Waiters came, brought strange preparations of food which were a
revelation to Johnny, to whom meat had meant just meat, boiled, roasted
or fried, to whom salad meant two or three kinds of vegetables hashed
together and served sour. Girls' glances were wasted upon him while he
tasted dubiously, succumbed to each new and delicious viand, and
explored farther, secretly eager for more wonders.

"I know now why you brought me here," he sighed contentedly after the
coffee was served. "It wasn't to see the girls, either. Grub's got
possibilities I never dreamed about."

Lowell smiled, sent a negligent nod toward a group that had just come
in and recognized him, and tendered Johnny his tooled leather cigarette
case.

"I never talk business until after I am fed," he observed. "But
now--since you have nothing definite in view except the making of
money, suppose you listen to a little proposition I am going to make
you. It's rather confidential, however--"

"My ears are open," said Johnny, "and my mouth is shut. I don't have
to like your proposition, but in case I don't I can forget things
mighty easy."

"Good. I'll make it short, and you can take it or leave it. I am not
a reporter; not the kind of reporter you mean. I gather special stuff
for a big news syndicate. Big stuff, stuff the little fellows never
dream of going after. I get, of course, big returns.

"My real object in seeing you to-night was not exactly the getting of a
news item for any paper. I saw your name on the register, found that
you had flown over here, and wanted to see you and take your measure
for the job I have in mind.

"Briefly, the proposition is this: I need a flyer who can fly, knows a
little of the desert, has got some nerve on the ground as well as in
the air, and who can keep his mouth shut. It's harder than you may
think to find one who measures up, and who is willing to avoid the
limelight. They all want publicity, and publicity is what this job
must shun. What I am working on now is big stuff across the border. I
can get the news, all right--I am in touch with some of the big men
over there--but the deuce of it is the going back and forth. This
embargo business that has been framed lately is interfering with my
work. I could get a passport, yes. Perfectly simple. I could go
across, and I could get the news I want. But the bother of it, and the
delay here and there is--well, it's a big handicap. You can see that
ea