he portrait carefully away,
Soon after he had done so a man came in, and sitting down, lighted a
cigarette.

"I wanted to see you, Festing, but hadn't a chance all day," he said.
"Probably you haven't heard that I've got orders where to send the staff
when the bridge is finished, as it will be soon."

Festing looked up sharply. Kerr was his superior in the company's
service, but they were on good terms.

"I haven't heard. I'm anxious to know."

Kerr told him, and Festing's face hardened.

"So Marvin and I go on to the next prairie section! Since they want the
best men on the difficult work in the mountains, it means that we're
passed over."

"It does, in a sense," Kerr agreed.

"Then I think I know why you came," said Festing, who pondered for a
few moments. He had courage and decision, and it was his habit to face
a crisis boldly. "Now," he resumed, "I'm going to ask your opinion of my
prospects if I stay on the road?"

"Your record's good. You're sure of a post, so long as there's any
construction work going on."

"A post of a kind! Not the best kind, where a man would have a chance of
making his mark?"

"Well," said Kerr, "I think that's what I meant. The headquarters
bosses don't know us personally, and judge by a man's training and the
certificates he's got. Of course, in spite of this, talent will find its
way, and sometimes one gets there by a stroke of luck."

Festing smiled, rather bitterly. "I have no marked talent, and haven't
found it pay to trust to luck. In fact, my only recommendations are a
kind of practical ability and a capacity for hard work. I got on the
road by doing chores and fought my way up."

"You are practical," Kerr agreed. "It's your strong point, but I've
thought it sometimes kept you back."

He paused when Festing looked at him with surprise, but resumed in a
thoughtful voice: "When your job's in front of you, you see what must be
done, and do it well; there's not a man on my section does that kind of
thing better. Still, I'm not sure you always see quite far enough. You
miss what lies ahead and sometimes, so to speak, what's lying all round.
Concentration's good, but one can concentrate too much. However, I
didn't come to find fault, but to let you know how matters are."

"Thanks. I'm going to look ahead and all round now, and the situation
strikes me as much like this: If I'm content with a second or third best
post, I can stop; if I want to go as far as my power of con