nning into the Valley from Sicamous--now he would think nothing of
hiring a special to take him up to Sicamous if he took the fool
notion. The only men at the game in town who had money when they
started are McIntyre & Anderson,--and they've made the least of any
because they lack the necessary pep. Even that lizard Dalton, is worth
fifty thousand dollars, and all in selling real-estate. Man!--it makes
me wearied to think of it. And besides, the early Spring Season is
just opening up. We can be in right at the start of it."

Jim rose.

"Phil,--I don't want to, but I'm going to try this thing out alone if
you won't come in. I'll show them in this town. If you don't come,
you'll rue it once and that'll be all your life."

He stood looking down on Phil, who was resting his elbows on the table
with his head on his upturned palms.

"Who said I wasn't coming in?" he murmured slowly.

Jim was round the end of the table and on him with a bound. He tilted
up Phil's head.

"You're in on it! Whee-he!" he yelled, and to the astonishment of the
remainder of the diners he dragged his partner to his feet and danced
him round till both were dizzy and staggering.

That afternoon they took a year's lease of the front offices that had
been the Commercial Bank before the bank had moved to their new
premises further down Main Street. It was a bigger place than that of
any other two real-estate brokers in town combined. They took it as it
was; counters, desks, chairs and fixtures, and contracted to pay two
hundred and fifty dollars a month for it. They paid three months' rent
in advance; not because they had to but as a token of good faith and
to establish some foundation of financial stability.

Jim scoured the main thoroughfares, spending half an hour at every
window of every real-estate office in town, examining their cards and
taking copious notes therefrom; and in the process brought McIntyre,
Fraser, McWilliams and others out to their respective doors to inquire
if there was any property they could show him; but all they could get
out of Jim was:--"Maybe later on. I'm just looking around."

While he was thus engaged, Phil was commissioning the best sign-writers
in Vernock to do a hurry-up job of absolutely first-class workmanship
and have it in place above their office windows the next morning,
regardless of cost.

He was too late to get a full-page advertisement in the _Advertiser_,
which came out the next day, but he arra