The Winning of Barbara Worth

by Harold Bell Wright

  CHAPTER XVII.

  JAMES GREENFIELD SEEKS AN ADVANTAGE.

  The next morning Jefferson Worth, in his office in the store building,again received the president of The King's Basin Land and IrrigationCompany. James Greenfield, with outstretched hand, was quite cordial inhis greeting.

  "I owe you an apology, sir. I did not know until my return to the hotellast night of the demonstration to be held this evening in your honorand in celebration of the turning on of our new lights, or I shouldhave congratulated you sooner. I am glad the people of Kingston arerecognizing you in this public manner. Permit me to express my personalappreciation also."

  "Thank you," said Worth from behind his mask. "I figure that myinterests in Kingston will pan out all right some day."

  Greenfield dropped his complimentary manner and came at once tobusiness. "Look here, Mr. Worth, I have been thinking over the matter Imentioned last night. I can see the strength of your position here andI appreciate the value of your operations in the development of thiscountry, which mean, of course, an added value to the Company'sproperty and interests. We don't want to fight you; such things are badfor all concerned. We would all lose money and it would have a badeffect on the whole project. If you won't come in with us, will youconsider a proposition that you can handle independently?"

  "What is your proposition?"

  "It is this. In forming our plans for extending the Company's system wehave laid out a new district--the South Central. Before placing thewater rights on the open market, it occurred to me that we might make adeal whereby the development of the district would be assured and atthe same time we would be free to use our forces in still furtherextensions. As you know, the settlers are coming in so rapidly now thatwe need all our equipment to get the water to them as fast as they arelocated. My proposition is this: We will sell you the entire amount ofwater rights covering this South Central District--sixty thousandshares--at the lowest figure we can make; you to build your own canalsand structures. The entire district will thus be altogether in yourhands to handle as you see fit, we, of course, being bound only todeliver into your canals the amount of water called for by the regularcontract under which the rights are sold."

  "You have already completed the survey and formed the district?"

  "We have. The surveys have just been completed. We are all ready to goahead with our work and to sell the water." Greenfield did not say thatthe Company was ready to go to work on this particular district, nordid he say that the stock would be offered for sale save to Mr. Worth.The president of course expected Worth to apply his statement to theparticular tract of land under consideration and to accept it asestablishing beyond question the value of the South Central District.If Jefferson Worth noted the general character of Greenfield's answerhe gave no sign.

  "Where is the land located?"

  "If you will step over to our office I can show you the maps."

  When Jefferson Worth saw the boundaries of the South Central Districtshowing the course of Dry River and the San Felipe trail, for the firsttime his long, tapering fingers, tapping softly the arm of his chair,smoothing his gray cheek and caressing his chin betrayed emotion. Thespot where the San Felipe trail crossed Dry River and where the bankerand his party had found the baby girl was just within the boundary ofthe district.

  Apparently studying the map before him, Barbara's father sat motionlesssave for those nervous fingers; and Greenfield, thinking that the man'smind was intent upon the business under consideration, spoke no word.But Jefferson Worth was not thinking of business. He was seeing again abrown-eyed, brown-haired baby girl, who shrank back from hisoutstretched arms as though in fear.

  But that mask-like face betrayed no hint of emotion, and when thebanker spoke again it was to ask mechanically: "Where is your engineer?"

  Greenfield looked inquiringly at Burk. The Manager touched a button onhis desk. To the young man who answered the signal the Manager said:"Charlie, if Mr. Holmes is in the building please ask him to step inhere a moment."

  Presently the chief engineer stood before them. An expression ofsurprise flashed over his bronzed face as he saw Mr. Worth. From thebanker his glance moved swiftly to Burk and Greenfield, then fell onthe map before the three men.

  Instantly he saw Greenfield's purpose. But what did they want of him?Surely they would not dare ask him to make a false statement regardingthe surveys! He could not interfere; it was not his business. It wasthe creed of his type that in business transactions every man must takecare of himself; but the Company must not ask him to lie for them. Asthese thoughts went through his mind his form straightened and his eyesshot a warning--almost a defiant--look at his two superiors.

  Greenfield saw and signaled caution. Burk saw and smiled. But none ofthe three Company men could have told whether Jefferson Worth, who wasbending over the map, saw or not. Before the others could speak thebanker, without looking up, said: "I just wanted to ask, Mr. Holmes,whether you can tell me about the character of the soil in this newdistrict?"

  "The soil, Mr. Worth, is, I believe, as good as there is in the Basin."

  The three men awaited the next question with breathless interest.

  "Thank you, Mr. Holmes. Mr. Greenfield, I will consider theproposition."

  The president and manager could scarcely believe their ears. Theengineer vanished.

  Jefferson Worth continued: "How long have you planned to be in theBasin this trip, Mr. Greenfield?"

  "This week only. I start on my inspection with Mr. Burk and Mr. Holmesin the morning."

  "I asked because I must go out in the morning for a few days, and Isuppose you wish to close the deal before you leave."

  "You think favorably of the proposition, then?"

  "If we can get together on the terms"--Worth spoke exactly, as if hewished hie words to be remembered--"I will accept it. Suppose you putyour proposition in writing and mail it to me in the city to-morrow.Then when I get back we will be in shape to finish the matter one wayor the other. If everything is satisfactory and I see I can't get homebefore you leave I will wire you."

  Thirty minutes after Jefferson Worth had returned to his office, AbeLee came in. "You sent for me, sir?"

  Abe's employer arose and closed the door.

  That evening about dusk the surveyor rode out of Kingston on the roadtoward Frontera. And that night, while the celebration was in fullswing and the new electric lights were sputtering and hissing in honorof Jefferson Worth, a loaded wagon, drawn by four mules, quietly leftthe rear of the Worth store. On the driver's seat sat Pablo. Withlittle noise the outfit, with its lone driver, left the town in themidst of its demonstration and was soon in the open country on the roadleading south.

  An hour later they had passed the ranches and were in the Desert. Justbeyond where a party of Jefferson Worth's linemen, who were stringingthe telephone wires, was encamped, the Mexican halted his team and theheavy form of Pat came out of the darkness and climbed with smotheredgrunts and curses to his side.

  Another hour and they reached the point where the new road crossed theold San Felipe trail. Again Pablo halted his team. Ten--fifteen--twentyminutes they waited in listening silence, save for an occasional gruntfrom the Irishman. Then from the south came the sound of wheels andhorses' feet.

  "Git under way, Pablo," mumbled Pat. "Ut may not be thim, an' Abe willhang yer black hide on the new tiliphone line av anybody goin' to townstops to pass ye the time av night."

  Pablo swung his team to the left and drove slowly ahead on the oldtrail. A hundred yards farther on they were overtaken by Abe Lee andTexas Joe, who were driving a light spring wagon.

  "Everything all right, boys?" asked the surveyor sharply.

  "Si, Senor," and "Yis, Sorr," came the answers.

  "Good. We'll hit the grit good and hard now for we must be in the sandhills by morning."

  Twenty-four hours after Jefferson Worth left Kingston, the east boundoverland express came to a full stop in the Desert at a point abouttwenty miles west of Rubi
o City.

  The trainmen and porters ran to the vestibules and, throwing open thedoors, looked out. Three or four passengers who had risen earlyfollowed the crew, inquiring anxiously the reason for the delay. Thebig conductor was standing by the rear steps of the Pullman and amedium sized man swung down to the ground by his side. Back from thetrack, in the gray of the morning, the watchers saw a tiny fire, overwhich two roughly dressed figures crouched, evidently preparingbreakfast, while a team, with a light spring wagon, stood tied to anearby mesquite tree. On every hand the great desert stretched its vastdun plain without a sign of life save for the train and the men andhorses by the lonely fire.

  "Right, sir?" asked the conductor of the man who alighted by his side.

  "All right," answered the other in a low tone.

  "Good-by, sir."

  "Good-by."

  The conductor lifted his hand, and, as the train started swung aboard.The watchers saw the man walk, without a glance at the departing train,straight toward the little group at the fire.

  "Well, what do you make of that?" cried an excited tourist as theconductor came up the steps into the vestibule and the porter slammeddown the platform and closed the door. And--"Who is he?" "Where is hegoing?" "What is he doing?" came in chorus from the others.

  The conductor shook his head with a smile. "Don't ask me. I had ordersto stop here to let him off; that's all I know."

  Jefferson Worth greeted Abe Lee and Texas Joe as coolly as though itwas his daily habit to meet them at that hour and place. "How iseverything, Abe?"

  "Not a hitch so far," answered the surveyor; and Tex drawled: "Coffeeand frijoles ready, Mr. Worth."

  "Can we make it to the outfit today?" asked Mr. Worth as they finishedtheir rude meal and prepared to start.

  "Easy," answered Abe. "We have plenty of water with us and this teamwill do it without turning a hair."

  Just before sundown at a point on Dry River they found Pat and Pablowith the outfit in a comfortable camp.

  While Abe Lee, with his helpers, was running his levels over theproposed line of the canal staked out by the Company surveyors in theSouth Central District, Willard Holmes was trying to make Mr.Greenfield see the necessity of spending more money on the unsafestructures and at Dry River heading. He explained, argued and pleadedin vain.

  "My dear boy," said the Company's president. "You must understand thatwe are not in this country for sweet charity's sake. Burk, here, cantell you that we have not yet begun to get our investment back. Whenthe returns justify it we will give you the money for your constructionwork, but we can't do it now. The rights of the men who are putting upthe capital for this project must be considered, you know. We can't usea dollar of the Company's money except when it is necessary. If I wereto let you spend all the money you want, we never would pay a dividend."

  "But, Uncle Jim, you are forcing these settlers to take terriblechances blindly. Have they not rights also? The interest of the Companyis mighty small compared with the interests of the men who are buyingthe water rights and developing the land."

  Greenfield flushed angrily. "Look here, Willard, you have nothing to dowith the Company's business policy. As the engineer in charge, yourwork is to protect both the settlers and us to the best of yourability, but don't get any fool notions into your head. You can'tafford to go the way of that dreamer who started this work with theexalted idea of making it a benefit to the whole human race. That lineof talk is all right for the boosters like Horace P. Blanton, but we'vegot to make good in dollars and cents or the whole thing goes to smash."

  With the South Central deal still on his mind and the picture ofBarbara, as she talked to him of his work the morning he had met her inthe desert, in his heart, these business discussions with Greenfieldand Burk were almost unbearable to the engineer. After they hadinspected the intake, the Dry River heading and the levees of the maincanal he pleaded an urgent need of his presence at the office and leftthe party, to reach Kingston two days in advance of their return.

  Barbara was on the porch when he stopped at the gate, tired, hot anddusty from his long trip. The girl, dressed in some cool simple whitestuff and seated in her easy wicker chair in the deep shade of the wideporch, made a picture wonderfully attractive to the man who had riddenall day in the scorching heat of the desert sun. Of course he must comein. What nonsense to talk of his appearance. He was not making afashionable social call. The weary engineer dropped into a chair andgratefully accepted the glass of cool lemonade she brought.

  "I made it myself not five minutes ago, just as if I had known you werecoming," she said with a laugh that was as refreshing as the drinkitself. "Ynez is up town shopping for supper. Father is in the city.Abe has gone away somewhere. Even Pablo has vanished and I haven't seenTexas Joe nor Pat for a week. I was wishing someone would happen along.I suppose that's really why I made the lemonade."

  Holmes set his glass carefully on the porch railing near at hand.

  "Won't you have some more?"

  "Thank you, no. You are quite deserted, aren't you? How long has Leebeen gone?"

  "Oh, he went the evening before father left and Pablo vanished the samenight. It was quite tragic, and the next day I was in the office when aman from the line came in asking for Pat. He seems to have disappearedthe same way. I think they might at least have left some word or saidgood-by."

  In her innocent talk Barbara had told the whole story. It was easy forthe Company engineer to guess where the surveyor and his helpers hadgone and what they were doing. "Are you sure that your father is in thecity?" he asked jokingly.

  Barbara laughed. "Oh, there's no doubt about father. His departure wasregular in every way."

  On his way to the office a little later Holmes chuckled to himself,keenly enjoying the situation. He mentally pictured the chagrin ofGreenfield and Burk when he should tell them what he had learned. Butwould he tell them? He had not told Mr. Worth what he knew of theCompany's survey in the South Central District. Why should he tell theCompany what he knew of Worth's surveyors? Once he would haveconsidered that loyalty to his employers demanded that he tell what hehad learned. But now, since he had been assured so very emphaticallyand very recently that the policy of the Company was none of hisbusiness, let the shrewd Manager and the president find out forthemselves. Anyway, he told himself, it could make no difference, forhe knew what the result of Abe's surveys would be and he was gladindeed that Barbara's father had not walked into the trap set for him.The engineer had concerned himself not a little about the probable viewBarbara would take of his attitude in permitting her father to purchasewater rights that he knew to be worthless. But now Mr. Worth himselfwould discover the trick of the Company men and it would not matter.

  To his surprise and chagrin Jefferson Worth walked into the Companyoffice a few days later and, in his exact colorless voice, said: "Iwill accept your proposition Mr. Greenfield. If you wish we can fix upthe contract and close the deal to-day."