ead at present
prices. There is no hope of sales. The market will fall lower still. I
propose that we take our loss and unload at the best rate we can get."

"That is your job, Dad. I know little about that, but I believe you are
right. I have been doing a lot of reading in trade journals and that
sort of thing, and I believe that a big slump is surely coming. But
there is a lot to do in my department at the Mills, also. I am not
satisfied with the inside arrangement of our planing mill. There is
a lot of time wasted and there is an almost complete lack of
co-ordination. Here is a plan I want to show you. The idea is to improve
the routing of our work."

Maitland glanced at the plan perfunctorily, more to please his son than
anything else. But, after a second glance, he became deeply interested
and began to ask questions. After half an hour's study he said:

"Jack, this is really a vast improvement. Strange, I never thought of a
great many of these things."

"I have been reading up a bit, and when I was on my trip two weeks ago I
looked in upon two or three of the plants of our competitors. I believe
this will be more up-to-date and will save time and labour."

"I am sure it will, boy. And we will put this in hand at once. But what
about men?"

"Oh, we can pick up labourers, and that is all we want at the present
time."

"All right, go at it. I will give you a hand myself."

"Then there is something else, Dad. We ought to have a good athletic
field for our men."

His father gasped at him.

"An athletic field for those ungrateful rascals?"

"Father, they are not rascals," said his son. "They are just the same
to-day as they ever were. A decent lot of chaps who don't think the same
as we do on a number of points. But they are coming back again some time
and we may as well be ready for them. Look at this."

And before Grant Maitland could recover his speech he found himself
looking at a beautifully-drawn plan of athletic grounds set out with
walks, shade trees and shrubbery, and with a plain but commodious
club-house appearing in the background.

"And where do you get this land, and what does it cost you?"

"The land," replied Jack, "is your land about the old mill. It will cost
us nothing, I hope. The old mill site contains two and one-half acres.
It can be put in shape with little work. The mill itself is an eyesore;
ought to have been removed long ago. Dad, you ought to have seen the
plant at Violetta,