Springs, delivered to Roger a letter from Hampton of the
Smithsonian saying that on the thirtieth day of August a representative
of the Smithsonian would reach Archer's Springs on his way to Los
Angeles; that he had but two days to spare but would be glad to give
these days to the Moore experiment.

Roger was in despair. "Two days!" he groaned. "Why, it takes two days to
come up and back. Better stay away."

"Don't be an idiot, Rog," exclaimed Ernest. "You get him here, and he'll
stay for a day or so. How can he get away? The thing that bothers me is
that darned engine of yours."

"It doesn't bother me," replied Roger, with a quick gleam in his gray
eyes and a sudden smile. "I've got a week before he gets here and by
Jove, the old kettle's got to be ready!" He gave a sudden long sigh and
looked off toward the distant line of the river range. "I thought it was
queer of the Smithsonian to treat me as it did. Ern, this puts new life
in me."

If new life means redoubled effort, Roger had found it indeed. He gave
himself as little sleep as possible during the week before the expected
visit. All day and a larger part of the night he was at work in the
engine house, till his eyes were bigger and his face gaunter than ever.
Felicia was his little shadow. Her taste for mechanics made her seem
more like a small boy than ever. And although Roger's tense nerves grew
tenser and his impatience with the others was shown oftener and oftener,
to Felicia he showed only the gentleness for which she loved him.

Charley and Elsa were forming a real friendship. The isolation of the
little desert community was almost complete. Since the death of Von
Minden no one from the outer rim of the desert or of the world had been
near either camp or ranch. Even the Indians who had been camping in the
remote canyon where Felicia had visited them had found good hunting in
some still more remote section and never had appeared in the camp. This
isolation forced the friendship between the two young women to a quick
growth. Charley was happier, Dick said, than he had seen her since her
college days.

Two days before the visitor was due, Roger announced that one day's work
would make him ready for a test, so that, and he did not believe that he
was over-confident, when Gustav arrived with the Smithsonian
investigator, the plant would be in full action. He made this
announcement at breakfast. Ernest and Gustav cheered.

"I never thought you'd make it,