Western Maryland. He by no
means agrees with either you or MacFarlane as to the value of the ore
deposits in that section, and is going to make an investigation of your
property and let me know. You may, in fact, hear from him direct as I
gave him your address.

Dear love to Ruth and your own good self.

This was indeed good news if anything came of it, but it wouldn't help
Garry. Should he wait till Garry had played that last card he had spoken
of, which he was so sure would win, or should he begin at once to try
and raise the money?

This news at any other time would have set his hopes to fluttering. If
Peter's director was made of money and intent on throwing it away; and
if a blast furnace or a steel plant, or whatever could turn worthless
rock into pruning-hooks and ploughshares, should by some act of folly
be built in the valley at the foot of the hill he owned, why something
might come of it. But, then, so might skies fall and everybody have
larks on toast for breakfast. Until then his concern was with Garry.

He realized that the young architect was too broken down physically and
mentally to decide any question of real moment. His will power was gone
and his nerves unstrung. The kindest thing therefore that any friend
could do for him, would be to step in and conduct the fight without him.
Garry's wishes to keep the situation from Corinne would be respected,
but that did not mean that his own efforts should be relaxed. Yet where
would he begin, and on whom? MacFarlane had just told him that Morris
was away from home and would not be back for several days. Peter was
out of the question so far as his own means--or lack of means--was
concerned, and he could not, of course, ask him to go into debt for a
man who had never been his friend, especially when neither he nor Garry
had any security to offer.

He finally decided to talk the whole matter over with MacFarlane and
act on his advice. The clear business head of his Chief cleared the
situation as a north-west wind blows out a fog.

"Stay out of it, Jack," he exclaimed in a quick, positive voice that
showed he had made up his mind long before Jack had finished his
recital. "Minott is a gambler, and so was his father before him. He has
got to take his lean with his fat. If you pulled him out of this hole he
would be in another in six months. It's in his blood, just as much as it
is in your blood to love horses and the woods. Let him alone;--Corinne's
stepfat