For several days Billy was so busy that he had to resist all of Tom Murphy’s attempts to make him stop to talk.
Then one noon, as he was going through the gate, Tom said:
“Why don’t you bring your dinner out here, William? Then we can have that talk about iron.”
Much as he wanted to be with Uncle John, Billy really was anxious to hear what Thomas Murphy had to say about iron. So he answered:
“I think, Mr. Murphy, that that would be a good plan.”
When Billy came back, Thomas Murphy, eager of his opportunity, was putting the cover on his own pail.
Then, sitting up straight in his chair, and swelling with oratorical pride, he began:
“William, I told you that iron is a large subject. The more a man thinks about it, the larger it gets.
“Here,” he said, waving his left hand, “is our mill. What do we make? We make lathes, corn canners, and—and—all sorts of things. What do we make them of? Iron.
“What carries them all over the country? Iron engines. What do those engines run on, William? Iron rails. What carries ’em across the ocean? Iron ships.