“Silas Hopkins,” both boys answered. And again they were made aware of the potency of that name.
“Why didn’t you say you were friends of Si?” demanded the agent. “Reckon if he’s back of you, you won’t have any trouble locating. Anyway, Andy Howe will do his best for any of Si’s friends, to say nothing of the railroad’s orders.
“But shucks! You don’t want to stay here all night. We’ll go up to the ‘city.’ There are only two houses besides the general store, so we call it the ‘city.’ How big a section are you planning to take up?”
The change in the agent’s manner was very welcome to the young homesteaders, for they had felt pretty lonely as, standing on the platform, they had realized they were face to face with their new life, and they determined to make the most of Howe’s friendship.
“We’d thought of a quarter section,” returned Ted.
“Good! I know where there’s a ‘beaut,’ just enough timber to pay a little profit and the rest easy to clear.”
“Where?” chorused the boys.
“That’s telling,” smiled Andy. “Until I see Si, I’d rather not say.”
“How soon will you see Mr. Hopkins?” inquired Phil.
“I’ll jump 15, that’s the freight that hauls our logs East tonight and get back tomorrow. Twenty-four hours won’t make much difference. Give you a chance to go into the woods and see how we log out here where the trees are trees. Ever see any like those back East?” Following the direction of the agent’s finger, the young homesteaders gazed in wonder at the enormous tree trunks, towering a hundred and more feet above them.