And so Jurgis marched into the hog-killing room, a place where, in the days gone by, he had come begging for a job. Now he walked jauntily, and smiled to himself, seeing the frown that came to the boss’s face as the timekeeper said, “ Mr. Harmon says to put this man on.” It would overcrowd his department and spoil the record he was trying to make⁠—but he said not a word except “All right.”