“Well, there is one comfort; he can’t take much time for his worrying,” said Ford.  “Some of the options expire to-morrow noon.”

Adair sat up as one who suddenly takes notice.

“What?—­to-morrow?  Land of glory! but you two fellows took short chances!  Why, any little hitch—­”

“I know,” said the engineer evenly.  “But we took what we could get—­and were thankful.  Somebody was bidding against us, and prices began to jump.  Incidentally, I may say that Kenneth deserves to be made a vice-president of the new company, at the very least.  He has done ten men’s work in the last three or four days.”

“I don’t doubt it.  Neither do I suspect you of loafing.  For that matter, I’ve been hustling a few lines, myself, since I sent you that first telegram.”

“Do you find it exciting enough to keep you interested, as far as you’ve gone?” inquired Ford, mindful of Miss Alicia’s longings.

“It’s the best yet,” declared the idler.  “Only, you mustn’t lean too heavily on me, you know.  I’m the most uncertain quantity you ever experienced.  But here comes Uncle Sidney, with a cowed and brow-beaten Kenneth in tow—­say your prayers, and get ready for the battle royal.”

IX

THE RACE TO THE SLOW

Adair’s prophecy that President Colbrith would prove himself an obstructor of the stubbornest was amply fulfilled during the short interval which remained for decisive action.  Truly, in the battle for business celerity the odds were three to one against Mr. Colbrith; yet the three were as those who buffet the wind.  The president must see and feel, know and fully understand; and at the very last moment, when the shortest of the options had no more than an hour to live, he was proposing to summon General Manager North from Denver to make a fifth in the council of discord.

It was Adair who took the bull by the horns when the president’s caution was about to turn victory into defeat.  What was said or done after the young man drew Mr. Colbrith into the private committee-room at the bank and shut the door, Ford and Kenneth, who were excluded, could only surmise.  But whatever was done was well done.  When the two, uncle and nephew, came out of the room of privacy, the old man was shaking his head and the young one was smiling serenely.  So it came about that between eleven and twelve o’clock, when Ford, grimly battling to the last, fought as one without hope, a few strokes of the pen opened the doors upon the new creation; five million dollars, more or less, changed hands, and the Pacific Southwestern took the long leap eastward from the Missouri River to its new base in Chicago.

“It’s you for the hustle now, Ford,” said Adair, linking arms with the engineer when the quartet left the bank.  “How soon do you think you can get that first train-load of grain in transit?”

“I wish I could tell you,” said Ford.