Benito rose. Alice laid detaining fingers on his arm. "Don't go ... it'sjust a ruse. You know McTurpin."
"The time is past when he can injure me," he answered gravely."Something tells me it is right--to go." He kissed her, disengaged herarms about him gently, and went out. Adrian signaled to the Chinese."Follow him...."
Po Lun nodded understandingly.
A shuffling figure, face concealed beneath a broad-brimmed hat, handstucked each within the opposite sleeve, awaited Windham just outside thedoor. He set out immediately in an easterly direction, glancing over hisshoulder now and again to make certain that Benito followed. Down thesteep slope of Washington street he went past moss-grown retainingwalls; over slippery brick pavements, through which the grass-bladessprouted, to plunge at length into the eddying alien mass of Chinatown'smain artery, Dupont street. Here rushing human counter-currents ebbedand flowed ceaslessly. Burdens of all sizes and of infinite varietyswept by on swaying shoulder yokes.
Benito's guide paused momentarily on the farther side of Dupont street.Then, with a beckoning gesture, he dived into a narrow alley. Benito,following, found himself before the entrance of a cellarway. As hehalted, iron trapdoors opened toward him, revealing a short flight ofsteps. The Chinese motioned him to descend, but the lawyer hesitatedwith a sudden sense of trepidation. Beneath the pavement in thiscul-de-sac of Chinatown, he would be hidden from the world, from friendsor rescue, as securely as though he were at the bottom of the bay.
But he squared his shoulders and went down. A door opened noiselesslyand closed, leaving him in total darkness. A lantern glimmered and hefollowed it along a narrow passage that had many unexpected turns. Anodor, pungent, acrid, semi-aromatic troubled his nostrils. It increaseduntil the lantern-bearing Chinese ushered him into a large square room,lined with bunks, three-deep, like the forecastle of a ship. In each laytwo Chinese, face to face. They drew at intervals deep inhalations froma thick bamboo pipe, relaxing, thereupon into a sort of stupored dream.The place reeked with the fumes that had assailed Benito in the passage.Intuitively he knew that it was opium.
A voice in English, faint and dreamy, reached him. "This way ... Mr.Windham.... Please."
A white almost-skeleton hand stretched toward him from a lower bunk. Abearded face, cadaverously sunken, in which gleamed bright fevered eyes,was now discernible.
"McTurpin!" he spoke incredulously.
"What's left of me," the tone was hollow, grim. "Please sit down here,close to me.... I've something to tell you.... Something that will--"
He sank back weakly, but his eyes implored. Benito took a seat besidethe bunk. For a moment he thought the man was dead. He lay so limp,so silent!
Then McTurpin whispered. "Bend closer. I will tell you how to serve yourcountry.... There's a schooner called the 'J.M. Chapman.' Do you knowwhere it lies?"
"No," Benito answered, "but that's easily discovered. If you've anythingto say--go on."
McTurpin's bony fingers clutched Benito's sleeve. "Listen," he said."Bend nearer."
His voice droned on, at times imperceptible, again hoarse withexcitement. Benito sat moveless, absorbed.
Above the iron-trap doors Po Lun waited patiently.
* * * * *
In an unlighted alley back of the American Exchange Hotel two figureswaited, as if by appointment on the night of March 14. One was AshburyHarpending, a young Southerner, and one of the Committee of Thirtywhich, several years before, had hatched an unsuccessful plot to captureCalifornia for the hosts of slavery. The other was an English boy namedAlfred Rubery, large, good-looking, adventurous, nephew of the greatLondon publicist, John Bright. It was he who spoke first in a guardedundertone:
"Is everything ready--safe?"
"Far as I can tell," responded Harpending.
"How many men d'you get?" asked Rubery.
"Twenty ... that's enough. We'll pick up more at Manzanillo. There we'lldress the Chapman into fighting trim, set up our guns aboard and capturethe first Pacific Mail liner with gold out of California."
"You're a clever fellow, Harpending. How'd you get those guns aboardwithout suspicion?"
"Through a Mexican friend," replied Harpending. "He said he needed themto protect his mine in South America. Besides, we've a large assortmentof rifles, revolvers, cutlasses. They're boxed and marked 'machinery.'"
Further talk was interrupted by a group of men who approached, saluted,gave a whispered countersign. Others came, still others till the quotaof a full score had arrived. At Harpending's command they separated toavoid attention. Silently they slipped through dimly-lighted streets,past roaring saloons and sailors' boarding houses to an unfrequentedportion of the waterfront. There the trim black silhouetted shape ofthe schooner Chapman loomed against a cloudy sky.
At the rail stood Ridgely Greathouse, big, florid, his burnside whiskerstwitching.
"Where the devil's Law?" he bellowed. "Lord Almighty! Here it's nearlymidnight and no captain."
"He's not with us," said Harpending quietly. But his face paled.Navigator William Law was the only one of whom he had a doubt. But themen must not suspect. "Law will be along soon," he added. "Let us allget aboard and make ready to sail."
The men followed him and went below. Harpending, Greathouse and Ruberypaced the deck. "He's drunk probably," commented Greathouse savagely.
"Tut! Tut!" cried Rubery, "let us have no croaking." But at two o'clock,the navigator had not shown his face. They could not sail without acaptain. Wearily they went below and left a sentinel on watch. He was ayoung man who had eaten heavily and drunk to even more excess. For atime he paced the deck conscientiously. Then he sat down, leaned againsta spar and smoked. After a while the pipe fell from hislistless fingers.
* * * * *
"Ahoy, schooner Chapman!"
The sleeping sentinel stirred languidly. He stretched himself, yawned,rose in splendid leisure. Then a shout broke from him. Like a frightenedrabbit he dived through the hatchway, yelling at the top of his lungs.
"The police! The police!"
Harpending was up first. Pell mell, Rubery and Greathouse followed. Acouple of hundred yards away they looked into the trained guns of theFederal warship Cyane. Several boatloads of officers and marines wereleaving her side. From the San Francisco waterfront a police tug boredown on the Chapman.
Greathouse stumbled back into the cabin. "Quick, destroy the evidence,"he shouted.
CHAPTER LIX
THE COMSTOCK FURORE
Press reports gave full and wide sensation to the capture of the"Chapman." Chief Lees took every credit for the thwarting of a "Plot ofSouthern Pirates" who "Conspired to Prey Upon the Golden Galleons FromCalifornia." Thus the headlines put it. And Benito was relieved to findno mention of himself. Harpending he knew and liked, despite hisSouthern sympathies; Rubery he had met; an English lad, high-spiritedand well connected. In fact, John Bright soon had his errant nephew outof jail. And when, a few months later, Harpending and Greathouse werereleased, Benito deemed the story happily ended. He heard nothing fromMcTurpin. No doubt the fellow was dead.
That troublesome proclivity of wooing chance was uppermost again inWindham's mind. It was only natural perhaps, for all of San Franciscogambled now in mining stocks. The brokers swarmed like bees alongMontgomery street; every window had its shelf of quartz and nuggetsinterspersed with pictures of the "workings" at Virginia City. It wasNevada now that held the treasure-seeker's eye.
Within a year it had produced six millions. Scores of miners stakedtheir claims upon or near the Comstock lode and most of them soughtcapital in San Francisco. Washerwomen, bankers, teamsters--every classwas bitten by the microbe of hysterical investment. Some had made greatfortunes; none apparently thus far had lost.
In front of Flood and O'Brien's saloon a hand fell heartily uponBenito's shoulder. "Come in and have a drink," James Lick invited.
Lick had "made a pile" of late. He was building a big hotel onMontgomery str
eet; was recognized as one of San Francisco's financiers.He took Benito by the arm. "We've got to celebrate. I've made tenthousand on my Ophir shares. Carrying any mining stock, Benito?"
"No," retorted Windham. He suffered Lick to lead him to the bar. WillO'Brien, a shrewd-faced merry Irishman, took their orders. He and Floodhad bought an interest in Virginia City ... "a few fate only, but it'sgoin' t' make us rich, me lad," he said enthusiastically as he set theirglasses out upon the bar. "We'll all be nabobs soon. Ain't that theGod's truth, Mr. Ralston?"
"Sure, my boy," a deep voice answered heartily. Windham turned and saw aman of forty, tall, well-molded, with a smiling forceful countenance. Heseemed to smack of large affairs.
Benito sipped his liquor, listening absorbedly while Ralston rattled offfacts, figures, prospects in connection with the Comstock lode.
"The Nevada mines will pay big," Benito heard him tell a group ofbearded men who hung upon his utterances. "BIG! You can bet your bottomdollar on it. If you've money, don't let it stay idle."
Benito bade his friend good-bye and went out, thinking deeply. Hewondered what Alice would say if....
Nesbitt of The Bulletin interrupted his musing. "Heard the news, Benito?We're to have a stock exchange next month."
"The brokers are opposed to it. They don't want staple values, because,now and then, they can pick up a bargain or drive a hard trade. And theycan peddle 'wildcat' stocks to tenderfeet.... We must stop that sortof thing."
"Quite so," said Windham vaguely comprehending. Nesbitt babbled on."There are to be forty charter members, with a fund of $2000."
He took a pencil from his pocket. Tapped Benito's shirt front with it."Buy a little Gould and Curry.... I've just had a tip that it willrise." He hurried on.
* * * * *
Windham let his clients wait that afternoon. He took a walk toward TwinPeaks on Market street. That lordly, though neglected, thoroughfarebegan to make pretensions toward commercial activity. OppositeMontgomery street was St. Ignatius Church. Farther down toward the dockswere lumber yards and to the west were little shops, mostly one-storied,widely scattered. Chinese laundries, a livery stable or two. Thepavements were stretches of boardwalk interspersed with sand or mud,trodden into passable trails. Down the broad center ran a track on whichfor years a dummy engine had labored back and forth, drawing flat carsladen with sand. Now most of the sand hills were leveled above Kearnystreet. Benito picked his way along the northern side of Market streettill he came to Hayes. There the new horse car line ran to Hayes park.One was just leaving as he reached the corner, so he hopped aboard. Asthe driver took his fare he nodded cordially. Benito recognized him as aformer client.
"Listen," said the fellow, "you did me a good turn once, Mr. Windham.Now I'll return the compliment." He leaned nearer, whispered. "Buy someHale and Norcross mining stock. I've got a tip straight from thepresident. It's going up."
* * * * *
In the spring of '64, Virginia City mines still yielded treasureharvests unbelievable. Windham's bank account had risen to thequarter-million mark. Month by month he watched his assets grow by leapsmore marvelous than even his romantic fancy could fore-vision. Stockswere climbing at a rate which raised the value of each share $100 everythirty days.
San Francisco's Stock and Exchange Board, the leading of the three suchinstitutions, had quarters in the Montgomery block. Electrictelegraphs, which flashed its stock quotations round the world, made ita money power in London, Paris and New York.
Benito had a home now in South Park, the city's new, exclusive residencesection. From there the Omnibus Street Railway Company, in which he wasa large stockholder, operated horse cars to North Beach. He wore a highhat now and spectacles. There were touches of gray in his hair.
As he entered the exchange, a nimble-fingered Morse-operator was markingfigures on a blackboard.
Windham heard his name called; turning, met the outstretched hand ofWilliam Ralston. They chatted for a time on current matters. There wasto be a Merchants' Exchange. Already ground was broken for the building.The Bank of California, one of Ralston's enterprises, would soon openits doors. Ralston was in a dozen ventures, all of them constructive,public spirited. He counted his friends by the hundreds. Suddenly heturned from contemplation of the blackboard to Benito.
"Carrying much Virginia City nowadays?"
Benito told him. Ralston knit his brow, deliberating. Then he said withcrisp decision, "Better start unloading soon, my son."
Benito was surprised; expostulated. Ophir, Gould and Curry, Savage wereas steady as a rock. He didn't want to lose a "bag of money." Ralstonheard him, nodded curtly, walked away. Disturbed, rebellious, Benitoquit the place. He wanted quiet to digest the older man's advice.Ralston had the name of making few mistakes. Restlessly Benito sought ananswer to his problem. In the end he went home undecided and retireddinnerless, explaining that he had a headache. He awoke with a fever thenext morning. Alice, frightened by his haggard eyes, sent Po Lun fora doctor.
CHAPTER LX
THE SHATTERED BUBBLE
Benito looked up from his pillows, tried to rise and found that he hadnot the strength. Someone was holding his wrist. Oh, yes, Dr. BeverlyCole. Behind him stood Alice and Robert.... How tall the boy lookedbeside his little mother! They seemed to be tired, worried. And Alicehad tears in her eyes.
He heard the doctor's voice afar off, saying, "Yes, he'll live. Thedanger's over--barring complications." Once more his sensesdrifted, slept.
* * * * *
In the morning Po Lun brought a cup of broth and fed him with a spoon.
"Long time you been plenty sick," the Chinaman replied to hisinterrogation.
"Where's Alice?"
"She go 'sleep 'bout daylight.... She plenty ti'ed. Ebely night she situp while you talk clazy talk."
"You mean I've been delirious, Po Lun?"
The Chinese nodded. "You get well now plitty soon," he said soothinglyand, with the empty cup, stole softly out. After a time Alice came,rejoiced to find him awake. The boy, on his way to school, poked abright morning face in at the door and called out, "Hello, dad! Better,ain't you?"
"Yes, Robert," said Benito. When the boy had gone he turned to Alice."How long have I been ill?"
"Less than a fortnight--though it seems an age." She took his hand andcried a little. But they were happy tears. He stroked her hair with ahand that seemed strangely heavy.
* * * * *
Three weeks later, hollow-eyed, a little shaky, but eager to be back atwork, Benito returned to his office. A press of work engaged him throughthe morning hours. But at noon, he wandered out into the bright Junesunshine, walking about and greeting old friends. At the Russ HouseCafe, where he lunched, William Ralston greeted him cordially.
"How is the war going?" Windham asked. "I've been laid up for amonth--rather out of the running."
"Well, they're devilish hard fighters, those Confederates. And Lee's amaster strategist.... But we've the money, Windham. That's what counts.The Union owes a lot to California and Nevada."
"Nevada!" with the word came sudden recollection. "That reminds me,Ralston.... How are stocks?"
But the banker, with a muttered excuse hastened off.
Benito finished his coffee, smoked a cigarette and made his way againinto the street.
Presently he went into the stock exchange, almost deserted now, afterthe close of the morning session. O'Brien was there, smoking a longblack cigar and chatting in his boisterous, confidential way with AsburyHarpending. The latter was babbling in real estate.
"Hullo, Windham!" he greeted. "You don't look very fit.... Been ill?"
"Yes," Benito told him. "Laid up since the last of May. What's new?"
"Nothing much--since the bottom dropped out of Comstock."
Instinctively Benito's hand went out toward a chair. He sank into itweakly. So that was the explanation of Ralston's swift
departure.
He felt the men's eyes upon him as he walked unsteadily to the files andscanned them. Ophir stock had dropped 50 per cent. Gould and Curry waseven lower. Benito closed the book and walked blindly out ofthe exchange.
After a time he heard footsteps following. Harpending's voice came,"Hey, there, Windham." Benito turned.
"Cleaned out?" asked the other sympathetically.
"Not--quite."
"Then forget the stocks. They're tricky things at best.... I've aproposition that's a winner. Positively.... There's law work to be done.We need you."
"Montgomery Street Straight" was the plan. It was to be extended acrossMarket street either in a straight line or at an easy angle--over allobstructions to the bay.
"But such a scheme would involve millions," Benito objected. "It wouldcut through the Latham and Parrott homes for instance.... Old SenatorLatham would hold you up for a prohibitive price. And Parrott wouldfight you to a finish."
"Quite right," returned Harpending. "That's where you come in, Benito.We want you to draw us a bill and lobby it through the Legislature...."
"The thing is to make it a law. Then the Governor must appoint acommission. The Latham and Parrott properties will be condemned and wecan acquire them at a fair price."
"Very well," Benito answered. "It's a go."
Several days after his talk with Harpending, Benito met Adrian andFrancisco, the latter a tall, gangling lad of sixteen. Father and sonwere talking animatedly, discussing some point on which Francisco seemeddetermined to have his way.