XIV
Following his illuminating interview with Pablo and Loustalot, JohnParker returned to a chair on the porch patio, lighted a fresh cigar,and gave himself up to contemplating the tangle in his hithertowell-laid plans. An orderly and methodical man always, it annoyed himgreatly to discover this morning that a diabolical circumstance overwhich he had no control and which he had not remotely taken intoconsideration should have arisen to embarrass and distress him and,perchance, plunge him into litigation. Mrs. Parker, having possessedherself of some fancy work, took a seat beside him, and, for the spaceof several minutes, stitched on, her thoughts, like her husband's,evidently bent upon the affairs of Miguel Farrel.
"Who is this gory creature Pablo just brought in?" she demanded,finally.
"His name is Andre Loustalot, Kate, and he is a sheep-man from the SanCarpojo country--a Basque, I believe. He hasn't a particularly goodreputation in San Marcos County, but he's one of the biggest sheepmenin the state and a heavy depositor in the bank at El Toro. He was oneof the reasons that moved me to buy the Farrel mortgage from the bank."
"Explain the reason, John."
"Well, I figured that eventually I would have to foreclose on old DonMiguel Farrel, and it would require approximately two years after thatbefore my irrigation system would be completed and the valley landsready for colonization. I was tolerably certain I would never restockthe range with cattle, and I knew Loustalot would buy several thousandyoung sheep and run them on the Palomar, provided I leased thegrazing-privilege to him for two years at a reasonable figure. I washere, under authority of a court order, to conserve the estate fromwaste, and my attorney assured me that, under that order, I hadauthority to use my own judgment in the administration of the estate,following the order of foreclosure. Now young Farrel shows up alive,and that will nullify my suit for foreclosure. It also nullifies mylease to Loustalot."
"I'm quite certain that fiery Don Mike will never consent to the lease,John," his wife remarked.
"If he declines to approve the lease, I shall be quite embarrassed Ifear, Kate. You see, dear, Loustalot bought about fifteen thousandsheep to pasture on the Palomar, and now he's going to find himself inthe unenviable position of having the sheep but no pasture. He'llprobably sue me to recover his loss, if any."
"It's too bad you didn't wait ten days before signing that lease, John."
"Yes," he replied, a trifle testily. "But we all were convinced thatyoung Farrel had been killed in Siberia."
"But you hadn't completed your title to this ranch, John?"
"You wouldn't murder a man who was going to commit suicide, would you?The ranch was as good as mine. If I had waited to make absolutelycertain Farrel was dead, the wait might have cost me fifty thousanddollars. I rented the ranch at fifty cents per acre."
"One hundred thousand acres, more or less, for two years, at fiftycents per acre per annum. So, instead of making fifty thousand you'velost that sum," his wife mused aloud.
"I've lost one hundred thousand," he corrected. "A one-year lease isnot desirable; Loustalot was my sole client, and I've lost him forgood."
"Why despair, John? I've a notion that if you give Don Mike fiftythousand dollars to confirm Loustalot in the lease, he will forget hisenmity and agree to the lease. That would, at least, prevent alaw-suit."
Parker's face brightened.
"I might do that," he assented. "The title will remain in Farrel'sname for another year, and I have always believed that half a loaf wasbetter than none at all. If young Farrel subscribes to the samesentiments, all may yet go nicely."
"Fifty thousand dollars would be rather a neat sum to save out of thewreck," she observed, sagely. "He seems quite a reasonable young man."
"I like him," Parker declared. "I like him ever so much."
"So do I, John. He's an old-fashioned gentleman."
"He's a he man--the sort of chap I'd like to see Kay married to someday."
Mrs. Parker looked searchingly at her husband.
"He told Kay he was half greaser, John. Would you care to have ourlittle daughter married to that sort of man?"
"How like a woman! You always take the personal viewpoint. I said I'dlike to see Kay married to a he man like Miguel Farrel. And Farrel isnot half greaser. A greaser is, I take it, a sort of mongrel--Indianand Spanish. Farrel is clean-strain Caucasian, Kate. He's a whiteman--inside and out."
"His financial situation renders him impossible, of course."
"Naturally."
"I wish it were otherwise, Johnny. Perhaps, if you were a little easywith him--if you gave him a chance--"
"Kate, I'd always be afraid of his easy-going Latin blood. If I shouldput him on his feet, he would, in all probability, stand still. Hemight even walk a little, but I doubt me if he'd ever do a Marathon."
"John, you're wrong," Mrs. Parker affirmed, with conviction. "Thatyoung man will go far. What would you do if Kay should fall in lovewith him?"
"I'm sure I do not know, Kate. What would you do?"
"I do not know, John. Nevertheless, it is interesting to contemplatethe situation. If he should win this ranch back from you, he couldhave her with my blessing."
"Likewise with mine. That would put him right up in the go-getterclass, which is the class I want to see Kay marry into. But he willnot win back this ranch, Kate."
"How do you know he will not?"
"Because I'm going to do everything in my power to keep him fromredeeming it--and I'm neither a mental nor a financial cripple."
"Where did the potato baron go?" Mrs. Parker queried, suddenly changingthe conversation.
"Down into the valley, I imagine, to look over the land."
"His presence here is not agreeable to Mr. Farrel, John. I think youmight manage to indicate to Mr. Okada that now, Mr. Farrel havingreturned so unexpectedly, your land deal must necessarily be delayedfor a year, and consequently, further negotiations at this time areimpossible."
"Yes; I think I had better give him a strong hint to go away. Itirritates Farrel to have him in the house, although he'd never admit itto us."
"I wonder, John, if it irritates him to have us in the house?"
"I wanted to leave to-day, but when he invited us to stay, you wouldn'tpermit me to consider leaving," he reminded her.
"But, John, his manner was so hearty and earnest we had to accept.Really, I think, we might have hurt his feelings if we had declined."
"Kay seemed happy to stay."
"That is another reason for accepting his invitation. I know she'llenjoy it so here."
"I wouldn't be at all surprised," Parker replied, dryly. "She hashelped herself to the car and driver in order to aid Farrel at myexpense."
His humorous wife smiled covertly. Parker smoked contemplatively for aquarter of an hour. Then,
"Here comes the smiling son of Nippon, John," Mrs. Parker remarked.
The potato baron entered the secluded patio and sat down beside them onthe porch. With a preliminary whistling intake of breath, he remarkedthat it was a beautiful day and then proceeded, without delay, todiscuss the subject closest to his heart--the fertile stretches of theSan Gregorio valley.
Parker squirmed a trifle uneasily.
"As I explained to you this morning, Mr. Okada," he began, "our dealhas become a trifle complicated by reason of the wholly unexpectedreturn of Mr. Miguel Farrel."
"Very great misfortune," Okada sympathized. "Very greatdisappointment."
Mrs. Parker favored him with a look of violent dislike and departedabruptly, much to Okada's relief. Immediately he drew his chair closeto Parker's.
"You zink Mr. Farrel perhaps can raise in one year the money to redeemproperty?" he demanded.
"I haven't the slightest information as to his money-raising ability,other than the information given me by that man Pablo has just lockedup. If, as Loustalot informed me, Farrel has a judgment against him,he is extremely liable to raise a hundred thousand or more to-day, whatwith funds
in bank and about fifteen thousand sheep."
"I zink Farrel not very lucky to-day wiz sheep, Mr. Parker."
"Well, whether he's lucky or not, he has our deal blocked for one year.I can do nothing now until title to this ranch is actually vested inme. I am morally certain Farrel will never redeem the property,but--well, you realize my predicament, Mr. Okada. Our deal isdefinitely hung up for one year."
"Very great disappointment!" Okada replied sadly. "Next year, I zinkCalifornia legislature make new law so Japanese people have very muchdifficulty to buy land. Attorneys for Japanese Association ofCalifornia very much frightened because they know Japanesetreaty-rights not affected by such law. If my people can buy thisvalley before that law comes to make trouble for Japanese people, Izink very much better for everybody."
"But, my dear Mr. Okada, I cannot make a move until Miguel Farrel failsto redeem the property at the expiration of the redemption period, oneyear hence."
"Perhaps that sheeps-man kill Mr. Farrel," Okada suggested, hopefully."I hoping, for sake of Japanese people, that sheeps-man very bad luckfor Mr. Farrel."
"Well, I wouldn't care to have him for an enemy. However, I dare sayFarrel knows the man well enough and will protect himself accordingly.By the way, Farrel is violently opposed to Japanese colonization of theSan Gregorio."
"You zink he have prejudice against Japanese people?"
"I know it, Mr. Okada, and, for that reason, and the further reasonthat our deal is now definitely hung up for a year, I suggest that youreturn to El Toro with me this afternoon. I am no longer master here,but I shall be delighted to have you as my guest at the hotel in ElToro while you are making your investigations of the property. I wishto avoid the possibility of embarrassment to you, to Mr. Farrel, and tomy family. I am sure you understand our position, Mr. Okada."
The potato baron nodded, scowling slightly.