He had secured, without consulting any of his associates, an option on a rich, beautiful, and fertile island off the coast of Southern California. It was owned by a corporation which had invested more than a million dollars in its improvement. The enterprise had failed for two reasons--the money had been expended recklessly in the days of the famous land boom, and it had been found impossible to induce labourers to isolate themselves on this lonely spot, sixty miles from the coast of Santa Barbara, with no means of regular connection with the outside world. His eyes flashing with enthusiasm and his voice ringing with conviction, Norman closed his description of the island of Ventura with a demand for its immediate purchase by the Socialists. "It can be bought," he declared impetuously, "for $200,000. A million dollars' worth of improvements are already there. I propose that we immediately raise $500,000, buy this island, establish a steamship line, plant a colony of ten thousand Socialists, found the Brotherhood of Man, build a model city, and create a vast fund for the propaganda of our faith." Barbara's brown eyes danced with excitement, her cheeks flushed, while her little hands clapped approval. "Good! Good! It's great! It's beautiful! We must do it!" she cried. Wolf grimly shook his head. "The idea has failed a hundred times. We must conquer the world by political action--we have the weapon in our hand--manhood suffrage. All colonies fail sooner or later. They are corrupted from outside----" "Just so!" Norman interrupted. "But this one you can't reach from the outside. We will own the only means of communication. We will inherit all the advantages of modern civilization with none of its drawbacks. We can demonstrate the truths we hold and from our impregnable Gibraltar send out our missionaries to conquer the world. We will not merely dream dreams and see visions; we will make history. We will prove the God that's in man and establish the fact of his universal brotherhood." "It's a wonderful idea, comrade!" Catherine exclaimed, with enthusiasm. "I congratulate you! We will accept your plan, and I move that we appoint you our agent vested with full power to collect this fund from the enemy!" The motion was put and carried unanimously, even Wolf voting for it. Barbara sprang to Norman's side, and grasped his hand: "Our feud is over! I forgive you for laughing at me. You are a born leader. You've won your spurs to-night. You will raise this money?" "As sure as I'm living!" was the firm reply. CHAPTER VI THE RED FLAG