Larry Logan, the young Irishman, came up and stood looking on, an expression of satisfaction on his face.
“Oi think ye’d betther foind out th’ b’y ye’re tacklin’, Mr. Hicks,” chuckled Larry.
“What in thunder do I care who he is! If he’s one of Ganzell’s favorites, it won’t make any difference. If he don’t get away from that engine, I’ll mop him all over the ground.”
“It’s a roight swate job ye’d be afther takin’, sur,” grinned the young Irishman. “This is th’ chap phwat knocked out Ould Sloogs widout gettin’ a marruk on himself.”
The engineer looked astonished. He had heard of the encounter between the bully of the roundhouse and an applicant for work, but it did not seem possible that this boy had whipped the ruffian.
“Thot’s dead straight, sur,” asserted Larry.
“Well, I don’t care who he is, I won’t have a slob clean old 33!”
“Thot’ll be aisier fer yez than av ye troied to take th’ b’y off th’ job yersilf.”
“Shut up! Don’t you get sassy, fer I’ll thump ye if ye do.”
Then Hicks hurried away in search of the foreman.
“It’s a roight foine toime ye’ll have wid him,” said Larry to Frank. “He’s worse thin Ould Sloogs, fer he’ll be afther hittin’ yez in th’ back.”
“I am not afraid of him,” declared Frank, quietly.
In a short time Hicks came round with the foreman. Stopping near the engine, the angry man pointed to Frank, growling:
“Look here, Mr. Ganzell, you know I take special pride in the way I keep my engine. Now what d’yer mean by puttin’ a greenhorn on her to clean her?”
“It was necessary, Hicks,” said the foreman, with an expression of anger. “I will have an old wiper go over her after Merriwell finishes, so she will be all right.”
“But I don’t want a greenie plugging at her. They’re sure to be tryin’ to find out how things work, and they get things out of order.”
“I don’t think there will be any trouble in that line.”
“All right!” he snarled. “If anything happens, don’t blame me. You know how particular I am with old 33, an’ I don’t think you are givin’ me a square deal.”
With that he left the roundhouse, muttering and growling as he went.
Ganzell, the foreman, was not in the most pleasant frame of mind, for he did not fancy being talked to in such a manner.
“See what you can do on her, young man,” he said, scowling at Frank. “Hicks will raise a howl if he finds the least little thing wrong.”