“Before we speak of that there is one more point. How about your directors? Dean and the rest? Do they know you offered me the position?”
“Sure thing! They put the whole affair in my hands. They'll be satisfied. And as for Cap'n Jed—why, he was the one that suggested hiring you in the first place.”
“Captain Jed! Captain Jed Dean! HE suggested it?”
“Yup. In a way, he did. You may not know it, Ros, but you've made a good deal of a hit with the old man. He ain't been used to having anybody stand up to him as you have. As a general thing Denboro jumps when he snaps the whip. You didn't, and he couldn't understand why. He is the kind that respects anything they can't understand. Then, too, Nellie likes you, and she's his idol, you know. Ah hum!”
He sighed and, for a moment, seemed to forget me altogether. I reminded him by another question.
“But why should the captain think of me for this place?” I asked. “Why should he dream that I would take it? I gave you no encouragement.”
“I don't know as he did dream it. But he and I were speaking of you and he said he'd like to do something to show you what the town thought of your holding out against Colton. That tickled him down to the keel. I said you'd be a first-class helper to me in this bank, that I heard you knew something about banking—”
“George!”
“It's all right. I only mentioned that I heard rumors that you were in a city bank somewhere at one time. He didn't ask any more and I shouldn't have told him if he had. But the idea pleased him, I could see that. 'Why don't you try to get him?' says he. 'Maybe the days of miracles ain't past. Perhaps even he'd condescend to work, if the right job came his way.'”
“So that's what you call his suggesting me, do you? Humph!”