Certainly Peter and his master had never played to a more enthusiastic audience. Felicia wanted to go out and ride him then and there and Charley had to use considerable persuasion to get the excited little girl off to bed. But after this was accomplished Roger asked: "Where did you get Peter? Will you sell him?" Crazy Dutch darted an ugly look at Roger. Charley cut in quickly. "Tell us where you found him, Uncle Otto. Mr. Moore was merely showing how much he admired Peter." "I thought he'd be so fine for Felicia," exclaimed Roger. Von Minden grunted. Then he lighted his pipe. "I have not always been as you see me now," he said. "I was a geologist of reputation and when my health demanded a hot climate, it was natural I should come here to look for mines for a great German company. I am lucky and I have brains and I have the greatest training in the world, German training, so I find several mines and then jealousies, jealousies--jealousies--" he fell to mumbling to himself. Charley prompted him. "So you decided to strike out for yourself, about five years ago." "Yes, I do so. By then, you see, I had gotten to understand the desert loneliness. I loved it and I sold myself to the desert, body and soul. All I asked was to wander about on her magnificent barren bosom. It seemed to me I was entirely happy. But one day I found a little young burro stuck in a crevice in a blind canyon. Evidently he had been abandoned by an Indian. Me, I climb down in the crevice and I tie his heels so he can't kick and with my geologist's pick and hammer I work so carefully all day till I get him out. Why such toil? Because I find when I look into Peter's deep eyes that I am lonely--lonely beyond the power of thought or word to describe. And Peter, from that day to this, has never left me, day or night." "You are in excellent health again, Mr. von Minden," said Ernest. "Don't you plan ever to return to the Vaterland?" "Yes! Yes!" cried Crazy Dutch, "but only when I can return with an empire in my hand for my Kaiser." "Hoch!" said Gustav softly, "Hoch!" "Hoch!" Roger and Ernest took up the exclamation with a laugh and a wave of their pipes, and Charley joined them, smiling. Von Minden looked deeply pleased. "Yes! Yes!" he cried. "You all are good children, properly educated, ready to understand Germany as the citizens of no other country. You all speak German? Yes! And you all know German literature and music to be the best. Yes, ah, these great universities and high schools, they are doing their work wonderfully." "If I fall down all together in getting my plant funded in this country, I'm going to Germany with it," said Roger abruptly. "No, you aren't!" cried Charley, quickly; "I love Germany too, but America comes first." Ernest rose with a sigh. "That may be, but with me, bed comes first." "You will not be cross the next time we meet, eh?" asked Crazy Dutch as the men made their adieux.