"What is it?" broke in Mr. Ranquist.
"What are we coming this way for?" asked Mr. Dudley. "I thought we were going straight along the side of the hill. Instead, we are going down."
At this Mr. Ranquist looked alarmed as he glanced at the two boys.
"Well," said Roger, coming forward a few steps, "you see this path goes to a spring down in a little glade. We thought you might like to see it. If you're going to build a railroad the spring would furnish water for the locomotives. There's a good place for a depot down in the little glade, too."
"Why, why—," stammered Mr. Dudley.
"It looks as if there was coal there, too,—coal or—or something," he finished, looking narrowly at the men, "and coal and water might be good things for a railroad, it seems to me."
For a brief instant there came a dangerous look into Mr. Ranquist's eyes. His face grew pale, and he seemed to control himself with a great effort. Mr. Dudley also appeared very much surprised. Mr. Ranquist forced himself to burst into a laugh that had no mirth in it.
"Ha! Ha! Ha!" he shouted. "Not bad, eh, Mr. Dudley? Water for the engine. Well! Well! Well!"
He laughed again.
"Coal upon this hill! Oh, dear! Oh, dear! Well, my boy," he went on, clapping Roger on the back good-naturedly, "it's very nice of you to think of these things for our railroad, but, bless you, we wouldn't want to stop in a place like this for coal or water. If the line goes through here," with a significant look at Mr. Dudley, "it will make only flying stops. I suppose this land, where the coal and water is, belongs to some friend of yours, eh?" and he looked at the boys narrowly.