"I do not mind saying to you, under all the circumstances, that there has been a little friction with the Harrison people. Do you see? And, for reasons that may suggest themselves, there may be more. They might conclude to run a line to the coast themselves. The young man has, I believe, been turned down----" "I understood the--the slate had been--changed slightly," stammered Glover, coloring. "There might be resentment, that's all. Blood is loyal to us, I presume." "There's no taint anywhere in Morris Blood. He is loyalty itself." "What would you think of him as General Manager? Callahan goes to the river as Traffic Manager. Mr. Bucks, you know, is the new President; these are his recommendations. What do you think of them?" "No better men on earth for the positions, and I'm mighty glad to see them get what they deserve." "Our idea is to leave you right here in the mountains." It was hard to be left completely out of the new deal, but Glover did not visibly wince. "With the title," added Mr. Brock, after he knew his arrow had gone home, "with the title of Second Vice-president, which Mr. Bucks now holds. That will give you full swing in your plans for the rebuilding of the system. I want to see them carried out as the estimates I've been studying this winter show. Don't thank me. I did not know till yesterday they were entirely your plans. You can have every dollar you need; it will rest with you to produce the results. I guess that's all. No, stop. I want you to go East with us next week for a month or two as our guest. You can forward your work the faster when you get back, and I should like you to meet the men whose money you are to spend. Were you waiting to see Gertrude?" "Why--yes, sir--I----" "I'll see whether she's around." Gertrude did not appear for some moments, then she half ran and half glided in, radiant. "I couldn't get away!" she exclaimed. "He's talking about you yet to Aunt Jane and Marie. He says you're charged with dynamite--_I_ knew that--a most remarkable young man. How did you ever convince him you knew anything? I am confident you don't. You must have taken him somehow aback, didn't you?" "If you want to give your father a touch of asthma," suggested Glover, "ask him how old I am; but he had me scared once or twice," admitted the engineer, wiping the cold sweat from his wrists. "_Did_ he give his consent?" "Why--hang it--I--we got to talking business and I forgot to----" "So like you, dear. However, it must be all right, for he said he should need your help in buying the coast branches and The Short Line." "The Short Line," gasped Glover. "Well, I haven't inventoried lately. If we marry in June----" "Don't worry about that, for we sha'n't marry in June, my love." "But when we do, we shall need some money for a wedding-trip----" "We certainly shall; a lot of it, dearie."