Before the frost grew arctic, the building stood firm, and the hammers
rang inside it night and day until, when the ice had bound the dam and
lead, the fires were lighted and the trials under steam began. It cost
more than water, but buyers with orders from the East were clamoring
for flour just then. For a fortnight Winston snatched his food in
mouthfuls, and scarcely closed his eyes, while Graham found him pale
and almost haggard when he came down with several men from the cities
in response to a telegram. For an hour they moved up and down,
watching whirring belt and humming roller, and then, whitened with the
dust, stood very intent and quiet while one of them dipped up a little
flour from the delivery hopper. His opinions on, and dealings in, that
product were famous in the land. He said nothing for several minutes,
and then brushing the white dust from his hands turned with a little
smile to Graham.
"We'll have some baked, but I don't know that there's much use for it.
This will grade a very good first," he said. "You can book me the
thousand two eighties for a beginning now."
Winston's fingers trembled, but there was a twinkle in Graham's eyes as
he brought his hand down on his shoulder.
"Gentlemen," he said, "I was figuring right on this when I brought the
champagne along. It was all I could do, but Imperial Tokay wouldn't be
good enough to rinse this dust down with, when every speck of it that's
on you means dollars by the handful rolling in.
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