ts."

Christopher greeted the whimsey with a laugh.

"Now I," began he, "would sell or swap the water routes from most of
our inland cities. We had to learn them when I studied geography and as
I have never wanted to ship goods from St. Paul to Philadelphia, for
example, I have found no use for them."

"You may some day."

"I'll risk it. If I did want them I could, perhaps, buy them back,"
flashed Christopher.

"What price would you set upon such possessions?"

"You mean the water routes? Well, it cost me a good deal of trouble to
memorize them; still, I'd be glad to let them go cheap and be rid of
them. I'd trade them for--let me see--an equal number of facts about
wireless. With them I'd throw in all my--" he stopped suddenly.

"All your what?"

"I was going to say all my Latin but changed my mind," the boy replied.
"I guess, everything considered, I'd better keep that. It might come in
handy sometime. It did the other day."

"Oh, I'd keep your Latin, by all means," the Scotchman agreed.

A pause, weighted with humorous imaginings, fell between them until
Christopher broke out:

"Mr. McPhearson!"

"Well?"

"How would you like to swap some more information about that clock on
the Metropolitan Life building for my water routes?"

Gravely the clockmaker reflected.

"I'm afraid I haven't much more use for water routes just at present
than you have," answered he. "I will, however, make a bargain with you.
I will advance to you some more of what I know about that clock, if you
will pledge yourself to let me have the water routes should I require
them. Is that a bargain?"

"I'll sign up to that," came without hesitation from the lad. "In fact,
after thinking it over, I guess it would be wiser for me not to agree to
deliver the goods immediately. I'll have to hunt them up and--and--dust
them first," concluded he with an impish grimace.

"I certainly should insist they be handed over in good condition,"
asserted McPhearson. "That would be only fair since what I give you in
return is new and up to date. This clock on the insurance building is
one of the most unique timepieces yet made. You cannot expect to receive
information about it without offering something pretty valuable in
exchange."

"No, indeed."

"That water route from St. Paul, for instance--I should never accept it
if it began well and afterward became vague and uncertain; and should
you break it off before you reached Philadelphia and excu