CHAPTER XXX
ON THE FLYER
West, his friends not in evidence, artfully waylaid Graham on his way tothe private car.
"Hello, Henry B. Sorry I couldn't see you yesterday," the railroadbuilder told West as they shook hands. "You taking this tram?"
"Yes, sir. Got business takes me East."
"Drop in to see me some time this morning. Say about noon. You'll havelunch with me."
"Suits me. About noon, then," agreed West.
The conspirators modified their plans to meet a new strategic situation.West was still of opinion that he had better use his card of entry to gethis friends into the railroad builder's car, but he yielded to Dave'sview that it would be wiser for the cattleman to pave the way atluncheon.
Graham's secretary ate lunch with the two old-timers and the conversationthreatened to get away from West and hover about financial conditions inNew York. The cattleman brought it by awkward main force to the subjecthe had in mind.
"Say, Horace, I wanta talk with you about a proposition that's on mychest," he broke out.
Graham helped himself to a lamb chop. "Sail in, Henry B. You've got me atyour mercy."
At the first mention of the Jackpot gusher the financier raised aprohibitive hand. "I've disposed of that matter. No use reopening it."
But West stuck to his guns. "I ain't aimin' to try to change yore mind ona matter of business, Horace. If you'll tell me that you turned down theproposition because it didn't look to you like there was money in it,I'll curl right up and not say another word."
"It doesn't matter why I turned it down. I had my reasons."
"It matters if you're doin' an injustice to one of the finest youngfellows I know," insisted the New Mexican stanchly.
"Meaning the convict?"
"Call him that if you've a mind to. The Governor pardoned him yesterdaybecause another man confessed he did the killin' for which Dave wasconvicted. The boy was railroaded through on false evidence."
The railroad builder was a fair-minded man. He did not want to be unjustto any one. At the same time he was not one to jump easily from one viewto another.
"I noticed something in the papers about a pardon, but I didn't know itwas our young oil promoter. There are other rumors about him too. A stagerobbery, for instance, and a murder with it."
"He and Em Crawford ran down the robbers and got the money back. One ofthe robbers confessed. Dave hadn't a thing to do with the hold-up.There's a bad gang down in that country. Crawford and Sanders have beenfightin' 'em, so naturally they tell lies about 'em."
"Did you say this Sanders ran down one of the robbers?"
"Yes."
"He didn't tell me that," said Graham thoughtfully. "I liked the youngfellow when I first saw him. He looks quiet and strong; a self-reliantfellow would be my guess."
"You bet he is." West laughed reminiscently. "Lemme tell you how I firstmet him." He told the story of how Dave had handled the stock shipmentfor him years before.
Horace Graham nodded shrewdly. "Exactly the way I had him sized up tillI began investigating him. Well, let's hear the rest. What more do youknow about him?"
The Albuquerque man told the other of Dave's conviction, of how he hadeducated himself in the penitentiary, of his return home and subsequentadventures there.
"There's a man back there in the Pullman knows him like he was hisown son, a straight man, none better in this Western country," Westconcluded.
"Who is he?"
"Emerson Crawford of the D Bar Lazy R ranch."
"I've heard of him. He's in this Jackpot company too, isn't he?"
"He's president of it. If he says the company's right, then it's right."
"Bring him in to me."
West reported to his friends, a large smile on his wrinkled face. "I gothim goin' south, boys. Come along, Em, it's up to you now."
The big financier took one comprehensive look at Emerson Crawford and didnot need any letter of recommendation. A vigorous honesty spoke in thestrong hand-grip, the genial smile, the level, steady eyes.
"Tell me about this young desperado you gentlemen are trying to saw offon me," Graham directed, meeting the smile with another and offeringcigars to his guests.
Crawford told him. He began with the story of the time Sanders andHart had saved him from the house of his enemy into which he had beenbetrayed. He related how the boy had pursued the men who stole his pintoand the reasoning which had led him to take it without process of law. Hetold the true story of the killing, of the young fellow's conviction, ofhis attempt to hold a job in Denver without concealing his past, and ofhis busy week since returning to Malapi.
"All I've got to say is that I hope my boy will grow up to be as gooda man as Dave Sanders," the cattleman finished, and he turned over toGraham a copy of the findings of the Pardon Board, of the pardon, and ofthe newspapers containing an account of the affair with a review of thecauses that had led to the miscarriage of justice.
"Now about your Jackpot Company. What do you figure as the daily outputof the gusher?" asked Graham.
"Don't know. It's a whale of a well. Seems to have tapped a great lake ofoil half a mile underground. My driller Burns figures it at from twentyto thirty thousand barrels a day. I cayn't even guess, because I know soblamed little about oil."
Graham looked out of the window at the rushing landscape and tapped onthe table with his finger-tips absentmindedly. Presently he announced adecision crisply.
"If you'll leave your papers here I'll look them over and let you knowwhat I'll do. When I'm ready I'll send McMurray forward to you."
An hour later the secretary announced to the three men in the Pullman thedecision of his chief.
"Mr. Graham has instructed me to tell you gentlemen he'll look into yourproposition. I am wiring an oil expert in Denver to return with you toMalapi. If his report is favorable, Mr. Graham will cooperate with youin developing the field."
Gunsight Pass: How Oil Came to the Cattle Country and Brought a New West Page 30