CHAPTER XXVIII.
WHAT THE COMPANY MAN TOLD THE MEXICANS.
While Barbara and her three friends at home were rejoicing over themessage from Jefferson Worth telling them that he had secured the moneyneeded to go on with the work, Willard Holmes was alone in his room inthe San Felipe hotel.
Following the engineer's interview with Mr. Cartwright, he had passedthrough a stormy scene with James Greenfield and the words of thepresident of The King's Basin Land and Irrigation Company were ringingin his ears with painful monotony: "Discharged--discharged--discharged!"
For the first time in his life the engineer had heard those wordsaddressed to himself. He could not rid himself of the feeling that hehad come suddenly to the end of his career.
All his life Willard Holmes had had back of him the powerful influenceof his foster uncle. Positions and opportunities had come to him fromthe first without effort on his part. Notwithstanding the fact that hisability as an engineer was naturally of a high order and that histraining was of the best, he had never been dependent wholly upon thesethings. Other and stronger considerations had always given him hisplace. For the first time in his life he faced the world of hisprofession with nothing but his naked ability as an engineer to speakfor him, while his abrupt dismissal from the Company compelled him torealize with sudden force how over-shadowed his work had always been byoutside influences and how dependent he had been upon them. He feltlost and bewildered, knowing not which way to turn. His future seemed ablank. He had been anxious and eager to get back to his work in theBasin. But he had not realized how much that work meant to him--how hisplans, his dreams, his whole life work had become centered in thereclamation of The King's Basin Desert.
If his dismissal had come from anything connected with his work, hetold himself, it would be different. He thought bitterly how he hadstruggled with insufficient equipment and inadequate makeshifts ofevery kind to hold the Company system together that the pioneers mighthave the water, without which the work of reclamation could not bedone. He knew every stake and pile and plank and crack and patch in thewhole system. He had learned the tricks of the river and was familiarwith the conditions peculiar to the desert country. He knew theterrible danger of the flood season that was only two months away. Hehad planned and prepared to meet emergencies that would be sure toarise.
And now, because he had refused to deliver the settlers wholly into thehands of these New York capitalists, who cared nothing at all for thereal work save as it could be made to increase their money bags, he wasturned out. There was now no reason even for his return to The King'sBasin. Why, he asked himself, should he go back? To see some other mandoing his work? To watch as an outsider the development of the land? orperhaps--as was more likely--to stand idly by and watch its destruction?
But even as he told himself that he could not do that, he knew that hewould go back; that, indeed, he must go. The desert calledhim--summoned him imperatively;--the desert, and something else:something that was as mysteriously impelling as the spirit of the land;something that had grown into his life even as his work had grown;something that seemed to him now a part of his work from the beginning.
All that day the engineer avoided Greenfield and his eastern friends.In the evening he dined alone and after the meal sat alone in the hotellobby with his back to the crowd, watching through the big window thelife of the street outside--watching without seeing. Moodily he pulledat his cigar, his thoughts far away in Barbara's Desert where, unknownto him, Abe Lee on the buckskin horse was riding--riding--riding tosave the work of Jefferson Worth.
His thoughts were interrupted by the voice of Jefferson Worth himself,who, seeing the engineer alone, had gone to him. Holmes, drawinganother chair close to his, greeted Barbara's father with eagerquestions. "Have you heard from home? Is everything all right?"
The older man accepted the chair by the engineer's side and answeredhis questions by saying: "Mr. Cartwright instructed his New Yorkbankers to wire this money to my account in Republic. I notified Abe topay the men to-morrow and go on with the work."
It was characteristic of Jefferson Worth that he did not attempt tothank Holmes for his part in the transaction with Cartwright, but insome subtle way the engineer was made to feel his gratitude andappreciation. After a pause Worth continued: "I am going to start backto-night on the ten-thirty. When are you figuring on going back?"
The engineer smiled grimly. "I can't figure on anything definite justnow, Mr. Worth. I might as well tell you, I suppose, that I am nolonger connected with the Company."
The announcement did not appear to be unexpected to Jefferson Worth,but his slim fingers caressed his chin as he said: "I was afraid ofthat. Have you anything in view?"
Holmes felt that not only had Worth foreseen the situation, but that hehad already set in motion some movement to relieve it. "No, sir. Itcame so suddenly that I have scarcely had time to think."
"I figured some time ago that the Company would not be able to hold youmuch longer," was the surprising comment. "The S. & C. has been lookingfor a good man to put down in our country for some time. Yourexperience on the river would make you particularly valuable to themunder existing conditions. I told them about you. They have beenholding off waiting developments. If I were you I would get in touchwith them at once. You can go up to the city with me to-night. We willstop over and look into the proposition and then if it is all right andagreeable to you we can go on home together." Jefferson Worth seemed tounderstand perfectly the engineer's desire to return to The King'sBasin.
Before Holmes could express his delight and gratitude at the unexpectedrelief, a call-boy, passing among the guests, shouted: "Mr. JeffersonWorth! Mr. Jefferson Worth!"
The banker opened the message, read it, then--without a word-handed theyellow slip to his companion. The engineer read: "Banks in Basin won'taccept New York business. Can't handle pay checks. Abe Lee starting forSan Felipe overland to-night. Have money and fresh horse ready.Barbara."
Holmes looked in consternation from the paper in his hand to Barbara'sfather. The face of Jefferson Worth expressed nothing. It was perfectlycalm and emotionless, only the slim fingers were lifted to the chin asif behind that gray mask the mind of the man was groping, seizing,searching, examining every phase of the situation so suddenlyconfronting him. In answer to the engineer's questioning look he spokein colorless words, with machine-like exactness, as if the matter underconsideration were a mere mathematical problem presented for hissolution. "The Company owns the banks. Greenfield went into thetelegraph office this morning as Cartwright and I came out. Abe wouldget my message by nine o'clock. The banks would get Greenfield'sinstructions the same time. Abe would at once promise the men theirmoney to-morrow. That cashier didn't tell him they wouldn't handle thebusiness until too late for him to get me before the banks closed here.Greenfield is playing for time so that the strikers will make trouble.Abe has it figured out right. He can get here and back before I couldget the money to him by train. He should reach here to-morrow night.There is nothing to do except to see Cartwright this evening so that hecan wire New York to-night and I can get the cash through the bank herebefore Abe gets in to-morrow."
As he grasped the situation and the methods Greenfield had employed toinjure Worth's interests, the engineer's eyes flashed. "Mr. Worth," hecried, "that is the dirtiest trick I ever saw turned."
"It's business, Mr. Holmes. Mr. Greenfield is merely using hisadvantage, that's all."
The methods of The King's Basin Land and Irrigation Company in La Palmade la Mano de Dios were the methods of capital, impersonal,inhuman--the methods of a force governed by laws as fixed as the lawsof nature, neither cruel nor kind; inconsiderate of man's misery orhappiness, his life or death; using man for its own ends--profit, asmen use water and soil and sun and air. The methods of Jefferson Worthwere the methods of a man laboring with his brother men, sharing theirhardships, sharing their returns; a man using money as a workman useshis tools to fashion and build and develop, adding thus
to the welfareof human kind. It was inevitable that the Company and Jefferson Worthshould war.
James Greenfield served Capital; Jefferson Worth sought to make Capitalserve the race. But in the career of each of these men, who had beendriven by the master passion--Good Business, into The Hollow of God'sHand, the dominant influence was a life. In the career of JeffersonWorth it was Barbara. In the career of James Greenfield it was WillardHolmes.
In The King's Basin reclamation work, the New York financier, whoserelation to Willard Holmes was a tribute to his love for the engineer'smother, felt that in some way--for some cause which he could notunderstand--the younger man was growing away from him. Their relationof employer and employe seemed to mar the close intimacy of the oldties, and the older man looked forward eagerly to the time when hisbusiness plans should be carried to a successful climax and they wouldboth leave the West for their eastern home. That morning in the hotel,when he saw Holmes go with Cartwright to Jefferson Worth and by thatknew that the engineer had used his influence against the interests ofthe Company, he was astonished and hurt. He felt that the boy whom hehad reared as his own had turned against him. As the president of theCompany he abruptly discharged the engineer, for he could do nothingelse. As the foster-father of Willard Holmes, he was still proud of theyounger man's strength of character, for under all his anger at beingthwarted in his plan against Worth he knew in his heart that theengineer had done right.
As the day passed and the engineer did not seek his company, whileGreenfield's own stubborn pride forbade him to go to Holmes, the olderman's heart grew more and more lonely. That evening, when he sawJefferson Worth and Holmes together in earnest conversation and throughall of the following day saw them apparently associated intimately insome plan or enterprise, for the first time personal feeling enteredinto his consideration of the whole situation. He felt that hisbusiness rival had become his rival for the affections of the boy heloved. The business victories of Jefferson Worth he could acceptwithout feeling; but that this man--a stranger--should come between himand his foster-son, the child of the woman he had loved with lifelongfidelity, stirred him to a vicious, personal hatred.
At dusk that evening he saw Holmes and Worth dining together. When themeal was over he sat in the lobby, ostensibly chatting with friends,but covertly watching the two who seemed to be awaiting someone.Suddenly he saw them rise quickly and start toward the main entrance. Adusty, khaki-clad man of the desert was entering the hotel. Tall, lean,bronzed, his face haggard and strained with anxiety, his eyesblood-shot through loss of sleep, his figure expressing in every lineand movement deadly weariness and aching muscles, he strode forwardinto the hotel lobby, his spurs clinking on the white tile floor.
Greenfield recognized Abe Lee and grasped the situation instantly. Thepresident of The King's Basin Land and Irrigation Company knew why thesurveyor had come to San Felipe and he knew what he would carry back.If the money to pay the strikers reached its destination, JeffersonWorth would win; if not--
At half past nine o'clock that evening the thoughtful Manager of TheKing's Basin Land and Irrigation Company received a cipher message fromhis superior that drew a long, low whistle from his lips. For almost anhour he considered with an occasional quiet curse. Then, because he wasa good Company man, he put on his hat and strolled leisurely down thestreet of Kingston, apparently enjoying his evening cigar. Once hestopped to greet a belated rancher. Again he paused to chat a momentwith a citizen. Once more he halted to exchange a word with a group ofCompany men, and later stopped to greet three Mexicans who were in fromthe Company's camps.
The Manager asked of the work--if all was well.
"Si, Senor."
Then naturally Mr. Burk inquired for news of their countrymen, thestrikers of Republic.
The Mexicans, coming from the distant camp, could tell him nothing.They had heard little. Could Senor Burk tell them of the situation?
The Manager was quite sure that everything would be all right with themen on Jefferson Worth's railroad day after to-morrow.
That was "bueno."
Yes, Mr. Worth's superintendent was starting from San Felipe that veryevening with money--thousands of dollars, American gold--to pay themen. He was coming alone through the mountains on horseback. Withoutdoubt the men would receive their pay. The Manager was glad!
"Si, Senor."
"Gracias, Senor!"
"Buenos noches!"
"Good night."
The Winning of Barbara Worth Page 30
