ity by the modern
building which the railroad was erecting on the main street. Eventually
the division officials were to be installed in office suites of mahogany
veneer, with ground glass doors lettered in gold leaf. For the present,
as from the beginning, they occupied an upper floor of a freight
warehouse. Bannon came in about eleven o'clock, looked briefly about,
and seeing that one corner was partitioned off into a private office, he
ducked under the hand rail intended to pen up ordinary visitors, and
made for it. A telegraph operator just outside the door asked what his
business was, but he answered merely that it was with the
superintendent, and went in.

He expected rather rough work. The superintendent of a railroad, or of a
division, has to do with the employees, never with the customers, and
his professional manner is not likely to be distinguished by suavity. So
he unconsciously squared his shoulders when he said, "I'm Bannon, of
MacBride & Company."

The superintendent dismissed his stenographer, swept with his arm a
clear space on the desk, and then drummed on it with his fingers, but he
did not look up immediately. When he did, it was with an expression of
grave concern.

"Mr. Bannon," he said, "I'm mighty sorry. I'll do anything I can for
you. You can smoke ten cent cigars on me from now till Christmas, and
light them with passes. Anything----"

"If you feel like that," said Bannon, "we can fix things all comfortable
in three minutes. All I want is cars."

The superintendent shook his head. "There's where you stump me," he
said. "I haven't got 'em."

"Mr. Superintendent, that's what they told me in Chicago, and that's
what they told me at Ledyard. I didn't come up here to Blake City to be
told the same thing and then go back home."

"Well, I don't know what else I can tell you. That's just the size of
it. I hope we'll be able to fix you in a few days, but we can't promise
anything."

Bannon frowned, and after an expectant pause, the superintendent went on
talking vaguely about the immense rush of traffic. Finally he asked,
"Why do you think we'd hold you up if we had the cars?"

"That's what I came here to find out. I think you're mistaken about not
having them."

The superintendent laughed. "You can't expect to know more about that
than I do. You doubtless understand your business, but this is my
business. If you can tell me where the cars are, you can have them."

"Well, as you say, that