"I like the way he wears his clothes," Brent replied. "It isn"t every fellow who can put on hand-me-downs and still look like they"re made for him. Perhaps a small matter," he added, noting a smile of indulgence come into the old gentleman"s face, "but you"ll admit that it shows up favorably. It"s probably an avatism pointing back to royalty; as Aunt Timmie would say, a sure sign of quality."
"You may be right, sir. But in other ways he shows up more extraordinarily. His mind is so retentive that nothing ever escapes from it. Any date, or fact, or figure that he has ever heard, may be instantly and accurately recalled. Why, sir, I would as soon contradict an encyclopedia! He is truthful to a fault!"
"I wouldn"t condemn him for a little thing like that," Brent murmured.
"Condemn! Why, sir, I admire him for it! I was early taught to love the truth and shame the devil!"
Brent laughed softly. He got a great deal of fun out of ragging the old gentleman a bit at times.
"If shaming the devil were all," he said; "but think of your neighbors!"
"I think of no one, sir!" The Colonel was fuming now, and glaring impartially at everything about him.
"Then I wonder you"ve got a friend left. But, all joking aside, I wouldn"t take anything for Dale, and have really grown to like him a whole lot. If he could just get over giving me the creeps! I can"t describe what there is about him--his native crudity, doubtless."
"I should forgive crudities in one whose heart is right," the Colonel temporized. "It"s in oysters that pearls are found, and surely oysters could not be termed finished."
"Your originality is dazzling," Brent looked across at him, "even though I can"t agree with you. I"ve usually found oysters finished all too soon;--and much easier to swallow than your superannuated moral axioms."
The old gentleman began to laugh. "On my word, sir, you are hopeless!
But, if he meets Jane"s expectations, you will see him one of these days with a masterful grasp on the abstruse questions of life, and striding on to undisputed success. Jane has never been so enthusiastic about anything as this rapid development. She"s planning wonders with him!"
Brent was silent, gloomily watching the smoke from his cigarette.
Pointedly ignoring the personal element, at last he said:
"I was just trying to decide whether success in life depends as much on grasping its abstruse questions, as the faculty of picking out its soft snaps! But he"s a poverty stricken beggar, and I wish him luck."
The old gentleman"s eyes twinkled as he observed Brent"s gloom. It had an effect of pleasing him, and he banteringly advanced another moral axiom:
"There are worse misfortunes than being poor!"
"That may be, Colonel," he sighed. "I"m not familiar with all the tortures. Anyway, I"ll bury the issue, along with my nose, in the delectable juleps Timmie is bringing."
"You must have caught her eye," the old gentleman smiled, watching her waddle through the hall with an inviting tray.
"Or Miss Liz is taking a nap," the other suggested, raising one of the frosted goblets. "Here"s to the gratification of your merest whim, sir!"
Both drank a swallow, and then sat upright staring at each other in amazement.
"G.o.d bless my soul!" the Colonel gasped, "what is this stuff?"
"It tastes like raspberry juice," Brent answered, warily taking another sip. "But it"s sort of good--it"s real good!"
The old gentleman gingerly sipped it now, and then once more, while his lips made the soft smacking noise of taste on an investigation.
"By G.o.dfry, it is good," he wagged his head convincingly. "It"s mighty good, sir!--er--perhaps Lizzie was not asleep, after all!"
After a few moments of contented silence--when Aunt Timmie had tiptoed back to the kitchen and was relating to Miss Liz the success of their undertaking--the Colonel asked:
"How is the road coming on?"
A month earlier Brent would have evaded this subject, but now his eyes sparkled with pleasure.
"Bully! I"ve been able to make speed by the fortunate possession of a hand map by Thruston--that super-accurate geologist, metallurgist and engineer who tramped every foot of these mountains twenty-five years ago--and it"s making things easy. We"ve nothing to equal it, even today!"
"Do you know," the Colonel slapped his knee, "I have suspected you were slipping out oftener of late! I"ve been missing my n.i.g.g.e.rs!--and was going to tell Jane about it!"
"Don"t," Brent said seriously, "I want--I just had an idea, that maybe it would be nice to finish up for--well, about the time of her birthday this summer. So, if you"ve noticed any especial activity, you"ll have to respect my confidence."
"Why, sir, I call that handsome, sir!" he cried. "Ladies might not object to birthdays if cavaliers laid railroads at their feet! Tell me more!"
"Well," Brent flushed, "the line is short and surprisingly simple: distance from Buckville to the coal, sixteen miles. There was only one choice of locations: the valley line, where the ruling grade is about nominal. I"ll come past here half a mile--or more, Colonel, if you desire it--and scoot up the North Fork of Blacksnake, through the natural tunnel, follow alongside the disappearing stream, and there you are! A few rights of way are still unsecured, but I"ve had Dulany out trying to gather them up. He"s known hereabouts, and bargains better than I."
"Well, well, I am charmed! Dulany is a good man! I take it that things will soon begin to show in earnest?"
"It depends on what you mean by earnest," Brent laughed. "If construction work, that doesn"t begin till after I"ve done!"
"Of course, of course! I had forgotten! Where do you cross the pike, sir?"
Brent looked at him a moment, then slowly began to smile.
"I"m going through the front parlor of my friend Tom Hewlet"s house."
"Good riddance," the old gentleman chuckled.
"And," Brent continued, "I fear I"ll have to go through the reception room of one of your friends."
"Why, this is serious, Brent! Whom do you mean?"
"It might be serious," the engineer laughed. "It"s a chap named Potter--very much in love with you."
The Colonel looked grave. "His cabin burned down this spring; I supposed he had moved away!"
"No, he is rebuilding," Brent casually replied, and glancing slyly across at the serious face, murmured: "He doesn"t think you had a right to burn him out."
Colonel May sprang to his feet: "The impudence of him, sir!" he wrathfully exclaimed. "The impudence of him! Why, sir, he grossly insulted--" and quickly remembering that this insult to Jane must not be known, added: "insulted me, sir! Of course, I had a right to burn him out!"
"I"m glad you did," Brent soothingly agreed. "I only knew the facts yesterday, when he happened to be telling about it."
"Telling about it! What do you mean, sir? What lie could that scoundrel have invented?"
For a moment Brent looked the excited man steadily in the eyes, and the Colonel realized that further dissimulation was useless. After this silent message had pa.s.sed between them, he said:
"I was resting under a tree yesterday, back from the road. As a matter of fact, I was trying to write a verse. Dale and Bob came by on horseback. Potter, who it seems has returned from his long and mysterious absence with Tom Hewlet, appeared pretty well up the hill on the other side. Seeing Dale, he yelled at him, and shot his pistol in the air, and--and said a lot of things about the fire. He was too far away for them to get him."
"This is detestable," the old gentleman locked his jaws. "It"s positively dangerous for that dear girl to go about! I shall not let her leave Bob"s place without some of the hounds!"
"Hounds wouldn"t amount to anything. If she tried to set them on anyone, they"d think it was a cast and be off!" Then quietly added: "I"ve wired home for an airedale terrier. With him as her friend, she can go anywhere!"