Show LASS S S aright 1915 by pathe exchange inc A I 1 amov moving ng R gats and all for elsa eign copyrights strictly ly reserved EIGHTH STORY I 1 R IT V B 13 E L trouble mr air payne pat grady solemnly spelled his pre diction I 1 kin smell it in the air plain as I 1 sm it the rotten food in the mess shack that a causing it all and I 1 in telling you now that there a no saying where it 11 lead any more than I 1 can tell where it 11 end trouble and bad grub they been twins from the begin ning of time lee payne tapped the table thought fully with his pencil A young man he was not inclined to take the mat ter so seriously as the old foreman of ira monroe a oil fields still there was no dodging the fact that the men were lately become sullen and apathetic in their work rork and a few of them openly insolent and you think the food at the hot bet torn tom of the mens actions their stomachs stomach Is at the bottom of it stomachs and lack of food pat corrected but it can easily be remedied then R athy by ato ain t it ita 9 grady did not wait for an answer but pointed out of the window silently toward a group of laborers loafing boldly beside the near eat big tank la in the center of the group a broad shouldered swarthy beetle fellow was frantically gesticulating to emphasize his remarks remarks which the two men in the office could not bear hear but which caused their brows to furrow acx brown joe joes a at it agin muttered the foreman as though to himself and he hes got the right of it this time I 1 tell you mr payne I 1 d rather have a rattler sleeping with me than a mouthy workman get rid of that fel low and do it quick look at him payne slowly nodded and turned back to his desk he ile glanced at his watch and felt a little tremor of anticipatory tear fear as he noted the noon hour was upon him there had been open mutterings this morning if the food had not ain proved tor for dinner what would those mutterings become for a halt half day a labor in the oil wells Is not conducive to making ones one s appetite dainty or birdlike the situation must be im ini proved and that immediately it only he could gain a little time As the whistle summoned the men from their work he waited for them in the shack watching them being seated at the long table noting the furrowed brows the somber eyes the signoff cance of their steady scrutiny of brown drown joe seated next himself that there was something afoot be he could not doubt the cook entered heavily laden with a couple of steaming platters there was something savory looking about that steam but the look was dispelled almost instantly by the ran eld cid odor that percolated through it As the cook placed a steaming plate before brown joe the yeung strained forward every mus cle flexed to anticipate the trouble he knew instinctively had reached a crisis but even as bis his fists balled even as a hoarse cry of rage broke from pat grady gradys s throat the swarthy evil eyed fellow looked at the unsay ory mess before him lifted the plate as though to sniff its contents then hurled it squarely in the cooks cook a face As the fellow staggered back dig ging wildly at eyes and ears and nose to wipe the stuff away brown joe lunged forward but not so quickly that he escaped the heavy right hand swing of the foreman grady quick to take advantage ot of the man a stag ger back was instantly upon him for a second payne felt himself glued to the spot unable to grasp the full significance of what had hap bened As he threw himself beside his foreman swinging with both fists the men lunged forward en masse in a it second the mess hall was a sham bles chairs dishes tables were burled hurled aside like straws before the brutal ferocity of the enraged crew wild with the delight of combat grad grady followed up his advantage inflicting fearful punishment upon brown joe regardless of the tact fact that he was get ting into the open where the fellow fellows s supporters would make easy work of him slipping upon the messes of food stumbling over the wreck ot of the ball hall they threw themselves upon him swallowing him up as in a whirlpool payne tried to fight bis his way through that jam only finding each effort sent him farther away there was a mur derous note in the hoarse gutturals of the men the original idea of mutiny against the food had now grown into hatred for those above them for lust just a second payne hesitated the arms of grady still swung like flails now and then a heavy body crashing to the floor under the force of those pile driver blows then the fists flats were pinned and waved uselessly in the air clone canie another lunge and be knew hie his foreman had been taken off his feet his hand kissed the cold butt ot of the revolver at hie his walet waist he ile did sota act know how it happened how it came in IAB hand hald was unconscious of the mus cular action that pulled the trigger he only saw the orange spurt of flame that leaped over the heads of the squirming mass heard the splatter ol 01 splinters from the root roof then the weapon dangled uselessly in fir his hand A cold silence fell instantly upon the pandemonium he was conscious of a long sighing shudder and knew seconds would rould tell whether the vie tory was won ron brown drown joe staggered to his feet pushing the hair from his eyes and staring about him glassily still dazed from the blow that had felled him payne waved the ver threatening and the men quailed away from him the expression ot of cowed beasts in their eyes then as the gun steadied in his hand dived tear fear fully out of the place grady gripped the ringleader by the arm as he would have sneaked out throwing him heavily before the young superintendent you re fired payne snapped get out and don dont t wait tor for your time either it I 1 catch ou about the fields again III not shoot at the rafters get me the fellow slunk backwards toward the door darting fearful glances at the foreman payne started to look about him at the wreckage when rhen a heavy step from the doorway made him turn abruptly to see his employer entering the room framed in the doorway he stood staring about him with knitted brows behind the men had gathered about bla his touring car the sound ot of their threatening murmurs a low buzz the buzz of a mob just barely held in check well he snapped mutiny against the food payne explained I 1 phoned you yesterday again tor for orders as to what was to be done the men really can cant t be grady conquers brown joe blamed mr momoe they haven t had stuff fit for a dog to eat humph the old man picked up a remnant of crockery upon the floor upon which some ot of the food still clung he ile regarded it disgustedly a second then allowed it to drop quickly from bis his hand as a sniff of it caught his nos tails phew I 1 cant blame anybody kick ing at such stuff he muttered then a frown of annoyance grew into heavy anger upon bis his countenance you youve ve written me three times about this situation haven t youa he demanded abruptly then without waiting tor for an answer as payne flushed and started to stammer I 1 dont don t want to hear anyta anything 1 I ng about that its it a my lay own fault trust julia to ever do anything every morning the same thing every night wait till tomorrow the girl seems absolutely to have no sense of responsibility ot of the rights of others anything save her own right to put off put off put off payne hung his head avoiding the glowing eye of the old man there was no denying what had just been said it was ras of the man an situation that the moment he saw a situation and grasped its full significance be he took hold of it and battled for the mastery payne stepped quickly up beside him tearful fearful of the result of such an attempt while the men were in their present humor monroe brushed him aside lifting his land I 1 understand there s been sorn some complaint about the food he began a twinkle in his eye that melted some of the threatening glances fastened upon him I 1 have understood it was bad for some time but I 1 dida didn t reallie how bad food could be until I 1 took a he wrinkled his face wryly and the ice lee was as broken from the back of the crowd a man laughed in a second he was joined by others and soon monroe held them I 1 in the palm of his hand well its it a going to get better and get better right away be he declared emphatically go you one bet ter than that men and tell you its going to get good tonight aou ou can caa look forward to a real supper a real supper understand he turned upon payne even ever as the men were wildly cheering knowing that now was ras the psychological mo ment to make his strongest play get in my car lee he ho con banded and don t waste any time getting back here with a load of grub have it here for supper 11 II for once julia munroe R was as ready impatiently waiting the arrival of her a sweetheart ee theart he had told her noth ing of the reason tor for his coming to town in the middle of the week reek told her nothing of the row but he had spoken of something which had made her lier jump from the mass of cushions against which she spent a goodly por ion lon of her days and hustle into bar hey becoming afternoon gown just ia a week remained before the date of their wedding and she bad had delayed in characteristic fashion procuring any of the clothes she had spent so many hours planning and dreaming out up on the divan she plunged immediately to the subject even before payne a arms had I 1 relaxed about the waist of her look looking liag up into his face in the tantalizingly irresistible fashion which he as well as her father always found so irre sis tible now there a no use telling me why you came to town there a no sense trying to talk to me about food tor for the men there 11 be plenty of time after you look over a few little things in the shops with me but I 1 must have it there for sup per I 1 tell you julia the situation became so serious there was nearly a murderous row at the fields bother the fields she exclaimed petulantly youre you re just like father oil oil oil morning noon and night f until I 1 ve even ordered the cook to leave any of the hateful stuff out of the cooking payne laughed despite himself if laughed and catching her about the waist drew her to him trying to coax the pretty pouting face towards his own all right he laughingly capi ed but on just one condition hat we go to the grocery together the irresistible music ot of her laughter intoxicated him and as they swung into the car he wondered how in the world he bad had ever for a moment dreamed of resisting her lure in fact as they wandered from shop ito to shop that afternoon he felt more I 1 and more the hero for the manful fight be he had put up against her tempestuous emp assaults and once as he looked at his watch to his strained guilty ear came a sharp report the report of a revolver he ile started and moved swiftly toward julia placing his arm commandingly itson her wrist she turned the witchery of her glance upon him and for just an instant the suspicion of a frown puckered her brow it cleared instantly then with an exquisite lit tie tle whimper she came very close to him looking up into his face with the perplexed and worried expression ot of a child im simply famished she ex claimed surely you wont won t permit me to starve lee just a mouthful and then we can hungry he ile started as she voiced his thought of the unappeased hunger of those men he had visualized throughout the afternoon no 10 really julia she bad had his arm in her two tiny hands ineffectual hands they seemed dainty and blue veined and almond tipped at the fingers and yet like bands of steel they drew him despite himself despite everything within himself that cried out aloud against otheir their pressure III ira monroe settled back in his of flee chair idly staring at the hands of the big clock he bad had gone over the books tor for the first time in la a week had listened to pat gradya gradys story of the fracas that had come so near end I 1 ing fatally and as the old man a eyes closed slowly very slowly his mind traveled from the fields field S to his home in ilos loa angeles I 1 A faint mint smile hovered about hie his lips as he thought ot of his petted daughter of the tearful fearful consequences that might have occurred from her remissness remiss nesa in writing concerning the food supply out here it seemed incredible that euch such a blight slight fragile little thing could be the storm center about which such things revolved TR two O 0 three tour four 0 clock and still tl ti a hands traveled along their way at five 0 clock the old man rose and blared anxiously out upon the road that led past the great derricks of his oil fields here and there he could catch a glimpse of the men great powerful fellows cheerfully exerting th their ir muscles to the utmost their th air mie minds ads centered wholly on tl if e mess hall and the elaborate supper that bad had been veen prepared for them five thirty he frowned heavily was as it poa pos bible sible that pane payne knowing the seriousness of the matter could permit any thing to delay him 1 ras a word which ira monroe had never tolerated in himself any more than lie tolerated it in others results that bad had always been the foundation stone upon which he tick tock took tock tick the strokes were pounding at his very brain now like blow blos a from a sledge they were he clamped his ban bande to his ears that he might shut out the sound ol 01 the clock five forty five he shrugged his giant shoulders and moved out along the road for some ign sign of the motor not even a dust cloud rose above the shimmering heat beat waves that danced along the way to the city in thi the distance he felt an irresistible desire to look at hia his watch although he knew what tale it would tell nervously looking about him he saw the men slacking in their labors he hustled toward the mess shack something must be done but for or the lif life of him he could not imagine what it would be supper was what the men wanted and supper was what they she turned the witchery of her glance upon him intended having he had sent his superintendent the man he trusted sufficiently not only to put his bus busi ness in his hands but also the happi ness of his daughter and his super in had tailed failed he ile joined pat grady in the mea mes hall silently the two men looked about them tables chairs crockery food remained as it bad had been after the mutiny at the dinner table even the stench of the mess still hovered over the hall he threw out his hands in a wide gesture of rage and helplessness hell t pay and then some mut i the foreman monroe started a nod but checked it throwing up his bead head like a runaway horse horpe as the shrill scream of the whis tie tle pierced his ears loud shrieking fiendish was the bound sound he ile did not know what it might mean there was no way of tell ing that of consequences he cared little compared to the broken promise to his men already they were rush ing toward this very place and he had promised that they would find the food there which they were entitled to instead of which this mess before defore he had time to even talk tle situation over to reach any sion a burly form hurtled in the door way followed by another another and then another monroe met the startled incredulous eyes of the work men then he lowered his own well I 1 in damn he ile lifted his head quickly at the threat in the angry voice it if the men were in this mood already then under full headway there was no telling to what extent their rage would take them he lifted his band hand his power ful ul shoulders lunged forba forward men alen I 1 im m sorry he said simply you know I 1 sent the superintendent to town to remedy this condition I 1 in going to the phone now and see what can be done the growl that went up showed that his declaration had tar far from mollified he ile flushed darkly his iron jaw creep |