nistrative day. "You're keyed
up to concert pitch all right, here, and the _tempo_ is not so bad. But
'drive' is the word, Loudon. Wherever you see a chance to cut a corner,
cut it. The Fitzpatricks are a little inclined to be slow and sure:
crowd the idea into old Brian's head that bonuses are earned by being
swift and sure."

"Which means that you're not going to stay here and drive the stone and
concrete gangs yourself?" queried Bromley.

"That is what it means, for the present," replied the new chief; and at
daybreak Monday morning he was off, bronco-back, to put in a busy
fortnight quartering the field in all directions and getting in touch
with the various subcontractors at the many subsidiary camps of ditch
diggers and railroad builders scattered over the length and breadth of
the Kingdom of Arcadia.

On one of the few nights when he was able to return to the headquarters
camp for supper and lodging, Bromley proposed a visit to Castle 'Cadia.
Ballard's refusal was prompt and decided.

"No, Loudon; not for me, yet a while. I'm too tired to be anybody's good
company," was the form the refusal took. "Go gossiping, if you feel like
it, but leave me out of the social game until I get a little better grip
on the working details. Later on, perhaps, I'll go with you and pay my
respects to Colonel Craigmiles--but not to-night."

Bromley went alone and found that Ballard's guess based upon his glimpse
of the loaded buckboards _en route_ was borne out by the facts. Castle
'Cadia was comfortably filled with a summer house-party; and Miss
Craigmiles had given up her European yachting voyage to come home and
play the hostess to her father's guests.

Also, Bromley discovered that the colonel's daughter drew her own
conclusions from Ballard's refusal to present himself, the discovery
developing upon Miss Elsa's frank statement of her convictions.

"I know your new tyrant," she laughed; "I have known him for ages. He
won't come to Castle 'Cadia; he is afraid we might make him disloyal to
his Arcadia Irrigation salt. You may tell him I said so, if you happen
to remember it."

Bromley did remember it, but it was late when he returned to the camp at
the canyon, and Ballard was asleep. And the next morning the diligent
new chief was mounted and gone as usual long before the "turn-out"
whistle blew; for which cause Miss Elsa's challenge remained
undelivered; was allowed to lie until the dust of intervening busy days
had quit