CHAPTER XII

THE BOYS MEET WITH A SURPRISE

Ignatz had gone when the Iron Boys made their appearance at the Brodsky home next morning, carrying a trunk between them.

"Good morning, Mrs. Brodsky and all the little Brodskys," greeted Steve, with a winning smile, as the family met him at the door. The coming of the boys was an event in that household. The children were bashful, and not a word could he get out of them. They hid behind their mother's skirts, peering out at the newcomers suspiciously.

After placing the trunk in their room the lads went back for the second trunk, which was Steve's. An hour later they were well settled in their new quarters. They decided to wait until after the noon meal before starting off on their pleasure jaunt.

"I suppose our friend Ignatz is at work, Mrs. Brodsky?" said Steve, sitting down in the parlor for a chat with the widow.

"Yes."

"Well, he is a good boy and you should be proud of him. If ever I get a good position I shall give Ignatz a job that you will be proud of."

"You'll be lucky if you get one for yourself," grunted Jarvis.

"Luck will change, old man. When a fellow sets his mind on doing a certain thing, then drives straight ahead, he's going to land what he is after. No one can stop us, Bob."

"Well, all I've got to say is that some one has given a pretty good imitation of stopping us."

While they talked, Ignatz, instead of being in the mill, as they supposed, was hanging about the entrance to the company's offices. He had heard, that morning, that the general superintendent had returned from his trip, and young Brodsky was determined to see him, even if he lost a day's pay in his effort to do so.

There were two entrances to the office building, but Ignatz had forgotten this. After waiting nearly three hours he hailed a clerk who came hurrying from the building, with the request to tell him if Mr. Keating were coming down that morning.

"He's in his office now, young man, but he is very busy," was the answer as the clerk hurried away.

Brodsky did not care whether the superintendent were busy or not, for his own business was more important than anything that Mr. Keating could possibly have on hand, according to the way Ignatz reasoned it out.

The Pole climbed the steps leisurely, peered into the corridor through the glass door, and seeing no one there, entered. He saw no one after he got in. Even the Iron and Steel Policeman who usually stood guard in the hall was not there. The man was in the office getting some orders from the superintendent.

Ignatz, who did not know that the regular entrance to Mr. Keating's office was through the main offices, wandered on down the hall, slowly spelling out the names on the doors. At last he reached a door on which the word "Superintendent" had been painted in large letters.

The long word bothered Ignatz, but he labored with it until he managed to convey the sound of it phonetically to his ears.

"Him there," he muttered.

Then Brodsky boldly turned the knob, opened the door and entered.

Mr. Keating glanced up from his desk in surprise.

"Well, sir, what do you want?" he demanded.

"All liars!" exclaimed Brodsky, striking a dramatic attitude, legs apart, arms waving wildly above his head.

Mr. Keating regarded the boy keenly.

"Who are you?" he asked sharply.

"Ignatz Brodsky."

"Well, what do you want?"

"All liars!" persisted Ignatz.

"So I heard you remark before. Who is it who has lied?"

"Kalinski, Foley--all liars."

"See here, young man, I am inclined to think you are crazy, but if you have anything to say to me, say it quickly and run along. Now what do you want?"

"Steve Rush and Bob Jarvis, him not lie."

"Rush and Jarvis," repeated the superintendent. "What about them?"

"They not blow up the cinder pits. Kalinski say they do, then pouf, out they go!"

"I don't understand?"

Brodsky was dripping with perspiration from his efforts to make himself understood.

"Has anything happened to Rush and Jarvis?"

The boy nodded.

"What is it?"

"Him fired. Him no get job. Kalinski, Foley--all liars."

"The boys have been discharged, do you mean?"

"Yes."

"What for?"

Illustration: "All Liars!" Exclaimed Ignatz.

"For lies. Mr. McNaughton him fire boys because Kalinski tell lies."

The superintendent snatched the telephone receiver from its hook.

"Give me Mr. McNaughton's office!" he commanded sharply. "Hello, McNaughton, is this you? Is it true that the two young men, Rush and Jarvis, have been dismissed?"

"Yes." Brodsky caught the word faintly.

"What for?"

The boy could not hear the reply in the telephone, but he did hear the superintendent's next remark.

"Come to my office at once. I wish to talk with you. Brodsky, I am very much obliged to you. Sit down. I may want to ask you some questions after Mr. McNaughton gets here."

Ignatz, whose face had resumed its ordinary stolidity, dropped into a chair, while his eyes gazed vacantly through the window. Soon the division superintendent came hurrying in.

"What is this you tell me about those boys having been thrown out?" demanded Mr. Keating, with a slight show of irritation.

"They are a bad lot, sir; a couple of impudent, untrustworthy fellows. I wouldn't have them in my division under any circumstances."

"Why not?"

"Because, in the first place, they disobeyed orders and blew up the cinder pit after having been warned not to put water on it while the cinders were still hot. Then again, they had several quarrels with the pit boss and the foreman. Even in my office, where I called them to hear their story, they answered me in a most impudent manner."

"Is that all?" demanded Mr. Keating, in a sarcastic tone.

"Well, it is all I can think of just now."

"Hm-m! A desperate pair, eh? McNaughton, I thought you were a better judge of human nature than that."

"What do you mean, sir?"

"I mean, with all due respect to you, that I don't believe a word of this. What did the boys say--what excuse did they offer?"

"Denied it, of course."

"Tell me exactly what Foley and Kalinski said in making their charges."

Mr. McNaughton did so. There was a slight flush on his cheeks, brought there by the sharp answers of the general superintendent.

As he finished, Ignatz suddenly came to life again.

"All lies!" he exclaimed, waving his arms over his head, after which he subsided.

"That will do, Brodsky!" commanded Mr. Keating sternly, while his division superintendent flushed violently. "There is something more to this affair than you seem to have learned. These boys came to me with the highest recommendations from President Carrhart. They held responsible positions in the mines and they came here to learn the steel business after having followed the ore all the way down. There is some mistake; depend upon that."

"I do not think there is any mistake, sir. I know a bad boy or a bad man when I see him. These boys are the limit. Why, sir, I hear they made an attack on Kalinski on the street last night, beating him nearly to death."

Mr. Keating looked grave.

"Lies!" muttered Ignatz.

"Young man, do you know where Rush and Jarvis are?"

Ignatz nodded.

"Boys go work in Stevens' mills by Monday," volunteered the Pole.

"Can you fetch them here at once?"

"Yes."

"Then do so. You need not say what I want of them. Simply that they are wanted at the office of the superintendent immediately."

Ignatz was out of the office on the run. He burst into the house, waving his arms.

"Come by superintendent, quick!" he shouted, dancing about excitedly.