Festing, finding that he had been well educated and articled to a civil
engineer, got him a post on the railroad, where he helped the surveyors.
Dalton did well and showed himself grateful, but when Festing went to
the prairie he lost touch with the lad. The latter wrote to him once or
twice, but he was too busy to keep up the correspondence. Now he knew
it was something in Dalton's face he found familiar in the portrait.
The girl had a steady level glance, and the lad looked at one like that.
Indeed, it was his air of frankness that had persuaded Festing to get
him the post.

But this led him nowhere. He did not know the girl's name, and if it
was the same as the lad's, it would not prove that they were related. He
pushed back his chair and got up. It looked as if he was in some danger
of becoming a romantic fool, but he put the portrait carefully away,
Soon after he had done so a man came in, and sitting down, lighted a
cigarette.

"I wanted to see you, Festing, but hadn't a chance all day," he said.
"Probably you haven't heard that I've got orders where to send the staff
when the bridge is finished, as it will be soon."

Festing looked up sharply. Kerr was his superior in the company's
service, but they were on good terms.

"I haven't heard. I'm anxious to know."

Kerr told him, and Festing's face hardened.

"So Marvin and I go on to the next prairie section! Since they want the
best men on the difficult work in the mountains, it means that we're