"I want to tell you," said the secretary as we sat down, "about the agricultural progress this section has been making. Until recently our farmers raised nothing but cotton; they didn't even feed themselves, but lived largely on canned goods. But the boll weevil and the European War, affecting the cotton crop and the cotton market as they did, forced the farmers to wake up."
The secretary talked interestingly on this subject for perhaps a quarter of an hour, during which time we waited for luncheon to be served.
"You see," he said, "our climate is such that it is possible to rotate crops more than in most parts of the country. Cotton is now a surplus crop with us, and our farmers are raising cattle, vegetables, and food products."
"Speaking of food products," said my companion, "I wonder if we could hurry up the lunch?"
"It will be along in a little while," soothed the secretary. Then he returned to agriculture.
Ten minutes more passed. I saw that my companion was becoming nervous.
"I'm sorry to trouble you," he said at last, "but if we can't speed up this luncheon, I don't see how I can wait. You see, we are leaving town this evening, and I have an awful lot to do."
"I'll step back and investigate," the secretary said, rising and moving toward the kitchen door.
When he was out of hearing, my companion leaned toward me.
"I suspect this fellow!" he said.