ot be admitted. Why the
advertising department of this business alone is worth eighteen thousand
dollars a year to begin with."

Eugene sat up. He was getting twelve. Could he afford to ignore that
offer? Could the Kalvin Company afford to pay him that much? They were
paying him pretty well as it was. Could the Kalvin Company offer him the
prospects which this company was offering him?

"What is more, I might say," went on Colfax, "the general publishing
control of this organization--the position of managing publisher, which
I am going to create and which when you are fitted for it you can have,
will be worth twenty-five thousand dollars a year, and that oughtn't to
be so very far away, either."

Eugene turned that over in his mind without saying anything. This offer
coming so emphatically and definitely at this time actually made him
nervous and fearsome. It was such a tremendous thing to talk about--the
literary, art and advertising control of the United Magazines
Corporation. Who was this man White? What was he like? Would he be able
to agree with him? This man beside him was so hard, so brilliant, so
dynamic! He would expect so much.

And then his work with Townsend Miller and under Mr. Kalvin. How much he
had learned of the editorial game by merely talking and planning with
those two men! He had got the whole idea of timely topics, of big
progressive, national forecasts and features, of odd departments and
interesting pieces of fiction and personality studies, from talking with
Miller alone. Kalvin had made clear to him what constituted great
craftsmen. Of course, long before, he had suspected just how it was, but
in Philadelphia he had sat in conference with Miller and Kalvin, and
knew. He had practically managed the former's little art department for
him without paying much attention to it either. Couldn't he really
handle this greater thing if he tried? If he didn't, someone else would.
Would the man who would, be so much greater than himself?

"I'm not anxious that you should act hastily," said Colfax soothingly,
after a little bit, for he saw that Eugene was debating the question
solemnly and that it was a severe problem for him. "I know how you feel.
You have gone into the Kalvin Company and you've made good. They've been
nice to you. It's only natural that they should be. You hate to leave.
Well, think it over. I won't tempt you beyond your best judgment. Think
it over. There's a splendid chance here. J