Harry could be secured.

The reply had been in the affirmative, and Tom and Harry had speedily traveled down into Arizona.

In the few days they had been at this little town of Paloma, they had gone thoroughly over the ground, they had studied the problem, and had expressed their opinion that the job could be put through creditably at a cost not exceeding a quarter of a million dollars.
"Go to it, then!" General Manager Curtis had replied.

"You have our road's credit at your command, and we look to you to make good.

You are both very young, but Newnham's word is quite good enough for us." The day before this story opens this general manager had boarded one of the rough-looking construction trains and had gone back to the road's headquarters.
As they sat in the barber shop now Tom and Harry were quite unaware of the interested notice they were receiving.