e company which is building the
Memphis and Ohio River Railroad to make its northern terminus there
instead of at Cairo. They are trying, too, to get a bridge built across
the Ohio at that point. They are unlikely to succeed in either project,
for the reason that they have no railroad connection north or east.
Railroads from the south running into Paducah would find no outlet
except by the river."

Barbara was silent for some time. Then she asked: "Is Mr. Tandy
interested in any business at Paducah?"

"I really don't know. He's in all sorts of things, you know. But why do
you ask?"

Instead of answering, she asked another question:

"Is he interested in the company you spoke of, that is building a line
from Memphis to the Ohio River?"

"Yes. He's heavily in that. Indeed, he is president of it, I believe, or
something like that, just as he is of our company--well, no, the
parallel doesn't hold, for ours is only a projecting company, as yet,
while that is a full-fledged railroad company actually engaged in
building. I suppose that is one of the things that tied Tandy up at the
time of the bank trouble. He had put a pot of money into it, and he
could neither sell his stock nor raise money on it till the road should
be finished and in operation. But why do you ask about that, Barbara?"

For answer, she crossed the room, and returning, spread out a map on a
table.

"Look!" she said, putting her finger on the map. "At a point only a
little east of that county line concerning which Tandy got the strange
stipulation made, our proposed line will be much nearer to Paducah than
the distance from that point to Cairo. May it not be possible----"

"By Jove, Barbara!" Duncan exclaimed, as he bent over the map, "you've
solved the riddle. What a splendid combination it is! And how we must
hustle to defeat it!"

"You must be calm, then, and let us work it all out, and be sure of
everything before you tell Captain Will about it. I want you to have
full credit for the timely discovery."

"Me? Why, it is all yours, Barbara, and you are to have all the credit
of it."

"Oh, no. You told me the things that enabled me to guess it out, and
I've only been trying to help _you_. I'm glad if I have helped, but
positively my name mustn't be mentioned. I'm _only a woman_!"

"Only a woman!" Duncan echoed. "_Only_ a woman! Barbara, God's wisdom
was never so wise as when he created 'only a woman' to be a 'helpmeet
for man.'"

XXXI