“Splendid exercise,” he gasped, holding his sides. “I think about a week of it would either reduce me to a living skeleton, or kill me.”
“Your vestry’s an ass,” Allison took pleasure in informing him.
“Same to you and many of them,” puffed Jim Sargent. “What’s the trouble with you? Trying to take a business advantage of a church.”
“I’d have a better chance with a Jew,” was Allison’s contemptuous reply.
“Oh, see here, Allison!” remonstrated Jim Sargent seriously. He even rose to his feet to make it more emphatic. “You mustn’t treat Market Square Church with so much indignity.”
“Why not? Market Square Church puts itself in a position to be considered in the light of any other grasping organisation.”
The Reverend Smith Boyd, finding in himself the growth of a most uncloth-like anger, decided to walk away rather than suffer the aggravation which must ensue in this conversation. Consequently, he started down the hill, dragging Jim Sargent’s sled behind him for company. There were no further insults to the church, however.
“Jim, what are the relations of the Towando Valley to the L. and C.?” asked Allison, offering Sargent a cigar.
“Largely paternal,” and the president of the Towando Valley grinned. “We feed it when it’s good, and spank it when it cries.”
“No, only its transportation,” returned Sargent complacently.
“Stock is a good deal scattered, I suppose.”
“Small holdings entirely, and none of the holders proud,” replied Sargent. “It starts no place and comes right back, and the share-holders won’t pay postage to send in their annual proxies.”
“Then the stock doesn’t seem to be worth buying,” observed Allison, with vast apparent indifference.
“Only to piece out a collection,” chuckled Sargent. “I didn’t know you were interested in railroads.”
“I wasn’t a week ago,” and Allison looked out across the starry sky to the tree-scalloped hills. “With the completion of the consolidation of New York’s transportation system, and the building of a big central station, I thought I was through. It seemed a big achievement to gather all these lines to a common centre, like holding them in my hand; to converge four millions of people at one point, to handle them without confusion, and to re-distribute them along the same lines, looked like a life’s work; but now I’m beginning to become ambitious.”