“Oh, never fear, I’m only too willing to be quit of this country. I can’t see how any man can keep straight in this hole of iniquity.”
“It was not a hole of iniquity until treacherous villains of your stamp came into it,” retorted Mr. Ryder. Then turning to Captain Alvarez he said, “Call in your trooper and have him taken to the guardhouse. The train for Mexico City will be made up as soon as possible. In the meantime you and Lyman stay here and sample one of Tom Why’s excellent dinners. Things have gone so far to the devil lately that I haven’t had time to enjoy a good dinner myself. After dinner I’ll accompany you to Mexico City for I will have to make a report of this whole matter to our directors. I guess the plant will be safe enough in the hands of my new assistant, Mr. Lyman.”
The night operator’s face beamed when he heard, thus abruptly, of his promotion and he blushed like a schoolboy when Jack and Captain Alvarez congratulated him.
“I envy you,” said Jack Straw heartily, “for there’s nothing I’d like more than to be connected with a huge generating station like this.”
“Well, we’ve room for a boy here, and we could teach you a great deal about the electrical industry. Why don’t you apply for a position,” said Lyman meaningly, at the same time glancing in the direction of Mr. Ryder.
“Oh, no,” said the lad from Vermont, “I’ve already been away from Drueryville a month and I think it is about time I hurried back. In fact, I’ve decided to go in on the train this afternoon with Mr. Ryder. Some day after I have acquired a real training at ‘Sheff.’ or some other engineering school I may visit Necaxa again. Who knows?”
“Well, if we are still here you can be certain of a welcome, my boy,” said Mr. Ryder heartily.