CHAPTER II.
BAD PETE BECOMES WORSE Timothy Thurston's gaze was curious, and his voice a trifle cold.
Yet he did not by any means treat the boys with contempt.

He appeared simply to wonder why these young men had traveled so far to take up his time.
"We couldn't afford to take a college course in engineering, sir," Tom Reade continued, reddening slightly.

"We have learned all that we possibly could in other ways, however." "Do you expect me, young men, to detail an experienced engineer to move about with you as instructor until you learn enough to be of use to us ?" "No, indeed, we don't, sir," Tom replied, and perhaps his voice was sharper than usual, though it rang with earnestness.

"We believe, sir, that we are very fair engineers.

We are willing to be tried out, sir, and to be rated exactly where you find that we belong.