and the south window was a sheet of burning radiance. It became
rather too warm, and on Carroll making a motion to move his chair
into the shade, every other man moved into the sunshine, and sat
sweltering and smoking in a fatuous vainglory. The canary bird
hopped faster and faster. The gold-fishes swam with a larger
school of bright reflections. A bumblebee flew in the open window
and buzzed dangerously near the hero's head. Willy Eddy rose and,
ostentatiously, at his own risk, drove the intruder away, and was
gratefully thanked. Truly hero-worship, while it is often foolish and
fool-making, is not the worst sentiment of mankind. When the great
man made a move to order his coachman to take the wonderful rig away,
and drive, because the horses were restive and needed exercise, and
he himself--the delicate humor of the thing--also needed exercise and
would walk home, Amidon sped in his service as he had never sped in
the service of the long-suffering wife, at that moment struggling
painfully with the Sunday dinner, and bringing wood from the shed to
replenish the fire.

Carroll did not need to lead up to his mining and other interests.
The subject was broached at once by the others. The postmaster opened
it. He spoke with less humility than the others, as being more on a
footing of equality.

"Well, captain, heard lately from the Boniflora?" he asked,
knowingly. And Carroll replied that he had received a letter from the
manager the night before which gave most encouraging information
concerning the prospects.

"Anything of the United Fuel?" continued the postmaster.

"Large block just sold, at an advance of six and three-eighths,"
replied Carroll, blowing the smoke from his mouth. Carroll inspired
confidence by the very quietness and lack of enthusiasm with which he
spoke of his enterprises. All his listeners thought privately that he
was in no way anxious to sell his stock, after all. Perhaps,
moreover, he did not intend to sell any but large blocks. Little
Willy Eddy ventured to ask for information on the latter point.

"Mebbe you don't keer nothin' about sellin' of it unless it is in big
lumps?" he queried, timidly. He was thinking of a matter of $250
which his father had saved from pension-money, and was still in the
savings-bank. Carroll replied (but with the greatest indifference)
that they often sold stock in very small blocks, and the confidence
of them waxed apace. Amidon thought of a little money which hi