nton was like a fish out of water here in the
office. Now he is in his element. I shall make him foreman of the
shipping department--a position just suited to him, and which he will
fill well."

"I am so glad he has made good, father," said Donald. "Now, what are you
going to do about an assistant for Sandy? That is the next question to
settle, I suppose. Have you found any one?"

"Not yet. I have had a great deal to do, Don. I shall, however, look up
some one as soon as possible. In the meantime, before you start in with
your tutor, and Thornton gets so rushed that he cannot be spared, I want
to take you both to Mortonstown to visit the Monitor Mills. Thornton
has never seen the manufacture of woolen goods and will be the more
intelligent for doing so; as for you, I am anxious to have you complete
the story of wool-growing which you began at Crescent Ranch. To stop
short of visiting a mill now would be like reading the opening chapters
of a book and never finishing the volume."

"I do want to know the rest of the story very much, father," Donald
replied. "I told Sandy when I was out West that I hoped you would some
time take me to a mill. Since we got home, though, you have been so busy
that I did not like to ask you."

"That was thoughtful of you, son. Ordinarily I should have preferred to
wait; it chances, however, that something has come up which obliges me
to see the Monitor people right away. So I shall go out there to-morrow,
taking Thornton with me, and if you like you may go also."

"Of course I'd like!" exclaimed Donald eagerly.

The next day proved to be so gloriously clear that instead of making
the trip to Mortonstown by train Mr. Clark decided to run out in his
touring-car. It was not a long ride--something over twenty-five
miles--but to Thornton, unaccustomed to the luxury of a modern
automobile, the journey was one of unalloyed delight.

"It is like riding in a sitting-room on wheels, isn't it?" he murmured
with a sigh of satisfaction.

"Some day you will be having a car of your own, Thornton," Mr. Clark
said, smiling.

"And riding to Idaho in it," put in Donald.

"Well, it is about the smoothest way I ever traveled!" declared the
ranchman. "When we came East I thought that sleeping-car close to a
moving palace; but this thing has the train beaten to a frazzle. You see
I am used to jolting over rough roads in springless wagons, and it is
something new to me to go along as if I was sliding dow