"Yes, sir. The young men are not in want. Each of them own several thousand dollars worth of stock in this company."
"What?" almost shrieked the secretary who had not yet recovered his equilibrium.
"This is too good. Here we've been voting a paltry fifty dollars to a man who is practically entitled to call us to account for so doing. We are his employés as much as he is ours. This is too good! I shall have to tell that story at the club," and the president indulged in another burst of laughter.
No one enjoyed the discomfiture of the secretary more than Mr. Keating and Mr. Phillips. The faces of both men bore smiles that they were unable to hide. The directors left soon after that. In going out, the president approached the superintendent.
"Keating, I hope you will look out for that young man."
"You may depend upon my doing so. I already have taken a great interest in both of them."
"I suppose I ought to order you to dismiss him, for if we men don't look out he'll be grabbing our own jobs some of these days."
The president went away, chuckling at his own witticism. After they had gone the two dignified men, namely, Superintendent Keating and Chief Engineer Phillips leaned back in their chairs and indulged in a good laugh at the directors' expense.
Several days later, Steve and Bob were invited to the home of the chief engineer to spend the evening and to take dinner with him. They were greatly surprised at the invitation. At the same time they were informed that permission had been obtained from the superintendent for them to remain away from their work.
The Iron Boys were pleased, yet they did not exactly like the idea of losing a night's work. They were not there for social reasons; they were at the mills for a well-defined purpose--a purpose with which nothing must interfere.
The boys talked over the invitation for some time before finally deciding to accept. Steve thought that perhaps it were best. Mr. Phillips had taken such a kindly interest in them. The boys valued the friendship of the chief engineer and the superintendent, and they were beginning to look to the latter for advice and suggestions relating to their personal affairs.
"All right; we will go," decided Rush. "Behave yourself, Bob," he warned.