CHAPTER XVII
SHE CALLS HIM SAM!
Miss Josephine, finding all ordinary occupations stale, unprofitableand wearisome on the following morning, and finding herself, moreover,possessed of a restless spirit which urged her to do something or otherand yet recoiled at each suggestion she made it, started out quiteaimlessly to walk by herself. She walked in the direction of MeadowBrook. The paths in that direction were so much prettier.
Sam Turner, finding all other occupations stale, unprofitable andwearisome, at the same moment started out to walk by himself, going inthe direction of Hollis Creek because that was the exact direction inwhich he wanted to go. As he walked much more rapidly than MissStevens, he arrived midway of the distance before she did, but at thevalley where the unnamed stream came rippling down he paused.
He had looked often at this little hollow as he had passed it, andevery time he had looked upon it he seemed to have an idea of some sortin the back of his head regarding it; a dim, unformed, fugitive sort ofidea which had never asserted itself very prominently because he hadbeen too busy to listen to its rather timid voice.
Just now, however, the idea suddenly struggled to make itself loudlyknown, whereupon Sam bade it come forth. Given hearing it proved to bea very pleasant idea, and a forceful one as well; so much so that iteven checked the speed with which Sam had set out for Hollis Creek. Helooked calculatingly across the road to where the little stream wentflashing from under its wooden bridge across the field and hid around acurve behind some bushes, then reappeared, dancing in the sunlight,until finally it plunged among some far trees and was lost to him. Hegazed up the stream. He had not very far to look, for there it randown between two quite steep hills, through a sort of pocket valley,closed or almost closed, at the upper end, by another hill equallysteep, its waters being augmented by a leaping little stream from astrong spring hidden away somewhere in the hill to the left.
As his eyes calculatingly swept stream and hills, they suddenly caughta flutter of white through the trees, and it was coming down thewinding path which led across the hills to Hollis Creek. As it emergedmore from the concealment of the leaves his blood gave a leap, for theflutter of white was a gown inclosing the unmistakable figure of MissJosephine Stevens. The whole valley suddenly seemed radiant.
"Hello!" he called to her as she approached. "I didn't expect to findyou here."
"I did not expect to be here," she laughed. "I just started out for astroll and happened to land in this beautiful spot."
"Beautiful is no name for it," he replied with sudden vast enthusiasm,and ran up the path to help her down over a steep place.
For a moment, in the wonderful mystery of the touch of her hand and thejoy of her presence, he forgot everything else. What was this strangephenomenon, by which the mere presence of one particular person filledall the air with a tingling glow? Marvelous, that's what it was! IfMiss Josephine had any of the same wonder she was extremely careful notto express it, nor let it show, especially after yesterday'sconversation, so she immediately talked of other things; and the firstthing which came handy was another reference to the beautiful valley.
"You know, it is a wonder to me," she said, "that no one has built asummer resort here. I think it ever so much more charming than eitherHollis Creek or Meadow Brook."
"Do you believe in telepathy?" asked Sam, almost startled. "I do. Ithasn't been but a few minutes since that identical idea popped into myhead, and I had just now decided that if I could secure options on thisproperty I would have a real summer resort here--one that would makeHollis Creek and Meadow Brook mere farm boarding-houses. Do you seehow close together these hills draw at their feet? The hollow is atleast a thousand feet across at the widest part, but down there at theroad, where the stream emerges to the fields, they close in withnatural buttresses, as it were, to not over a hundred feet in width.Well, right across there we'll build a dam, and there is enough waterhere to make a beautiful lake up as high as that yellow rock."
Miss Josephine looked up at the yellow rock and clasped her hands withan exclamation of delight.
"Glorious!" she said. "I never would have thought of that; and howbeautiful it will be! Why, if the lake comes up that high it will goclear back around that turn in the valley, won't it?"
"Easily," he replied; "although that might make us trouble, for I don'tknow where that turn in the valley leads. I have never explored thatregion. Suppose we go up and look it over."
"Won't that be fun?" she agreed, and they started to follow the stream.
As they reached the rear of the "pocket," where they could see aroundthe curve, they turned and looked back over the route they had justtraversed.
"My idea," Sam explained, having waited until they reached thisviewpoint to do so, "is to build the dam down there at the roadside,and build the hotel right over it so that arriving guests will, afteran elevator has brought them up to the height of the main floor, findthe blue of the lake suddenly bursting upon them from the main piazza,which will face the valley. All of the inside rooms will, of course,have hanging balconies looking out over the water."
"Perfectly ideal!" she agreed, her enthusiasm growing.
"I think I'd better investigate the curve of the valley," he decided,studying the path carefully. "It seems rather rough for you, and I'llgo alone. All I want to see is how far the water height will carryaround there, and if it will become necessary to build a dam at theother end."
"Oh, it isn't too rough for me," she declared immediately. "I am anexcellent climber," and together they started to explore the nownarrowing valley, following the stream over steep rocks and fallentrees, and pushing through tangled undergrowth and among briers andbushes and around slippery banks until they came to another tortuousturn, where a second spring, welling up from under a flat, overhangingrock, tumbled down to augment the supply for the future lake; and herethey stopped and had a drink of the cool, delicious water, Sam makingthe girl a cup from a huge leaf which she said made the water tastefuzzy, and then showing her how to get down on her hands andknees--spreading his coat on the ground to protect her gown--and drink_au naturel_, a trick at which she was most charming, and probably knewit.
The valley here had grown most narrow, but they followed the now verysmall stream around one sharp curve after another until they found itssource, which was still another spring, and here there was no morevalley; but a cleft in the hill to the right, which they suddenly cameupon, gave them an exquisite view out over the beautiful low-lyingcountry, miles in extent, which lay between this and the next range ofhills; a delightful vista dotted with green farms and white farm-housesand smiling streams and waving trees and grazing cattle. They stoppedin awe at the beauty of it and looked out over the valley in silence;and unconsciously the girl slipped her hand within the arm of the man!
"Just imagine a sunset out over there," he said. "You see those fleecyclouds that are out there now. If clouds like those are still therewhen the sun goes down, they will be a fleet of pearl-gray vessels,with carmine keels, upon a sea of gold."
She glanced at him quickly, but she did not express her marvel thatthis man had so many sides. Before she could comment, and while shewas still framing some way to express her appreciation of his gentlergifts, he returned briskly to practical things.
"Our lake will scarcely come up to this point," he judged. "I don'tthink that at any point it will be high enough to cover the springs.We don't want it to if we can help it, for that would destroy some ofthe beauty of it. Have you noticed that our lake will be much like akite in shape, with this winding ravine the tail of it. We'll have totake in a lot of acreage to cover this property, but it will be worthit. I'm going to look after options right away. I'm glad now I hadalready decided to stay another two weeks."
Of course she was still angry with Sam, she reminded herself, but shewas inexpressibly glad, somehow or other, to find that he was intendingto stay two weeks longer, and was startled as she recognized that fact.
>
"It will take a lot of money, won't it, to build a hotel here?" sheasked, getting away from certain troublesome thoughts as quickly as shecould.
"Yes, it will take a great deal," he admitted, as they turned toscramble down the ravine again. "I should judge, however, that abouttwo hundred and fifty thousand dollars would finance it."
"But I thought, from something father once said, that you did not haveso much money as that?"
"Bless you, no!" replied Sam, smiling. "No indeed! I've enough tocover an option on this property and that's about all, now, since I'mtangled up so deeply with my Pulp Company, but I figure that I can makea quick turn on this property to help me out on the other thing. WhatI'll do," he explained, "is to get this option first of all, and thenhave some plans drawn, including a nice perspective view of thehotel--a water-color sketch, you know, showing the building frontingthe lake--and upon that build a prospectus to get up the stock company.I'll take stock for my control of the land and for my services inpromotion. Then I'll sell my stock and get out. I ought to make theturn in two or three months and come out fifteen, or possibly twenty ortwenty-five thousand dollars to the good. It is a nice, big scheme."
"Oh," she said blankly, "then you wouldn't actually build a hotelyourself?"
"Hardly," he returned. "I'll be content to make the profit out ofpromoting it that I'd make in the first four or five years of runningthe place."
"I see," she said musingly; "and you'd get this up just like you formedyour Marsh Pulp Company, I think father called it, and of course you'dtry to get--what is it?--oh, yes; control."
He smiled at her.
"I'd scarcely look for that in this deal," he explained. "If I canjust get a nice slice of promotion stock and sell it I shall be quitewell satisfied."
She bent puzzled brows over this new problem.
"I don't quite understand how you can do it," she confessed, "but ofcourse you know how. You're used to these things. Father says you'revery good at promoting."
"That's the way I've made all my money, or rather what little I have,"he told her, modestly enough. "I expect this Pulp Company, however, tolift me out of that, for a few years at least; then when I come backinto the promoting field I can go after things on a big scale. ThePulp Company ought to make me a lot of money if I can just keep it inmy own hands," and involuntarily he sighed.
She looked at him musingly for a moment, and was about to saysomething, but thought better of it and said something else.
"The tail of your kite will be almost a perfect letter 'S'," sheobserved. "How beautiful it will be; the big, broad lake out there inthe main valley, and then the nice, little, secluded, twisty waterwayback in through here; a regular lover's lane of a waterway, as it were.I don't suppose these springs have any names. They must be named,and--why, we haven't even named the lake!"
"Yes, we have," he quickly returned. "I'm going to call it LakeJosephine."
"You haven't asked my permission for that," she objected with mockseverity.
"There are plenty of Josephines in the world," he calmly observed."Nobody has a copyright on the name, you know."
She smiled, as one sure of her ground.
"Yes, but you wouldn't call it that, if I were to object seriously."
"No, I guess I wouldn't," he gave up; "but you're not going to objectseriously, are you?"
"I'll think it over," she said.
They were now making their way along a bank that was too difficult oftravel to allow much conversation, though it did allow some delicioushelping, but when they came out into the main valley where they couldagain look down on the road, they paused to survey the course overwhich they had just come, and to appreciate to the full the beauty ofSam's plan.
"I don't believe I quite like your idea of the hotel built down thereat the roadside," she objected as they sat on a huge boulder to rest."It cuts off the view of the lake from passers-by, and I should thinkit would be the best advertisement you could have for everybody whodrove past there to say: 'Oh, what a pretty place!' Now I should thinkthat right about here where we are sitting would be the proper locationfor your hotel. Just think how the lake and the building would lookfrom the road. Right here would be a broad porch jutting out over thewater, giving a view down that first bend of the kite tail, and back ofthe hotel would be this big hill and all the trees, and hills and treeswould spread out each side of it, sort of open armed, as it were,welcoming people in."
"It couldn't be seen, though," objected Sam. "The dam down there wouldnecessarily be about thirty feet high at the center, and people drivingalong the roadway would not be able to see the water at all. Theywould only see the blank wall of the dam. Of course we could softenthat by building the dam back a few feet from the roadway, making anembankment and covering that with turf, or possibly shrubbery orflowers, but still the water would not be visible, nor the hotel!"
"I see," she said slowly.
They both studied that objection in silence for quite a little while.Then she suddenly and excitedly ejaculated:
"_Sam_!"
He jumped, and he thrilled all through. She had called him Samentirely unconsciously, which showed that she had been thinking of himby that familiar name. With the exclamation had come sparkling eyesand heightened color, not due to having used the word, but due to abright thought, and he almost lost his sense of logic in consideringthe delightful combination. It occurred to him, however, that it wouldbe very unwise for him to call attention to her slip of the tongue, oreven to give her time to think and recognize it herself.
"Another idea?" he asked.
"Indeed yes," she asserted, "and this time I know it's feasible. Idon't know much about measurements in feet and inches, but there arethree feet in a yard."
"Yes."
"Well, doesn't the road down there, from hill to hill, dip about tenyards?"
"Yes."
"Well then, that's thirty feet, just as high as you say the dam willhave to be. Why not raise the road itself thirty feet, letting it belevel and just as high as your dam?"
Sam rose and solemnly shook hands with her.
"You must come into the firm," he declared. "That solves the entireproblem. We'll run a culvert underneath there to the fields. The roadwill reinforce the dam and the edge of the dam will be entirelyconcealed. It will be merely a retaining wall with a nice stonecoping, which will be repeated on the field side. There will be noobjection from the county commissioners, because we shall improve theroad by taking two steep hills out of it. Your plan is much betterthan mine. I can see myself, for instance, driving along that road onmy way to Hollis Creek from Restview, looking over that beautifullittle lake to the hotel beyond, and saying to myself: 'Well, nextsummer I won't stop at Hollis Creek. I'll stop at Lake Jo.'"
"I thought it was to be Lake Josephine," she interposed.
"I thought so too," he agreed, "but Lake Jo just slipped out. It seemsso much better. Lake Jo! That would look fine on a prospectus."
"You'd print the cover of it in blue and gold, I suppose, wouldn't you?"
"There would need to be a splash of brown-red in it," he reminded her,considering color schemes for a moment. "The roof of the hotel would,of course, be red tile. We'd build it fireproof. There is plenty ofgray stone around here, and we'd build it of native rock."
"And then," she went on, in the full swing of their idea, "think of thebeautiful walks and climbs you could have among these hills; and thedriveway! Your approach to the hotel would come around the dam and upthat hill, would wind up through those trees and rocks, and right hereat the bend of the ravine it would cross the thick part of the kitetail to the hotel on a quaint rustic bridge; and as people arrived anddeparted you'd hear the clatter of the horses' hoofs."
"Great!" he exclaimed, catching her enthusiasm and with it augmentinghis own, "and guests leaving would first wave good-by at theporte-cochere just about where we are sitting. They'd clatter acrossthe bridge, with their friends on the porch still flu
tteringhandkerchiefs after them; they'd disappear into the trees over yonderand around through that cleft in the rocks. And see; on the other sideof the cleft there is a little tableland which juts out, and the roadwould wind over that, where carriages would once more be seen from thehotel porch. Then they'd twist in through the trees again down thewinding driveway, and once more, for the very last glimpse, come intoview as they went across our new road in front of the lake; and therethe last flutter of handkerchiefs would be seen. You know it's sillyto stand and wave your friends out of sight for a long distance whenthey're always in view, but if the view is interrupted two or threetimes it relieves the monotony."
CHAPTER XVIII
SAM TURNER ACQUIRES A BUSINESS PARTNER
They followed the stream down to the road, at every step gaging withthe eye the height of the lake and judging the altered scenic view fromthe level of the water. There would be room for dozens and dozens ofboats upon that surface without interference. Sam calculated that fromthe upper spring there would be headway enough to run a small fountainin the center, surrounded by a pond-lily bed which would be kept inplace by a stone curbing. In the hill to the right there was a deepindenture. Back in there would go the bathing pavilions. They evenwent up to look at it, and were delighted to find a natural, shallowbowl. By cementing the floor of that bowl they could have a splendidswimming-pool for timid bathers, where they could not go beyond theirdepth; and it was entirely surrounded by a thick screen of shrubbery.Oh, it was delightful; it was perfect! At the road they looked back upover the valley again. It was no longer a valley. It was a lake.They could see the water there. Sam drew from his pocket a pencil andan envelope.
"The hotel will have to be long and tall," he observed, "for there willnot be much room on that ledge, from front to back. The building willstretch out quite a ways. Three or four hundred feet long it will be,and about five stories in height," and taking a letter from theenvelope, he sat down upon a fallen log and began rapidly to sketch.
He drew the hotel with wide-spreading Spanish roofs and balconies, anda wide porch with rippling water in front of it, and rowboats andpeople in them; and behind the hotel rose the broken sky-line of thehills and the trees, with an indication of fleecy clouds above. It wasjust a light sketch, a sort of shorthand picture, as it were, and yetit seemed full of sunlight and of atmosphere.
"I hadn't any idea you could draw like that," she exclaimed inadmiration.
"I do a little of everything, I think, but nothing perfectly," headmitted with some regret.
"It seems to me you do everything excellently," she objected quiteseriously; and she was, in fact, deeply impressed.
He walked over to the stream, a trifle confused, but not displeased, byany means, by the earnestness of her compliment.
"I must have the water analyzed to see if it has any medicinal virtue,"he said. "The spring out of which we drank has a sweetish-like taste,but the water here--" and he caught up some of it in his hand andtasted it, "seems to be slightly salt."
He had left her sitting on the log with the sketch in her lap. Now thesketch fluttered to the ground and the letter turned over, right sideup. It was a letter which Sam had written to his brother Jack and hadnot mailed because he had suddenly decided to come down to the scene ofaction. As she stooped over to pick it up her eyes caught thesentence: "I love her, Jack, more than I can tell you, more than I cantell anybody, more than I can tell myself. It's the most important,the most stupendous thing--" She hastily turned that letter over andwas very careful to have it lying upon her lap, back upward, exactly ashe had left it there, and when he came back she was very, very carefulindeed to hand it nonchalantly over to him, with the sketch uppermost.
"Of course," he said, looking around him comprehensively, "this is onlya day-dream, so far. It may be impossible to realize it."
"Why?" she asked, instantly concerned. "This project _must_ be carriedthrough! It is already as good as completed. It just must be done. Inever before had a hand, even in a remote way, in planning a big thing,and I couldn't bear not to see this done. What is to prevent it?"
"I may not be able to get the land," returned Sam soberly. "It isprobably owned by half a dozen people, and one or more of them iscertain to want exorbitant prices for it."
"It certainly can't be very valuable," she protested. "It isn't fitfor anything, is it?"
"For nothing but the building of Lake Jo," he agreed. "Right now it isworthless, but the minute anybody found out I wanted it it would becomeextremely valuable. The only way to do would be to see everybody atonce and close the options before they could get to talking it overamong themselves."
"What time is it?" she demanded.
He looked at his watch.
"Ten-thirty," he said.
"Then let's go and see all these people right away," she urged, jumpingto her feet.
He smiled at her enthusiasm, but he was none loath to accept hersuggestion.
"All right," he agreed. "I wish they had telephones here in the woods.We'll simply have to walk over to Meadow Brook and get an auto."
"Come on," she said energetically, and they started out on the road.They had not gone far, however, when young Tilloughby, with MissWestlake, overtook them in a trap. He reined up, and Miss Westlakegreeted the pedestrians with frigid courtesy. Jack Turner hadaccidentally dropped her a hint. Now that she had begun to appreciateMr. Tilloughby--Bob--at his true value, she wondered what she had everseen in Sam Turner--and she never had liked Josephine Stevens!
"Gug-gug-gug-glorious day, isn't it?" observed Tilloughby, his faceglowing with joy.
"Fine," agreed Sam with enthusiasm. "There never was a more gloriousday in all the world. You've just come along in time to save ourlives, Tilloughby. Which way are you bound?"
"Wuw-wuw-wuw-we had intended to go around Bald Hill."
"Well, postpone that for a few minutes, won't you, Tilloughby, like agood fellow? Trot back to Meadow Brook and send an auto out here forus. Get Henry, by all means, to drive it."
"Wuw-wuw-wuw-with pleasure," replied Tilloughby, wondering at thisstrange whim, but restraining his curiosity like a thoroughbred."Huh-huh-huh-Henry shall be back here for you in a jiffy," and he droveoff in a cloud of dust.
Miss Stevens surveyed the retiring trap in satisfaction.
"Good," she exclaimed. "I already feel as though we were doingsomething to save Lake Jo."
They walked back quite contentedly to the valley and surveyed it anew,there resting now on both of them a sense of almost pridefulpossession. They discovered a high point on which a rustic observatorycould be built; they planned paths and trails; they found where thewater-line came just under an overhanging rock which would make a cavelarge enough for three or four boats to scurry under out of the rain.They found delightful surprises all along the bank of the future lake,and Miss Stevens declared that when the dam was built and the lakebegan to fill, she never intended to leave it except for meals, untilit was up to the level at which they would permit the overflow to beopened.
Henry, returning with the automobile, found them far up in the valleydiscussing a floating band pavilion, but they came down quickly enoughwhen they saw him, and scrambled into the tonneau with the haste ofsmall children. Henry watched them take their places with smilingaffection. He had not only had good tips but pleasant words from Sam,and Miss Stevens was her own incentive to good wishes and good will.
"Henry," said Sam, "we want to drive around to see the people who ownthis land."
"Oh, shucks," said Henry, disappointed. "I can't drive you there. Theman that owns all this land lives in New York."
"In New York!" repeated Sam in dismay. "What would anybody in New Yorkwant with this?"
"The fellow that bought it got it about ten years ago," Henry informedthem. "He was going to build a big country house, back up there in thehills, I understand, and raise deer to shoot at, and things like that;got an architect to make him plans for house and stables and al
lcosting hundreds of thousands of dollars; but before he could breakground on it him and his wife had a spat and got a divorce. He triedto sell the land back again to the people he bought it from, but theywouldn't take it at any price. They were glad to be shut of it andnone of his rich friends wanted to buy it after that, because, theysaid, there were so many of those cheap summer resorts around here."
"I see," said Sam musingly. "You don't happen to know the man's name,do you?"
"Dickson, I think it was. Henry Dickson. I remember his first namebecause it was the same as mine."
"Great!" exclaimed Sam, overjoyed. "Why, I know Henry Dickson like abook. I've engineered several deals for him. He's a mighty goodfriend of mine too. That simplifies matters. Drive us right over toHollis Creek."
"To Hollis Creek!" she objected. "I should think you'd drive to MeadowBrook instead and dress for the trip. Aren't you going to catch thatafternoon train and go right up there?"
"By no means. This is Saturday, and by the time I'd get to New York hecouldn't be found anywhere; and anyhow, I wouldn't have time to deliveryou at Hollis Creek and make this next train."
"Don't mind about me," she urged. "I could go to the train with youand Henry could take me back to Hollis Creek."
"That's fine of you," returned Sam gratefully; "but it isn't theprogram at all. I happen to know that Dickson stays in his officeuntil one o'clock on Saturdays. I'll get him by long distance."
They were quite silent in calculation on the way to Hollis Creek, andMiss Josephine found herself pushing forward to help make the machinego faster. Breathlessly she followed Sam into the house, and heobligingly left the door of the telephone booth ajar, so that she couldhear his conversation with Dickson.
"Hello, Dickson," said Sam, when he got his connection. "This is SamTurner. . . . Oh yes, fine. Never better in my life. . . . Up herein Hamster County, taking a little vacation. Say, Dickson, Iunderstand you own a thousand acres down here. Do you want to sell it?. . . How much?" As he received the answer to that question he turnedto Miss Josephine and winked, while an expression of profound joy,albeit materialized into a grin, overspread his features. "I won'tdicker with you on that price," he said into the telephone. "But willyou take my note for it at six per cent.?"
He laughed aloud at the next reply.
"No, I don't want it to run that long. The interest in a hundred yearswould amount to too much; but I'll make it five years. . . . Allright, Dickson, instruct your lawyer chap to make out the papers andI'll be up Monday to close with you."
He hung up the receiver and turned to meet her glistening eyes fixedupon him in ecstasy. "It's better than all right," he assured her. Hewas more enthusiastic about this than he had ever been about anybusiness deal in his life, that is, more openly enthusiastic, for MissJosephine's enthusiasm was contagion itself. He took her arm with aswing, and they hurried into the writing-room, which was deserted forthe time being on account of the mail having just come in. Sam placeda chair for her and they sat down at the table.
"I want to figure a minute," said he. "Now that I have actualpossession of the property, in place of a mere option, I can go at thething differently. First of all, when I go up Monday I'll see myengineer, and on Tuesday morning I'll bring him down here with me.Then I shall secure permission from the county to alter that road andwe'll build the dam. That will cost very little in comparison to thewhole improvement. Then, and not till then, I'll get out my stockprospectus, and I'll drive prospective investors down here to look atLake Jo. I'll be almost in position to dictate terms."
"Isn't that fine!" she exclaimed. "And then I suppose you cansecure--control," she ventured anxiously.
"Yes, I think I can if I want it," he assured her.
"I'm so glad," she said gravely. "I'm so very glad."
"Really, though, I have a big notion to see if I can't finance theentire project myself. I'm quite sure I can get Dickson to give me aclear deed to that land merely on my unsupported note. If I can dothat I can erect all the buildings on progressive mortgages. Roadwaysand engineering work of course I'll have to pay for, and then I canfinance a subsidiary operating company to rent the plant from theoriginal company, and can retain stock in both of them. I'll figurethat out both ways."
It was all Greek to her, this talk, but she knitted her brows in anearnest effort to understand, and crowded close to him to look over thefigures he was putting down. The touch of her arm against his ownthrew out his calculations entirely. He could not add a row of figuresto save his life.
"I'll go over the financial end of this later on," he said, but he didnot put away the paper. He kept it there for them both to look at,touching arms.
"All right," she agreed, "but you must let me see you do it. Of courseI can't understand, but I do want to feel as if I were helping when itis done."
"I won't take a step in it without consulting you or having you along,"he promised.
At that moment the bugle sounded the first call for luncheon.
"You'll stay for luncheon," she invited.
"Certainly," he assured her. "You couldn't drive me away."
"Very well, right after luncheon let's go out and look at the placeagain. It will look different now that it is--" She caught herself.She had almost said "now that it is ours." "Now that it is secured,"she finished.
After luncheon they drove back to the site of Lake Jo, and spent adelirious while planning the things which were to be done to make thatspot an earthly Paradise. Never was a couple so prolific of ideas asthey were that afternoon. With 'Ennery waiting down in the road theytramped all over the hills again, standing first on one spot and thenanother to survey the alluring prospect, and to plan wonderful new andattractive features of which no previous summer resort builder had evereven dared to dream.
During the afternoon not one word passed between them which might beconstrued to be of an intimately personal nature, but as they drove toHollis Creek, tired but happy, Sam somehow or other felt that he hadmade quite a bit of progress, and was correspondingly elated. LeavingMiss Stevens on the porch he hurried home to dress for dinner, for itwas growing late, but immediately after dinner he drove over again.When he arrived Miss Josephine was in the seldom used parlor with herfather.
"I haven't seen you since breakfast," Mr. Stevens had said, pinchingher cheek, "Hollis and Billy Westlake have been looking for youeverywhere."
"Oh, they," she returned with kindly contempt. "I'm glad I didn't seethem. They're nice boys enough, but father, I don't believe thateither one of them will ever become clever business men!"
"No?" he replied, highly amused. "Well, I don't think they willeither. Business is a shade too big a game for them. But where haveyou been?"
"Out on business with S-s-s--with Mr. Turner," she replied demurely."I came in late for lunch, and you had already finished and gone. Thenwe went right back out again. Father, we have found the dearest, themost delightful, the most charming business opportunity you ever saw.You must go out with us to-morrow and look at it. Sam's going to builda lake and call it Lake Jo. You know where that little stream isbetween here and Meadow Brook? Well, that's the place. We found outthis morning what a delightful spot it would make for a lake and a bigsummer resort hotel, and at noon Sam bought the property, and we havebeen planning it all afternoon. He's bought it outright and he's goingto capitalize it for a quarter of a million dollars. How much stockare you going to take in it?"
"How much what?"
"How many shares of stock are you going to take in it? You must speakup quickly, because it's going to be a favor to you for us to let youin."
"Well, I don't know," said Mr. Stevens, resisting a sudden desire toguffaw. "I'd have to look it over first before I decide to invest.Sounds like a sort of wild-eyed scheme to me. Besides that, I alreadyhave a good big block of stock in one of Sam Turner's enterprises."
"Oh, yes," she said, puckering her brows. "Are you going to vote yourpulp stock with his?"
Mr. Stevens' eyes twinkled, but his tone was conservative gravityitself.
"Well, since it's a purely business deal it would not be a very wisething to do; and though Sam Turner is a mighty fine boy, I don't thinkI shall."
"But you will!" she vigorously protested. "Why, father, you wouldn'tfor a minute vote against your own son-in-law!"
"No, I wouldn't!" declared Mr. Stevens emphatically, and suddenly drewher to him and kissed her; and she clung about his neck half laughingand half crying.
Do you suppose there is anything in telepathy? It would seem so, forit was at this moment that Sam stepped up on the porch. They in theparlor heard his voice, and Mr. Stevens immediately slipped out theback way in order not to be _de trop_ a second time. Now Sam could notpossibly have known what had been said in the parlor, and yet when hefound his way in there, he and Miss Josephine, without any palaverabout it, without exchanging a solitary word, or scarcely even a look,just naturally fell into each other's arms. Neither one of them madethe first move. It just somehow happened, and they stood there andheld and held and held that embrace; and whatever foolishness they saidand did in the next hour is none of your business nor of mine; butlater in the evening, when they were sitting quietly in the darkestcorner of the porch, and Sam had his hand on the arm of her chair withher elbows resting upon his fingers--it didn't matter, you know, wherehe touched her, just so he did--she turned to him with thoughtfulearnestness in her voice.
"Sam," she said, and this time she used his first name quiteconsciously and was glad it was dark so that he could not see her traceof shyness, "I wish you would explain to me just what you mean bycontrol in a stock company."
Sam Turner moved his fingers from under her elbow and caught her hand,which he firmly clasped before he began.
"Well, Jo, it's just this way," he said, and then, quite comfortably,he explained to her all about it.
THE END
The Early Bird: A Business Man's Love Story Page 17
