"I've never seen it," replied Charley. "Dick told me."
Roger lighted his pipe and took a few meditative puffs. "Charley, are you and Dick entirely broke?" he asked.
"We've got enough left of the turquoise money to grub stake us to the end of the year. Why, Roger?"
"Well, I think you've got to have a decent gasoline engine here, at once, if you're going to save that first crop."
"But I thought your plant—" Charley spoke carefully as if fearful of hurting Roger.
"So did I," he returned, a little bitterly. "But I've thought a good many things in my life that haven't come true."
"I'm very certain that this new engine of yours will do everything you expect of it." She smiled a little. "You remember poor old Mrs. von Minden said you were to found an empire."
Roger grinned. "She didn't know engineers!"
Charley's smile faded as she stood staring at the Lemon. "No, a new engine is out of the question. We—we have some bad debts that keep Hackett from giving us credit. We're counting on this first crop to clear part of that up."
"Then," said Roger decidedly, "there's just one thing to be done. We'll move the Sun Plant up here, now, while I'm waiting to complete the engine."