are
yet to come."

"Well, Elijah, if it's all right, my answer is yes."

Elijah took Winston's hand in both of his own; his eyes spoke the words
his tongue could not utter.

"It's going to be uphill work, Elijah, but I guess we'll manage it."

"Of course we will." Elijah was striding up and down the little office.
He paused and looked thoughtfully out of the window.

"This hasn't got into your blood yet, eh?" he jerked his thumb toward
the hustling street.

"Not much! It would be fun to watch this racket if a fellow hadn't a
conscience. Do you know, I'm getting to believe that men and things are
built on the same lines. The sweeter the wine, the sharper the vinegar,
and you may pound my head for a drum if the smartest man doesn't make
the biggest kind of a fool."

"I guess that's so, if he lets himself go. I'm not going to let go."

Winston looked at Elijah with an expression that might be interpreted as
jocular or serious.

"Hold tight. I've seen men as sharp as you, crowding another fellow out
and blowing hot air into his balloon."

"Are you getting scared on my account?" Elijah smiled, looking at
Winston with confident half-closed eyes.

"No. If your bearings begin to smoke, I'm going to cool you off. It
isn't going to be all lavender and roses, Elijah. You'll find me a
pretty trying party at times, I give you fair warning."

Elijah turned from the window, looking straight at Winston.

"I'm going to begin right now. I've been at work all night. Now cool off
and let's get to work."

Winston sat down before the drawing-board.

"Here's the map of the canal line. It isn't inked in yet, but you can
see how it's going to come out. There must be two long tunnels; but
that's no great matter. It's one of three things. Tunnels, aqueducts, or
inverted siphons. It's a toss-up between tunnels and aqueducts, so far
as cost is concerned. Siphons will cost about half, but you know what a
choke or a break means, so out go siphons."

"You favor tunnels?"

"By all means. The ditch line is shortened by them, anyway. You'll save
there."

Elijah gazed long and lovingly at the map, then looked up with a
relieved sigh.

"Just a little dam will turn the whole stream into the canal."

"Yes. Just a little dam. That's easy." Winston drew a dust cloth over
the map and weighted it down. "I wish I could get reliable data on the
size of the dam it will take to turn some of this fool-money into a
channel of common sense.