tay forever, Elsa! Come along! I'll take the team up and your
trunk. What do you want done with the cot and things, Ernest?"

"Never mind those," said Elsa, serenely. "I'm going to stay with
Charley."

The men looked at each other speechlessly. As the wagon rattled off,
Roger said to Ernest:

"They were in that tent less than five minutes. What do you suppose
happened?"

Ernest shook his head. "I've given up trying to understand women. Look
at that cot and the lumber--a whole darned outfit, and I nearly killed
the horses getting the mess up in one load because Elsa insisted she'd
have to have it to-night. Women!"

CHAPTER XI

DICK'S SICKNESS

All day Monday, Roger and his two helpers sweated to prepare for the
plant's first trial. Roger would let no one touch the engine but
himself, but Ernest and Gustav puttered with the condenser and the pump
and at dawn started the oil circulating through the absorber. All day
long the burning desert sun poured its heat through the glass into the
oil which caught and imprisoned it for Roger's purpose, until the
storage pit was full. Roger had set the time of trial as nine o'clock in
the evening in order to prove the night as well as the day power of his
plant. The Prebles appeared shortly before the hour.

"Everything O. K.?" asked Dick, with a creditable effort at being
off-hand.

"One never knows till afterward," replied Roger. "Come into the engine
house. No room for you, Peter, old man."

There were three "bugs" lighted over the engine. Ernest and Gustav were
both smoking violently. Dick was chewing gum. Elsa and Charley said
nothing but watched every movement on the part of the men.

"Come here, Felicia," said Roger, biting at his cold pipe. "You see this
little valve? All right. Now, as I've told you many times, I hope that
when you turn this, that the sun which shone to-day will turn the big
fly wheel round. When I give the wheel a twist, you turn the valve clear
over."

"Yes, Roger," replied Felicia, her little fingers quivering as she
grasped the valve.

"Now!" exclaimed Roger, tugging at the fly-wheel.

There was a moment's breathless silence. Then very slowly and sedately,
the fly wheel began to revolve, gathered speed and shortly was chugging
away steadily. A little cheer rose from Roger's audience. He grinned.

"Now Ern, let's throw in the pump." A belt, connecting the engine with
the pump outside, was quickly slipped in place. The engine slow