were profoundly happy. They mingled with the gaiety all the
way out through the harbor to the open sea, and then they drifted
unconsciously farther and farther to the edge of the hilarity, until
they found themselves sitting in the very prow of the foredeck with Mr.
Courtney and his friend from the West. If they could not exchange
important confidences they could at least sit very quietly, touching
elbows.

Mr. Courtney's friend from the West was a strong old man with keen blue
eyes, who sat all through the afternoon in the same place, talking in
low tones with Courtney on such dry and interminable subjects as
railroads, mines, freight rates, stocks, bonds and board meetings.

Constance wondered how an otherwise nice old man could reach that age
without having accumulated any lighter and more comprehensible objects
of interest, and she really doubted the possibility of any man's
understanding all the dry-as-dust business statistics with which he was
so handy. Suddenly, however, Johnny Gamble awoke from his blissful
lethargy and bent eagerly forward.

"Beg pardon, Mr. Boise," he interjected into the peaceful
conversational flow of the older men. "Did I understand you to say that
the S. W. & P. had secured a controlling interest in the B. F. & N. W.?"

Constance looked at Johnny in dismay. If he, too, intended to talk in
nothing but the oral sign language, she had a wild idea of joining the
frivolous crowd on the afterdeck, where at least there was laughter.

Mr. Boise looked at Johnny from under shaggy eyebrows.

"It's not generally known," he stated, struggling between a desire to
be pleasant to a fellow guest and a regret that he had fancied Johnny
absorbed too much in Constance to be interested in sotto voce affairs.

"That's what that territory needs," Johnny briskly commented. "As long
as the S. W. & P. and the B. F. & N. W. were scrapping, the Sancho
Hills Basin had as good service with burros."

Both Boise and Courtney laughed.

"Be careful, Johnny," warned Courtney. "Mr. Boise is president of the
S. W. & P., and is now also virtually president of the B. F. & N. W."

Constance sighed, but stuck gamely to her post. After all Johnny was
having a good time, and he actually seemed to understand what they were
talking about. There was no question that Johnny was a smart man!

"I'm glad he is president of both," said Johnny, "for with
consolidation things will start humming out there."

"Thank you," laughe