“Go ahead,” said Mr. Winters, “I suppose you’ll want to go through the mines in our company, though, by and by.”
“I probably will have to go in your company, if I go at all,” Van Dorn replied carelessly, “my choice is rather limited.”
“You’ll be here this evening, won’t you Van?” said Rutherford, who was then engaged in a sort of one-sided conversation with the Englishman.
“I suppose so,” Van Dorn answered.
“All right, I’ll see you later,” Rutherford responded.
The confidential clerk and the young inventor strolled down the road together, and the officers of the mining company never dreamed of the results.
Half an hour later, Mr. Blaisdell and Mr. Rivers rose to return to the office, and the others followed their example, with the exception of Mr. Winters, who said:
“If you boys are in a hurry to start, all right, go ahead; I’m going to take my after-dinner smoke out here on the porch,” at the same time producing a fine meerschaum.
“Now, father, don’t you get left behind,” said his son jokingly.
“Get left, you young rattle-brains! I’ll have my smoke out and be down there at the office, before you are ready to start; your old father generally ‘gets there’ in as good time as you can make.”