CHAPTER XII.
SIGNS OF CONFLICT.
Not a line of Jefferson Worth's countenance changed as the tallsurveyor, pushing his way through the crowd about the new arrivals,greeted him. But Abe Lee felt the man from behind his gray maskreaching out to grasp his innermost thoughts and emotions.
"Where is the hotel?"
Abe explained that the rough board shelter that bore that name was fullto the door. People were even sleeping on the floor. "But there is roomin our tent, Mr. Worth," he finished and led the way out of the crowd.
To the surveyor's eager questions the banker answered that Barbara wasvisiting friends in the Coast city.
When they had reached the tent and Abe had found and lighted a lantern,Mr. Worth said--and his manner was as though he were continuing aconversation that had been interrupted only for a moment--"well, I seeyou stayed."
At his words the surveyor, who was filling a tin wash-basin with freshwater that his guest might wash away the dust of his journey, felt thehot blood in his cheeks. Before answering he pulled an old cracker-boxfrom under a cot in one corner of the canvas room and, rummagingtherein, brought to light a clean towel. When he had placed thisevidence of civilization beside the basin on the box that did duty as awash-stand, he answered: "I quit the Company this afternoon."
"Why?"
"Because I won't do the kind of work the Company wants." The surveyorspoke hotly now. The man busy with the basin of water made no comment,and Abe continued: "Mr. Worth, they are putting in the cheapestpossible kind of wooden structures all through the system, even atpoints where the safety of the whole project depends on the control ofthe water. The intake itself is nothing but the flimsiest sort of amakeshift. One good flood, such as we have every few years, and therewouldn't be a damned stick of it left in twelve hours. You rememberwhat the grade is from the river at the point of the intake this wayinto the Basin and you know how water cuts this soil. If that gate goesout the whole river will come through; and these settlers, who aretumbling over each other to put into this country every cent they havein the world, will lose everything."
"The Company takes its chances with the settlers, doesn't it?"
"The Company takes mighty small chances compared to the risk thesettlers are carrying. As a matter of fact, Mr. Worth, it is the peoplewho are building this system; not the Company at all. To prove up onthese desert claims the government compels them to have the water. Theycan't use the water without paying the Company for the right. Afterthey have bought the water rights then they must pay for everyacre-foot they use. All Greenfield and his bunch did was to put upenough to start the thing going and the people are doing the rest. TheCompany knows the risk and stakes a comparatively small amount ofcapital. The settlers know nothing of the real conditions and stakeeverything they have in the world. If the Company would tell the peoplethe situation it would be square, but you know what would happen ifthey did that. No one would come in. As it is, the Company, by riskingthe smallest amount possible, leads the people to risk everything theyhave and yet the Greenfield crowd stands to win big on the whole stake."
Mr. Worth was drying his slim fingers with careful precision. "Ifigured that was the way it would be done. That's the way all these bigenterprises are launched. The first work is always done on a promoter'sestimate. Later, when the business justifies, the system will bestrengthened and improved."
"Which means," retorted the surveyor, "that when the Company has takenenough money from the settlers, whom they have induced to stakeeverything they have on the gamble by letting them think it is a surething, they will use _a part of it_ to give the people what they_think_ they are getting now."
The banker laid the towel carefully aside and disposed of the water inthe wash-basin by the primitive method of throwing it from the tentdoor. Then he spoke again: "The people themselves could never start awork like this, and if there wasn't a chance to make a big thingCapital wouldn't. It's the size of the profit compared with the amountinvested that draws Capital into this kind of a thing. If the Companyhad to take all the chance in this project they would simply stay outand the work would never be done. This feature of unequal risk is thevery thing, and the only thing, that could attract the money to startthis proposition going; and that's what people like you and the Seerand Barbara can't see. Holmes and Burk can't help themselves. It'sGreenfield and the Company, and they are just as honest as other men.They are simply promoting this scheme in the only way possible to startit and the people will share the results."
"Holmes and Burk are all right, except that they're owned body and soulby the Company," said Abe quickly. "But Greenfield and the men whoengineered this thing look to me like a bunch of green-goods men wholive on the confidence of the people."
"The people will gain their farms just the same," returned thefinancier. "They wouldn't have anything without the Company."
The surveyor shrugged his shoulders. "Well, you may be right, Mr.Worth; but I've had all I can stand of it."
Again Jefferson Worth looked full into the younger man's eyes and Abefelt that Something behind the mask reaching out to seize the thoughtsand motives that lay back of his words: "What are you going to do?"
"I don't know. Punch steers or get a job in a mine somewhere, I reckon.I'm going somewhere out of this. I've had enough of promoter'sestimates."
"Suppose you stay and work for me."
Abe Lee sprang to his feet. "Work for you? Here? I thought you hadrefused to go into this deal?"
"I declined to join Greenfield's Company," said the banker exactly.
"Do you mean, Mr. Worth, that you are going to operate in the Basinindependently, knowing the Company's strength and the whole situationas you do?"
"I have decided to take a chance with the rest," was the unemotionalanswer. "I sold out of the bank and cleaned up everything in Rubio Citylast week."
"But what are you going into here?"
"I can use you if you want to stay," came the cautious answer.
"Stay? Of course I'll stay!"
It was characteristic of these men that nothing was said of salary oneither side. Extinguishing the lantern, Abe led the way out into thenight. The darkness was intense and unrelieved save by the thin brokenline of twinkling lights from the windows of the buildings, which gavethem the direction of the main street, and the few dull glowing tenthouses, whose tenants were at home. Overhead the desert stars shonewith a brilliance that put to shame the feeble efforts of theearth-men, while about the little pioneer town the desert night drewclose with its circling wall of mystery.
Did Jefferson Worth think, as he stumbled along by the surveyor's side,of that other night in The Hollow of God's Hand, when he had faced,alone, the spirit of the land?
"This town needs an electric lighting system," he said in his colorlessvoice.
When Jefferson Worth had finished supper in the shack restaurant heproposed cautiously that they look around a little. The street waslined with teams and saddle horses, their forms shadowy and indistinctin the dark places of vacant lots or where buildings were underconstruction, but standing forth with startling clearness where thelight from a store streamed forth. The sidewalk was filled with menfrom the ranches and grading camps, who had come to town after sunsetfor their mail or supplies so that no hour of the day should be lost tothe work that had called them into the desert; and these ever-shiftingfigures passed to and fro through the bands of light and darkness,gathered in groups in front of the stores and dissolved again, to formother groups or to lose themselves in the general throng. Every momenta wagon-load of men, a party of horsemen, or a single rider wouldappear suddenly and mysteriously out of the night, while others,leaving the throng to depart in like manner, would be swallowed up asmysteriously by the blackness. In the center of the picture and thevery heart of the activity was the general store opposite the office ofThe King's Basin Land and Irrigation Company.
Deck Jordan had opened his store in the days when Kingston was still asupply camp. No one knew much
about Deck or how he had guessed that thecamp would become the chief town in the new country. He was a pleasing,capable, but close-mouthed man, who knew what to buy, paid his billspromptly and--with one exception--conducted his business on a cashbasis.
The exception to the cash rule was in favor of the Company's employes.It was on Deck's initiative that an arrangement was made with Mr. Burkby which the Company men received credit at the store, the amount oftheir bills being deducted from their wages each month by the Companypaymaster. It was this plan that, by giving Deck practically all of thetrade from the hundreds of Company employes, had increased his businessso rapidly. To the thoughtful Manager, also, the plan seemed good. Heforesaw how, with the Company thus controlling the bulk of themerchant's business, he could, when the proper time came, "persuade"Deck to enter into a still "closer" arrangement--thus carrying out theGood Business policy of the Company. That very afternoon Mr. Burk haddecided the time had come and had so written Mr. Greenfield.
Leisurely Jefferson Worth and his companion worked their way throughthe crowd and into the store where Deck and his helpers were toiling tosupply the various needs of a small army of customers. From the opendoors and from the big implement shed in the rear of the building, asteady stream of provisions, clothing, dry goods, hardware, blankets,harness and tools flowed forth.
In the midst of the confusion Deck himself was holding an animatedconversation with a would-be purchaser. "I'd be mighty glad toaccommodate you, Sam, if I could, but you know we're running this storeon a cash basis and I can't break my rules. If I begin with you I'llhave to do it for everybody and I can't."
"You don't make these Company men pay cash. Anybody--Injuns, greasersor anything else--gets what he wants and no questions asked if he worksfor the Company."
"But that's different, you see," explained Deck. "We have anarrangement with the Company by which they hold out from each man's paythe amount of my bills against him."
"I understand that, but you'll find out that it's the rancher's tradethat'll keep you going. We'll be here long after these ditchers an'mule skinners have left the country and we'll have money to spend.You'll find, too, that when things _do_ begin to come our way we'llstand by the store that'll stand by us now when we've got everythinggoin' out an' nothin' comin' in."
Deck, over the shoulder of the rancher, saw Jefferson Worth and thesurveyor, who with several others had drawn near, attracted by the loudtones of the farmer. Abe thought that he caught a look of recognitionas Deck's eyes fell on his companion but the banker gave no sign.
The merchant, answering his customer, said: "I know you are right aboutthat part of it, Sam, and I'd like to back every rancher in this Basinif I could. But I can't."
"Why not? Ain't you runnin' this store?"
Before Deck could reply, to Abe's astonishment the quiet voice ofJefferson Worth broke in. "You are improving a ranch of your own nearhere?"
The settler turned sharply. "You bet I am, Mister; leastwise, I'mtryin' to, and if workin' from sun-up 'til dark an' livin' on nothin'til I can make a crop will pull me through I'll make it."
"I suppose the heaviest expense is all in getting started?" asked Mr.Worth, as if seeking to verify an observation.
"It sure is," replied the pioneer. "There's the outfit you've got tohave--work-stock an' tools; you've got to build your ditches and gradeyour land; and you've got to buy water rights and pay for your water;and you've got to make your payments to the government. Then there'sfeed for your work-stock and yourself, an' there ain't nothin' to bringin a cent 'til you can make a crop. The farmers that are comin' intothis country ain't got a great big pile of ready money stacked away,Mister, an' they're mighty apt to run a little short the first year.When our home merchants, who expect to make their money off from us,won't even trust us for a few dollars' worth of provisions 'til we canget a start, I'm damned if it ain't tough."
"But everyone is a stranger in this new country," said Mr. Worth. "Howcan a merchant know whether a man will pay or not? I suppose there areranchers coming in here who would beat a bill if they could. Themerchants have to pay for their goods or close up."
"I reckon that's all so," returned the other. "And of course everybodyknows that there never was such a thing as dishonest store-keepers.Merchants don't never beat anybody with short weight and all that?"
This raised a laugh in which Deck joined as heartily as anyone. Eventhe banker smiled coldly as he asked: "What did you say your name was?"
"Didn't say; but it's Sam Warren."
"Where is your ranch?"
"Six miles north on the Number One main."
"Well, Mr. Warren, I've been considering this proposition and I've gotit figured out like this. We all want to make what we can in this newcountry; that's what we came in for. This store can't get along withoutthe ranchers' support and you ranchers can't get along without thestore. We've all got to pull together and help each other. I don'tbelieve that many of the men who come into this Desert to actuallysettle on and improve the land are the kind of men who beat theirbills. I figured to run on a cash basis only until things got startedand sort of settled down, you see. I know that you people need credituntil you get on your feet. From now on you come here--for whatever youactually need, you understand--and we'll carry you for any reasonableamount until you get something coming in. All we ask in return is thatyou ranchers do as you say and stand by us when you do get on top."
At Jefferson Worth's simple and quietly spoken words a hush fell overthe group of men. Abe Lee looked at his companion in amazement. SamWarren turned from the stranger to the store-keeper and back to thestranger. The man behind the counter was smiling broadly as if enjoyingthe situation.
When no one could find a word with which to break the silence, DeckJordan said: "Gentlemen, this is Mr. Jefferson Worth, the owner of thisstore. George!" he called to a passing clerk, "give Sam whatever hewants as soon as you can get around to it, and charge it."
At this such a yell went up from the bystanders that a crowd from theoutside rushed in, and as the word passed and others voiced theirapproval as loudly, the Manager of The King's Basin Land and IrrigationCompany in his rooms across the street thought that another fight wason.
The Manager was not far wrong in his conclusion.