"DOCTORED" FIELD NOTES?
There was no more trouble---immediately.

When the other engineers heard of the row---which news they obtained through Jake, not from Reade---they soon made it plain to 'Gene Black that Tom Reade was a favorite in the corps.

Black was therefore treated with a coldness that he strove hard to overcome.
In the matter of being a capable civil engineer 'Gene Black speedily proved himself efficient.

Assistant Chief Engineer Blaisdell soon reported at headquarters that the new member of the corps was an exceedingly valuable man.

Black was therefore placed at the head of a leveling squad that obtained the field notes from which were to be estimated the cost of making excavations in several cuts that must be made ere the coming tracks could be laid.
In the days that passed Tom and Harry saw little of the field work.