ne. When he gets the chance to
prove that steel explosion thing and people buy the process from him,
they won't need friends, or rather they will need friends more than
they ever did, with all that money, but they won't need apples. I'm
sorry it is being such an expensive thing for me to have a friend, but
I must stand by her now if you will let me."

"Steel!" said Father, and his eyes went into narrow slits in a way I
don't like, because he forgets I'm living. And he was in one of those
spells of turning himself inside himself to think, when I glanced at
Rogers, his foreman at the furnaces, who was going over some papers at
another desk. And as I glanced at him Father came out of his inside
and looked at him too. I never did like Mr. Rogers.

"Rogers," said Father briskly, "go telephone the Hill Grocery Company
to pack up ten large baskets of apples and send them over to the
office. You go over and give them to the boys and cover up Miss
Phyllis's track effectually by a speech of presentation. And remember,
Rogers, that whatever Miss Phyllis says in my office is strictly
business and is to be observed as absolutely confidential."

As Rogers went out of the door I felt my heart sink in a queer way,
and I turned to find Father looking at me sternly.

"Phil," he said, in the tone of voice I feel sure fathers use to their
errant sons, "if you have another person's secret to guard, do it
carefully and do not let the excitement of the moment make you let it
slip."

"Oh, Father," I fairly gasped, "did I tell you anything about Mr.
Douglass's secret that I ought not?"

"You told about all you know, daughter; but fortunately you didn't
know enough to do much damage. I happen to know I can trust Rogers as
myself. Now, go to your pie fixings, for I'm unusually busy."

I turned to the door with a queer sinking feeling coming up in me when
he called me back again.

"Of course, Phil, you know what a pleasure it is to me for you to
shower apples on the Byrds and others, and I want to speak to you
about a little matter that is troubling me and ask your help. We have
got to spend some money in Byrdsville, and you must help me to do it.
I can't get Henri to buy his supplies for the kitchen here, under any
circumstances--he shrugs his French shoulders, gives me two uneatable
meals, and orders from New York as usual. I can't very well wear
Byrdsville clothes myself, and there seems no way to drop cash in the
town unless you can