CHAPTER XXIX
THREE IN CONSULTATION
The grizzled railroad builder fixed Sanders with an eye that had readinto the soul of many a shirker and many a dishonest schemer.
"How long have you been with the Jackpot Company?"
"Not long. Only a few days."
"How much stock do you own?"
"Ten thousand shares."
"How did you get it?"
"It was voted me by the directors for saving Jackpot Number Three from anattack of Steelman's men."
Graham's gaze bored into the eyes of his caller. He waited just a momentto give his question full emphasis. "Mr. Sanders, what were you doing sixmonths ago?"
"I was serving time in the penitentiary," came the immediate quietretort.
"What for?"
"For manslaughter."
"You didn't tell me this yesterday."
"No. It has no bearing on the value of the proposition I submitted toyou, and I thought it might prejudice you against it."
"Have you been in any trouble since you left prison?"
Dave hesitated. The blazer of railroad trails rapped out a sharp,explanatory question. "Any shooting scrapes?"
"A man shot at me in Malapi. I was unarmed."
"That all?"
"Another man fired at me out at the Jackpot. I was unarmed then."
"Were you accused of holding up a stage, robbing it, and killing thedriver?"
"No. I was twenty miles away at the time of the hold-up and had evidenceto prove it."
"Then you were mentioned in connection with the robbery?"
"If so, only by my enemies. One of the robbers was captured and made afull confession. He showed where the stolen gold was cached and it wasrecovered."
The great man looked with chilly eyes at the young fellow standing infront of him. He had a sense of having been tricked and imposed upon.
"I have decided not to accept your proposition to cooperate with you infinancing the Jackpot Company, Mr. Sanders." Horace Graham pressed anelectric button and a clerk appeared. "Show this gentleman out, Hervey."
But Sanders stood his ground. Nobody could have guessed from his stolidimperturbability how much he was depressed at this unexpected failure.
"Do I understand that you are declining this loan because I am connectedwith it, Mr. Graham?"
"I do not give a reason, sir. The loan does not appeal to me," therailroad builder said with chill finality.
"It appealed to you yesterday," persisted Dave.
"But not to-day. Hervey, I will see Mr. Gates at once. Tell McMurray so."
Reluctantly Dave followed the clerk out of the room. He had beencheckmated, but he did not know how. In some way Steelman had got to thefinancier with this story that had damned the project. The new treasurerof the Jackpot Company was much distressed. If his connection with thecompany was going to have this effect, he must resign at once.
He walked back to the hotel, and in the corridor of the Albany met a bigbluff cattleman the memory of whose kindness leaped across the years towarm his heart.
"You don't remember me, Mr. West?"
The owner of the Fifty-Four Quarter Circle looked at the young man andgave a little whoop. "Damn my skin, if it ain't the boy who bluffed awhole railroad system into lettin' him reload stock for me!" He hooked anarm under Dave's and led him straight to the bar. "Where you been? Whatyou doin'? Why n't you come to me soon as you ... got out of a job?What'll you have, boy?"
Dave named ginger ale. They lifted glasses.
"How?"
"How?"
"Now you tell me all about it," said West presently, leading the way to alounge seat in the mezzanine gallery.
Sanders answered at first in monosyllables, but presently he foundhimself telling the story of his failure to enlist Horace Graham in theJackpot property as a backer.
The cattleman began to rumple his hair, just as he had done years ago inmoments of excitement.
"Wish I'd known, boy. I've been acquainted with Horace Graham ever sincehe ran a hardware store on Larimer Street, and that's 'most thirty yearsago. I'd 'a' gone with you to see him. Maybe I can see him now."
"You can't change the facts, Mr. West. When he knew I was a convict hethrew the whole thing overboard."
The voice of a page in the lobby rose in sing-song. "Mister Sa-a-anders.Mis-ter Sa-a-a-anders."
Dave stepped to the railing and called down. "I'm Mr. Sanders. Who wantsme?"
A man near the desk waved a paper and shouted: "Hello, Dave! News foryou, son. I'll come up." The speaker was Crawford.
He shook hands with Dave and with West while he ejaculated his news injets. "I got it, son. Got it right here. Came back with the Governor thismo'nin'. Called together Pardon Board. Here 't is. Clean bill of health,son. Resolutions of regret for miscarriage of justice. Big story frontpage's afternoon's papers."
Dave smiled sardonically. "You're just a few hours late, Mr. Crawford.Graham turned us down cold this morning because I'm a penitentiary bird."
"He did?" Crawford began to boil inside. "Well, he can go right plumb toYuma. Anybody so small as that--"
"Hold yore hawsses, Em," said West, smiling.
"Graham didn't know the facts. If you was a capitalist an' thinkin' ofloanin' big money to a man you found out had been in prison formanslaughter and that he had since been accused of robbin' a stage an'killing the driver--"
"He was in a hurry," explained Dave. "Going East to-morrow. Some one musthave got at him after I saw him. He'd made up his mind when I went backto-day."
"Well, Horace Graham ain't one of those who won't change his views forheaven, hell, and high water. All we've got to do is to get to him andmake him see the light," said West.
"When are we going to do all that?" asked Sanders. "He's busy everyminute of the time till he starts. He won't give us an appointment."
"He'll see me. We're old friends," predicted West confidently.
Crestfallen, he met the two officers of the Jackpot Company three hourslater. "Couldn't get to him. Sent word out he was sorry, an' how was Mrs.West an' the children, but he was in conference an' couldn't break away."
Dave nodded. He had expected this and prepared for it. "I've found outhe's going on the eight o'clock flyer. You going to be busy to-morrow,Mr. West?"
"No. I got business at the stockyards, but I can put it off."
"Then I'll get tickets for Omaha on the flyer. Graham will take hisprivate car. We'll break in and put this up to him. He was friendly toour proposition before he got the wrong slant on it. If he's open-minded,as Mr. West says he is--"
Crawford slapped an open hand on his thigh. "Say, you get the _best_ideas, son. We'll do just that."
"I'll check up and make sure Graham's going on the flyer," said the youngman. "If we fall down we'll lose only a day. Come back when we meet thenight train. I reckon we won't have to get tickets clear through toOmaha."
"Fine and dandy," agreed West. "We'll sure see Graham if we have to bustthe door of his car."
Gunsight Pass: How Oil Came to the Cattle Country and Brought a New West Page 29