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his
employer straight in the eye. "I am also trying to save you quite a lot of money."
    "But a water wheel! Folks will look at it and wonder if we know what we're
doing."
    "A waterwheel is an elegant solution. I've looked at a number of methods we
could use, but since we need a constant source of low voltage power, the water wheel is
made to order. Trust me. It'll work."
    "What about when we electrify the town? Won't we need a steam plant then?"
    "I doubt it. With all the streams around here, we should be able to generate any
amount of power." He sat down and looked across the desk. "That's the second time you've
mentioned electricity. Is there something you haven't told me?"
    "Hell, boy, there's a bunch I haven't told you. I've got a finger in so many pies, I
can hardly keep 'em all straight." Reaching into a drawer, he pulled out a cigar. He clipped
the ends, then paused, looking at Tony. "You know there's electricity up at the smelter in
Ketchum?"
    Tony nodded.
    "Well, I've been talking to the engineer up there. We could electrify the whole
town, if we wanted to. All it would take is money. I've been talking to folks here in town,
too, convincing 'em we need to look to the future. So far I've got a few who're interested,
but not enough. And it's more than I want to take on myself."
    "So you're not planning to do it tomorrow?"
    "Well, no, but I'd like to start planning for it. Why don't you give it some thought?
Draw up some designs, keep your eye open for a likely site to build your dam or whatever,
and we'll talk about it again. Now, have you got those maps done?"
    "I'll get them."
    As he walked back to his office, he grinned. Much to his surprise, he was having
the time of his life working for Abner Eagleton. The man was a caution--part entrepreneur,
part hustler, all charm and enthusiasm. So far, in the two months since he'd arrived in
Hailey, he'd designed the telephone system, ordered the equipment, persuaded nine people
to sign up for telephone service, chosen a bridge site, started to design the bridge,
annotated maps of the area with the locations of property with good water, built a corral,
roofed a shed, driven a hay wagon, and run more errands than he cared to count.
    Oh, yes, he'd also rescued a damsel in distress. But that had been his own idea,
and the damsel hadn't wanted to be rescued.
    She'd gone away again a few days after the Fourth. He hadn't known she was gone
until he stopped by her apartment, intending to apologize and had learned from the elderly
woman next door that she wouldn't be back until mid-August.
    He'd been relieved. Mostly because he really didn't believe he had anything to
apologize for. But also because he still wasn't sure how he felt about her. Some days he
wanted to pound some sense into that curly head of hers. Others he wanted to wipe her
from his memory and expunge her from his life.
    Always he wanted her.
    He picked up the rolled maps and took them back to Eagleton's office. "Here they
are. I don't know how complete--"
    "No matter. You haven't had time to explore every canyon and gully." Eagleton
unrolled the first map, showing Hangman's Gulch.
    "Hmmm." Eagleton pointed to a symbol Tony had used to show mining activity.
"I didn't know that was up there. Must be new," he said.
    "It's more a prospect hole than anything. I didn't see any sign of recent activity
when I was up there. But that was back in June--"
    "We'll check it out come spring." Eagleton unrolled another map, this one showing
the area around Gimlet. "Teller owns all this?" His hand swept across the center of the
sheet.
    "According to the records at the courthouse, he owns or leases nearly three
thousand acres."
    "There was a time I thought the man was a fool for wanting to raise sheep instead
of cattle. Now I'm not so sure." He rolled both maps, handed them to Tony. "Keep at this,
whenever you get time. I'm not sure what I'll do with what you find out, but something will
come to me. Information is always worth money.