Seeing that the negro was honest, Kirk decided that somebody had been spying upon him, but the matter was of so little consequence that he dismissed it from his mind. "And what said your female upon your proposal of marriage?" Allan inquired. "Praise God, I shall h'expire of suspense if you do not cha-at me the truth." "Oh, there was a chorus of her relatives in the room. They sat in my lap all the evening." "Perhaps it is fartunate, after all. This senorita is rich 'ooman, and therefar she would be h'expensive for us." Kirk managed to drive him forth after some effort, and straightway retired to dream of timid Spanish girls who peeped at him from behind old ladies, porcelain tigers that laughed inanely at his jokes, and Guatemalan gentlemen with huge hypnotic eyes of glass. XXII A CHALLENGE AND A CONFESSION Although Runnels had spoken with confidence of the coming shake-up in the railroad organization, it was not without a certain surprise that he awoke one morning to find himself actively in charge of the entire system. He lost no time in sending for Kirk, who took the news of their joint advancement with characteristic equanimity. "Now, there is nothing cinched yet, understand," the Acting Superintendent cautioned him. "We're all on probation, but if we make good, I think we'll stick." "I'll do my best to fill your shoes." "And I have the inside track on Blakeley, in spite of Colonel Jolson, so I'm not alarmed. The break came sooner than I expected, and now that we chaps are in control it's the chance of our lifetimes." Kirk nodded. "You're entitled to all you get, but I've never quite understood how I managed to forge ahead so fast. Why, there are dozens of fellows here who know more than I, and who could do better. I've been mighty lucky." "You don't really call it luck, do you?" Runnels looked at him curiously. "I'm not conceited enough to think I'm a downright genius." "Why, the Cortlandts engineered everything. It was they who arranged your promotion to the office in the first place, and they're behind this last affair. They have stood back of you at every step, and, incidentally; back of me and the other boys." "When you say 'they' you of course mean 'she'." "Of course. One has to recognize him, though--as the head of the family. And he really did have a part in it, too; at least, if he had been against us we never would have won." "I can't pretend that I didn't suspect," said Kirk slowly, "but I did hope I'd made good on my own merits."