Jim thoroughly enjoyed the long afternoon on the dam with the German.
Herr Gluck's questions were searching and invigorating. They took Jim
out of himself and he showed Herr Gluck a scientific knowledge and
enthusiasm that few people were fitted to appreciate.

At five o'clock Jim took Herr Gluck up to his house and turned him over
to Uncle Denny. The rotund, flaxen-haired German and the rotund,
gray-haired Irishman took stock of each other. Uncle Denny moved two
chairs before the open door.

Herr Gluck sat down. "Himmel! What beauty!" he exclaimed, as the faint
lavender distances with the far mountains flashing sunset gold met his
gaze. "Not strange that Mr. Manning has enthusiasm."

Uncle Denny sighed in a relieved way as if he had catalogued the
newcomer.

"They say," said Dennis, "that a man must close his soul to the Big
Country or else he will become great or go mad. And do you think me boy
has done good work here, Herr Gluck?"

The German made some extraordinary rings of smoke and nodded his head
slowly. "He has done some daring things well that may not be great in
themselves, but they show imagination. That is the point. He has
imagination. Many are the engineers who are accurate, who are
trustworthy, but imagination, creative ability, no! You observe the
shape of his head, his jaw, his hands--the dreamer, urged into action.
And the impudence of his sand-cement idea! In my country we dare make
our concrete only very rich. He shows me this afternoon that diluted
rightly with sand, cement can be made stronger." Herr Gluck chuckled
delightedly.

Uncle Denny almost purred. "He was so as a lad. He was captain of his
school football teams because he could think of more wild tactics than
all the rest of them put together. And always got away with them,
looking sad and never an unnecessary word."

Herr Gluck nodded. "He is so valuable here that I think it not possible
I get him to come to Germany yet?"

Michael Dennis got red in the face and took a long breath. "But they
don't appreciate him here. He's been asked to resign in a few days now."

The German's round eyes grew rounder. "Nein! And why? Has he got into
foolishness? He is young, they must remember."

"It's a long tale," said Uncle Denny, "but I'll tell it to you," and he
plunged into the story of the Project.

Herr Gluck listened breathlessly.

"And so you see," Dennis ended, "that for all he has done he feels he's
failed, for everything the