l have all the small items in those wagons in a hard knot,"
exclaimed Roger. "Felicia! Come and help unpack the pump, there's a good
girl!"

When the wagon had been unloaded, the two men began the installation of
the pump. By noon they had not finished the job. Roger had infinite
patience with machinery. Ernest practically none.

"You'd have kicked the face off any human being that acted as mulish as
this pump, Rog," growled Ernest. "Hang the thing! Let's throw it away
and get a good one."

Roger laughed. "And you'd have no end of patience with a pupil as onery
as this pump, Ern. It's all right. We'll have it going in a moment."

And go she did, to the excited admiration of Felicia, who had been an
attentive audience during the entire performance. Mrs. von Minden did
not leave the confines of her tent until mid-afternoon, when she spent
some time preparing herself a meal. After lunch, Ernest would have gone
to offer his services at the adobe, had not Felicia protested to the
point of tears, that Charley would be angry. Somewhat to their own
amusement the two men gave in to the vehement small girl, and the ground
work for the absorber being complete, they began to clear space for the
engine house and consumer. Felicia with a kitchen knife and the pancake
turner, toiled away after the two men all the afternoon.

About five o'clock Ernest took her home. He was gone some time and Roger
had supper ready on his return. Ernest had fed the horses and milked
for Charley, who said that Dick would be around on the morrow.

"Then I'll write my letter to-night and start in with the two teams at
daylight," said Roger. "You finish grubbing off for the condenser,
Ernest, and make a carpenter's bench. And try not to kill our visitor."
But the visitor was invisible all the evening, nor had she appeared
before Roger left the next morning. He was well on his way toward
Archer's Springs by daylight. The wagons were empty and the horses
fresh, so that he reached the railroad station by mid-afternoon and had
the wagons loaded by dark ready for the return trip.

At the Chinese restaurant where he went for his supper he saw Schmidt.

"Well!" exclaimed the German. "You vas here at last, nicht wahr!"

Roger nodded. "I hear you are coming up for a visit."

"Visit? No! No! To stay. Ya! To stay!"

Roger shook his head. "Can't feed you, old man!" and then, before he
knew it, he was telling the sympathetic German of the Smithsonian's
derel