"I hope he won't come to grief in the lumber business," Lane concluded.
"Steve is not fitted for general business. And he can't have much capital.
Only their savings."
Then he yawned and went to the library for a cigar, dismissing Steve and his scruples and the railroad business altogether from his mind, in the manner of a well-trained man of affairs, who has learned that it is a useless waste of energy to speculate on what has been done and to wonder why men should feel and act as they do feel and act.
And Isabelle, with a "It will come hard on Alice!"—went off to cut some flowers for the vases, still light-hearted, humming a gay little French song that Tom had taught her.
* * * * *
If it were hard for Alice Johnston, the large woman did not betray it when Vickers saw her a few days later. With the help of her oldest boy she was unharnessing the horse from the Concord buggy.
"You see," she explained, as Vickers tried to put the head halter on the horse, "we are economizing on Joe, who used to do the chores when he did not forget them, which was every other day!"
When Vickers referred to Steve's new business, she said cheerfully:—
"I think there is a good chance of success. The men Steve is going in with have bought a large tract of land in the southern part of Missouri. They have experience in the lumber business, and Steve is to look after the city end,—he's well known in St. Louis."
"I do so hope it will go right," Vickers remarked, wishing that in some way he could help in this brave venture.
"Yes!" Alice smiled. "It had to be, this risk,—you know there come times when there is only one thing to do. If Steve hadn't taken the step, left the railroad, I think that neither of us would have been happy afterwards. But these are anxious days for us. We have put all the money in our stocking into it,—seven thousand dollars; all we have in the world but this old farm, which the Colonel gave me. I wanted to mortgage the farm, but Steve wouldn't let me. So all our eggs are in one basket. Not so many eggs, but we can't spare one!"