As he spoke, the portieres parted and a stout, fresh complexioned
gentleman, ruddy from his bath and shaving, appeared. He had the
pompous manner of the successful man of business and seemed to the
Chester boys to be the least bit patronizing in his manner.

"Mr. Barr will be here in a minute," he said, after introductions
had been made by Lathrop, "he will explain to you his idea. I am
merely a partner in the enterprise. You will, of course, be glad to
accept any restrictions he may impose?"

"We hardly care to discuss that yet," said Frank, rather nettled by
Mr. Beasley's pompous manner, "until we know what he requires." He
exchanged glances with Harry.

"In fact," he went on, "we were planning to take a complete rest and
follow in Mr. Roosevelt's foot-steps, by taking a hunting trip in
Africa, only," he added with a smile, "we meant to hunt by aeroplane."

"Wonderful," said Mr. Beasley, evidently much impressed by Frank's
ready manner, "when I was a boy, if a lad had a "bone-shaker"
bicycle he thought he was doing something fine, and as for flying--why,
we never thought of it."

"Perhaps the boys of to-day are further sighted," said Frank with
quiet note of sarcasm in his tone that was quite lost on the
well-meaning old merchant. Indeed at that moment Mr. Beasley rose
heavily from his chair and stepped forward to greet a new arrival
who appeared from another room of the suite.

"This is Mr. Luther Barr, the famous ivory importer," he said, with