“You may. I think I’m going to get a pretty able son-in-law. It may interest you to know that she accepted him as Hogg, but that ain’t his real name. It seems he’s a Huguenot. I don’t know much about the Huguenots, but I know they were good workmen.” “Mr. Ferry, I called up Jimmy’s boarding-house day before yesterday, and was told that he was busy writing a speech. Can you throw any light on that?” “Yes,” laughed Asher. “I’ve made him a departmental manager, and his men gave him a dinner night before last. I was invited, but couldn’t attend. The committee that came to see me showed me a petition they were presenting him—a request to change his name to La Hogue. So I guess he was writing a speech of acceptance. Now tell me what we are going to do when that stuff”—here Asher pointed to the coal on the dock they were passing—“is all gone.” “Why,” said Marvin, “I suppose you’ll use hydro-electric.” Asher turned and scrutinized his companion with myopic luminous eyes. “Young man, that answer ain’t enough. You are capable of a better answer than that. If every drop of water that falls in the United States was utilized to produce power, it would produce no more than we are getting from coal right now.” “What makes you think I’ve given any attention to the matter?” “I’ll be frank with you. After you called at my house I took steps to find out exactly how much of a man I had to deal with. I know your college record, your war record, and your chemical record.” “Perhaps you do,” smiled Marvin, “but you don’t know what I was reckoning when I woke up after losing my hand. I was calculating how much alcohol could be extracted from a ton of straw.” “Well, how much was it?” “Not enough. It would take the whole corn crop of the United States to duplicate the heating power we are now taking from five billion gallons of gasoline.” Asher nodded. “I reckon there ain’t two other men in the country that’s worrying. Maybe I’m wrong—there may be others—but you’re the first one I’ve met.” “My father, sir, thinks that you see a long way ahead.” “Does he? He has a funny way of showing it.” “I’d like you to meet him, Mr. Ferry.” “I don’t want to meet him.” “But he is only a few miles away from us at this minute. I want you to stop off with me and get acquainted with him.” “I won’t do that.” “Mr. Ferry, I’m guessing that you will. He has the mistaken notion that you are a coward. What’s the sense in letting that notion continue when you might dispel it in five minutes? You are the master of thirty thousand workmen who have never been able to form a union, and yet you hesitate to face a man who has much the same ideals as yours.” “Marvin, let’s drop that subject. Come up here in the bow of the boat, out of the wind, and talk to me about solar energy.” They walked up the deck and seated themselves near the lookout. “Now, this here process by which a leaf extracts the energy out of the sun. Can’t that be duplicated in a laboratory?”