The incoming population would make great business in the future.

One could afford to pay almost any price for the short lines already built if one could wait and extend the lines into larger and better areas later.

And already he had conceived in his own mind the theory of the "endless chain," or "argeeable formula," as it was later termed, of buying a certain property on a long-time payment and issuing stocks or bonds sufficient not only to pay your seller, but to reimburse you for your trouble, to say nothing of giving you a margin wherewith to invest in other things--allied properties, for instance, against which more bonds could be issued, and so on, ad infinitum.

It became an old story later, but it was new at that time, and he kept the thought closely to himself.

None the less he was glad to have Stener speak of this, since street-railways were his hobby, and he was convinced that he would be a great master of them if he ever had an opportunity to control them.
"Why, yes, George," he said, noncommittally, "there are two or three that offer a good chance if a man had money enough.