ointed to the decalogue with
the smug assertion that this had been kept from his youth up. If his
business record did not show this, words would be useless. He wasted no
love on his neighbor, for love was a dissipater of energy. Love
engendered pity, pity sacrifice, and sacrifice precluded success. Every
tub must stand on its own bottom. If his neighbor's tub leaked, it was
his neighbor's fault for not keeping it calked. His neighbor had no
ground for complaint if the liquor which he spilled, was gathered by a
more fitting vessel.

Mr. Seymour's one hundred thousand shares of Las Cruces had cost him
nothing, save a little energy. If he did no better, he would have so
much clear. That was worth while. If Winston and Berl made a mess of the
affair, that was no concern of his. One man's extremity was to him
another man's opportunity. He intended to be the other man. Elijah was
an enthusiast, Winston a professional man. Enthusiasm would inflate
iridescent bubbles, professional pride would be an absorbing end in
itself. Both were essential, neither would necessarily supply the third
element of success, business acumen. At the proper time he would supply
this himself and at his own price. In any event, he would be perfectly
safe.

The orderly bustle which succeeded Seymour's departure, argued well for
the success of the new company. Experienced Ysleta boomers saw in "Las
Cruces" a new kind of boom, and beyond offering to put their experience
and methods at the service of the new company, did nothing further. The
idea of taking up land on a venture near Elijah's ranch, was discussed,
but the conclusion was reached that this land was too far from Ysleta to
be advantageous and that attention distracted from their own kettle of
fish would result in the deadening of the fires that were keeping their
own pot boiling.

The division of the entailed labor fell naturally. The engineering work
demanded Winston's presence in the field. The office duties fell to
Elijah. It was Winston who suggested to Elijah the necessity of a
bookkeeper and that there was no one better fitted in every way than
Helen Lonsdale. Winston had no doubts of Elijah's intentional integrity
and he had great confidence in Helen Lonsdale's ability both in business
and in looking out for herself. So she was installed as an essential
feature of the company. She felt herself in a position of great and
growing responsibility.

Days slipped into weeks and weeks into