"That's all. I haven't measured life in dollars and cents." "Then you've missed a damn' good measure for it, my son! I ain't sayin' it's the only one, but it'll do firs' class. But you needn't get scared I've gone into the preaching business. . . . An' with that seventy-five dollars you're startin' out to run a big cow outfit like this, are you?" There was a gleam of mockery in the clear blue eyes which Steve gave no sign of seeing. "I've got a big job on my hands and I know it," he said quietly. "But I'm going to see it through." "There's no question about the size of the job! It's life-size, man's size--Number Ten size, if you want to put it that way. It wants a real man to shove it across. Know just how much you're mortgaged for?" "No. I was going to ask you." "Close to fifty thousan' dollars, countin' back interest, unpaid. More'n you ever saw in a day, I reckon." Steve shrugged. This to hide his first inclination to whistle. Fifty thousand--why, he didn't know Number Ten ranch was worth that much money. But it must be worth a good deal more if his grandfather had advanced so much on it. "It is a nice little pile," he admitted carelessly. The old man grunted, thrust his hands into his pockets, and drew deeply at his stogie. Steve rolled a cigarette. In the silence falling upon them they could hear the sound of the mechanician's wrench. "Anything wrong with the car?" asked Steve for the sake of breaking unpleasant silence. "Not that I know of. He's jus' takin' a peek to make sure, I guess. That's what he's for. He knows I got to get back to my place in a couple of shakes." Steve smiled; by wagon road his grandfather's ranch home was fifty miles to the northward. "You won't think of going back before noon." "Won't I? But I will, though, son; Blenham's sticking aroun', waitin' for my say-so what he'll do nex'." He snapped open a big watch and stared at it a moment with pursed lips. "I'll be back home in jus' one hour an' a half. All I got is fifteen minutes to talk with you this mornin'." "You mean that you can drive those fifty miles in an hour and a quarter!" "Have done it in less; if I was in a hurry I'd do it in an hour flat. But allowin' for time out I want fifteen minutes more'n that. And now, if we're goin' to get anywhere----" He stopped suddenly and stood toying with his big watch passing it back and forth through the loop he made of its heavy chain, his gaze steady and earnest and searching upon his grandson. "Stephen," he said abruptly, "I ain't playin' any favorites in my ol' age. An' I ain't givin' away big chunks of money hit or miss. You wasn't countin' on anything like that, was you?" "No, I wasn't," announced Steve quickly. "I remember your old theory; that a man should make his own way unaided, that----"