mas
Perderse?"

"Well, they've recently increased their capitalization to twenty-five
million and they told the governor they want to raise ten million more
at once. They're offering a million shares at ten dollars, par value,
and they claim a jump to one hundred or better is inevitable within a
few months, as soon as the development starts. The governor thinks
he's being let in on the ground floor."

"It would look like it, if the thing is on the level." Vernon shook his
head. "They're liable to bring in a gusher that'll send the price
soaring."

"Whatever that means!" Winnie laughed. "You'll be some little
petroleum engineer yourself one of these days! I don't know anything
about it myself, but it seems to me the figures that Wiley stated to
the governor as the initial cost of development were pretty steep;
twenty-five million, including an eight-inch pipe line to Limasito and
tankage equipment there."

"No, that's not excessive," demurred Vernon. "The pumping stations
every ten miles will average fifty thousand alone, and every foot of
the pipe must be transported by peons--laborers, you know--on their
shoulders through the swamps. Moreover, now that it seems inevitable
that we shall get in the war ourselves, it's going to be next to
impossible to get tankers at any price to bring the oil up from
Mexico.--But I'm only a tyro yet; Kearn Thode can give you the details
far better than I can. What's become of him, by the way?"

"He's out West, somewhere." Winnie ground out the stub of his
cigarette. "He went soon after your cousin----er----"

"By Jove!" Vernon rose. "I'd give anything to see Willa again!
Wasn't she the most wonderful little thoroughbred that ever lived!"

"She was," Winnie responded, his voice very low. "We'll never know a
girl just like her, Verne. There's not another in the world."

Vernon glanced with unusual keenness at his friend and when he spoke
his tone was roughly sympathetic.

"Hard hit, Winnie? Well, so was I, for that matter. Not that she
would ever have looked at me, of course, but if she'd stayed another
day I meant to ask her to stay always. She put me on the road to
making a man of myself; some day I'll tell you how, maybe. It has a
good deal to do with my distrust of Starr and his 'Almas Perderse'."

At an ungodly hour the next morning Winnie North was summoned to the
telephone.

"Hello! What the deuce is it?" he demanded sleepily, but the voice
which ca