t until we get the Board
organized, and I'll talk to the other fellows about it."

"Are they going to be all boys?" asked Kate, quickly.

"I reckon so," said Harry. "We don't want any men in our Board. They'd
be ordering us about and doing everything themselves."

"I didn't mean that. Will there be any girls?"

"No," said Harry, a little contemptuously, it is to be feared. "There
isn't a girl in the village who knows anything about telegraph lines,
except you."

"Well, if it's to be all boys, I don't believe I would care to belong to
the Board," said Kate. "But who are we going to have?"

This selection of the members of the Board of Directors seemed a little
difficult at first, but as there were so few boys to choose from it was
settled in quite a short time.

Tom Selden, Harvey Davis, George Purvis, Dr. Price's youngest son,
Brandeth, and Wilson Ogden, were chosen, and these, with the addition of
Harry, made up the Board of Directors of the Crooked Creek Telegraph
Company.

"Well," said Kate, as the council arose and adjourned, "I hope we'll
settle the rest of our business as easily as we have settled this part."

CHAPTER XVI.

COMPANY BUSINESS.

After the selection of the Directors, all of whom accepted their
appointments with great readiness, although, with the exception of Tom
Selden, none of them had known anything about the company until informed
by Harry of their connection with its management, it remained only to
get subscriptions to the capital stock, and then the construction of the
line might immediately begin.

Harry and Kate made out a statement of the probable expense, and a very
good statement it was, for, as Harry had said, he had thoroughly studied
up the matter, aided by the counsel of Mr. Lyons, the operator at
Hetertown.

This statement, with the probable profits and the great advantages of
such a line, was written out by Harry, and the Secretary, considering
all clerical work to be her especial business, made six fair copies, one
of which was delivered to each of the Board of Directors, who undertook
to solicit subscriptions.

A brief constitution was drawn up, and by a clause in this instrument,
one-quarter of the profits were to go to the stockholders and the rest
to Aunt Matilda.

The mica-mine men, when visited by Harry, who carried a letter from his
father, at first gave the subject but little consideration, but after
they found how earnest Harry was in regard to th