ore the weather-beaten sign
of the firm he stood still for a moment, and looked across with mingled
pride and affection. The building was old-fashioned--so old-fashioned,
indeed, that only a long-established firm could afford to occupy it. It
was Paul Whittier's great-grandfather who had founded the Ramapo Works.
There had been cast the cannon for many of the ships of the little
American navy that gave so good an account of itself in the war of
1812. Again, in 1848, had the house of Whittier, Wheatcroft & Co.--the
present Mr. Wheatcroft's father having been taken into partnership by
Paul's grandfather--been able to be of service to the government of the
United States. All through the four years that followed the firing on
the flag in 1861 the Ramapo Works had been run day and night. When
peace came at last and the people had leisure to expand, a large share
of the rails needed by the new overland roads which were to bind the
East and West together in iron bonds had been rolled by Whittier,
Wheatcroft & Co. Of late years, as Paul knew, the old firm seemed to
have lost some of its early energy, and, having young and vigorous
competitors, it had barely held its own.

That the Ramapo Works should once more take the lead was Paul Whittier's
solemn purpose, and to this end he had been carefully trained. He was
now a young man of twenty-five, a tall, handsome fellow, with a full
mustache over his firm mouth, and with clear, quick eyes below his
curly brown hair. He had spent four years in college, carrying off
honors in mathematics, was popular with his classmates, who made him
class poet, and in his senior year he was elected president of the
college photographic society. He had gone to a technological institute,
where he had made himself master of the theory and practice of
metallurgy. After a year of travel in Europe, where he had investigated
all the important steel and iron works he could get into, he had come
home to take a desk in the office.

It was only for a moment that he stood on the sidewalk opposite,
looking at the old building. Then he threw away his cigarette and went
over. Instead of entering the long store he walked down the alleyway
left open for the heavy wagons. When he came opposite to the private
office in the rear of the store he examined the doors and the windows
carefully, to see if he could detect any means of ingress other than
those open to everybody.

There was no door from the private office i