y as, clad in corduroy and buttoned in high yellow
gaiters, he day after day strode forth with his little party and ran his
lines, sending with a wave of his hand his rodmen to right or left
across deep ravines and over eminences, awakened new ambitions in Gordon
Keith's soul. The talk of building great bridges, of spanning mighty
chasms, and of tunnelling mountains inspired the boy. What was Newton
making his calculations from which to deduce his fundamental laws, or
Galileo watching the stars from his Florentine tower? This young captain
was Archimedes and Euclid, Newton and Galileo, all in one. He made
them live.

It was a new world for Gordon. He suddenly awoke.

Both the engineer and Gordon could well have spared one of the
engineer's assistants. Ferdy Wickersham had fulfilled the promise of his
boyhood, and would have been very handsome but for an expression about
the dark eyes which raised a question. He was popular with girls, but
made few friends among men, and he and Mr. Rhodes had already clashed.
Rhodes gave some order which Ferdy refused to obey. Rhodes turned on
him a cold blue eye. "What did you say?"

"I guess this is my father's party; he's paying the freight, and I guess
I am his son."

"I guess it's my party, and you'll do what I say or go home," said Mr.
Rhodes, coldly. "Your father has no 'son' in this party. I have a
rodman. Unless you are sick, you do your part of the work."

Ferdy submitted for reasons of his own; but his eyes lowered, and he did
not forget Mr. Rhodes.

The two youngsters soon fell out. Ferdy began to give orders about the
place, quite as if he were the master. The General cautioned Gordon not
to mind what he said. "He has been spoiled a little; but don't mind him.
An only child is at a great disadvantage." He spoke as if Gordon were
one of a dozen children.

But Ferdy Wickersham misunderstood the other's concession. He resented
the growing intimacy between Rhodes and Gordon. He had discovered that
Gordon was most sensitive about the old plantation, and he used his
knowledge. And when Mr. Rhodes interposed it only gave the sport of
teasing Gordon a new point.

One morning, when the three were together, Ferdy began, what he probably
meant for banter, to laugh at Gordon for bragging about his plantation.

"You ought to have heard him, Mr. Rhodes, how he used to blow about it."

"I did not blow about it," said Gordon, flushing.

Rhodes, without looking up, moved in his