the river, and I
thought--I took it for granted that our General Manager was aboard. It's
Mr. Cadogan's car."

"I know; but President Vennor always borrows it for his annual trip."

"Are you sure? Have you seen him?"

"Quite sure. I saw Miss Vennor on the platform with some other young
people whom I don't know. It's Mr. Vennor's party."

The young man pushed his hat back, and the look of frankness became
introspective. "Do you know the Vennors? personally, I mean."

The little lady made answer:

"Yes. We met them at Manitou last summer. Do you know them?"

The young man seemed unaccountably embarrassed. "I--I've met Miss
Gertrude--that was last summer, too," he stammered. "Did you--did you
like her, Mrs. Burton?"

"Very much, indeed; she is as sweet and lovable as her father is odious.
_Do_ have a cup of coffee, won't you?"

"No, thank you. Then you didn't admire the President?"

"Indeed I didn't; no one could. He is one of the cool, contemptuous kind
of people; always looking you over as if he had half a mind to buy you.
He was barely civil to me, and he was positively rude to John."

"Oh, no; not quite that, Emily," amended the husband. "I'm only one of a
good many employees to him."

"Draws the money-line sharp and clear, does he?" said the young man, who
appeared to be more deeply interested than a merely casual topic would
account for.

The little lady nodded vigorously. "That's it, exactly. You can fairly
hear the double eagles clink when he speaks."

The general agent deprecated disloyalty, and was fain to change the
subject.

"What are you doing so far away from your territory, Fred?" he asked.

"I'm in charge of the party of old people and invalids in the Tadmor.
They'd a mind to be 'personally conducted,' and they threaten to take me
all the way across to the Coast."

"Good!" exclaimed the small person. "Then you can stop over and visit us
in Salt Lake."

The passenger agent shook his head. "I sha'n't get that far. I must
break away at Denver, by all means."

"Would nothing tempt you to go on?"

"I'm afraid not; that is--I--er--" the young man's embarrassment
suddenly returned, and he stopped helplessly.

Mrs. Burton's curiosity was instantly on the alert. "Then there _is_
something? Do tell me what it is," she pleaded.

"It's nothing; in fact, it's much less than nothing. I hesitated because
I--because your way of putting it is very--that is, it covers a great
deal of ground," he