CHAPTER XXXV.
NATURE AND HUMAN NATURE
Two weeks after the victory of Willard Holmes in the River war theengineer arrived in Republic on the evening train from the city by thesea.
At the hotel he was quickly surrounded by the pioneer citizens, whowere eager to greet him with expressions of appreciation for his work.But it was Horace P. Blanton who did the talking.
Horace P., in his brave picture-general hat, his impressively swellingfront of white vest and his black clerical tie, was the personificationof economic, financial and scholastic--not to say ecclesiastic,dignity. His greeting of the engineer was majestic. But, as a royalsovereign might welcome the returning general of his conquering armieswith sadness at the thought of the lives his victories had cost, thecountenance of Horace P. expressed a noble grief.
"Willard," he said, his voice charged with emotion, "I congratulateyou. You are the savior of this imperial King's Basin. When we saw thatGreenfield's Company was not able to handle the awful situation, I toldmy friend the general manager and our other officials of the S. & C.that they must _come_ to the rescue without an instant's delay and thatyou must be put in charge of the work. I knew that if any man on earthcould stop that river, you could. So we decided to let you go ahead.You have justified my confidence nobly, Willard; you certainly have.I'm proud of you, old man; I am indeed."
The engineer tried manfully to appreciate the spirit of the speaker'swords. With that white vest and black tie before him, to say nothing ofthe picture hat that crowned the massive head, it was impossible forHolmes not to wish that he could appreciate Horace P. Blanton'sspirit--it hungered so for appreciation.
"I am very grateful to you, Mr. Blanton," said the engineer. "Butreally I feel that you over-estimate my part in the work. I--"
"Not at all; not at all, my dear boy. I knew my man and I was notdisappointed. But the cost--" he shook his kingly head sorrowfully andheaved a majestic sigh. "Confidentially, Willard, I estimate that thefinancial losses of Greenfield and myself alone are close on to amillion. I haven't a thing left. Wiped me out clean."
Holmes looked really sympathetic. He knew that every dollar that HoraceP. Blanton ever spent was a dollar belonging to someone else, but evenmythical losses of mythical property, when suffered by Horace P.,demanded sympathy. The man in the white vest felt them so keenly andstrove with such noble courage to bear them bravely.
Encouraged by the engineer's interest and the presence of the littlecrowd of pioneers, the speaker continued: "When I saw our beautifultown--the town that we had built with our own hands--falling in ruinsinto that terrible chasm, I cried like a baby, sir." Even as he spokehis eyes filled with manly tears which he made no attempt to hide. Thenhe lifted his majestic bulk grandly and looked about with kinglycountenance. "But I shall stay with it, Willard. I shall stay and helpthese people to regain their losses. We _can't_ desert them now. If mycreditors will give me a little time, and I am sure they will, not aman shall lose a penny, no matter what it costs me."
The sentence was a bit ambiguous but it was a noble resolution, worthyof such a lofty soul.
At this moment a boy with the evening papers approached the group."Here son, my paper," called Horace P.
The boy gripped his wares with a firm hand. "I got to have my moneyfirst. You ain't done nothin' but promise for a month."
"Boy! Give me my paper. You shall have your money to-morrow," hethundered from the depths beneath the white vest.
The boy backed away, "I dassn't do it. I can't live on hot air."
With an imperial air, as if tremendous stakes hung upon the trivialincident, the great man said to Holmes: "Excuse me, Willard; I must seeabout this," and with a firm and determined step he left the hotel.
A hush fell upon the company of pioneers. Not one of them but wouldhave gladly--had he dared--offered the outraged monarch the price of apaper. The King's Basin settlers were proud of Horace P.
But that night Horace P. Blanton boarded the north-bound train and wasnever seen in The King's Basin again. His creditors--and they are many,from the newsboy to the hotel manager, the barber, the laundry agent,the liveryman and boot-black--are still "giving him time," as he wasconfident that they would. The pioneers miss him sorely, but theymanage to struggle along without him, living perhaps in the hope thathe will some day come back.
In the silence that followed the passing of Horace P., Willard Holmesslipped away from the group of men and approached the Manager of TheKing's Basin Land and Irrigation Company, who was sitting alone withhis cigar in a far corner of the room.
"Hello, old man," was Burk's greeting as the engineer approached. Thethoughtful Manager of the Company had been an interested observer ofhis friend's reception and of the newspaper incident. As the two menshook hands the Manager's cigar shifted to one corner of his mouth andhis head tipped toward the opposite shoulder. "How much did Horace P.touch you for, Willard?"
"I gave him my admiration and sympathy."
The other shook his head wonderingly. "A special providence watchesover you, my son. After that, nothing could have saved your pocket-bookif that kid had not been sent by your guardian angel to your rescue.When did you leave the river?"
"Last week. The S. & C. called me into the city. I'm on my way back tothe work now. What's the news?"
Burk grinned. "The first train over the King's Basin Central went outthis morning with a special party of distinguished citizens--JeffersonWorth, the Seer, Abe Lee and Miss Worth. The lady will spend a week ortwo in the town of Barba and with friends in the South CentralDistrict. Texas Joe and Pat left this morning in a rig, leading MissWorth's saddle horse, El Capitan. It's all in The King's BasinMessenger." He handed the paper to Holmes who mechanically stuffed itinto his pocket.
"How's Uncle Jim?"
"He is at the office, I think. You know he is winding up the affairs ofthe poor old K. B. L. and I."
"So I understand."
The two men were silent for a moment, then Burk said thoughtfully:"It's hard lines for the Company, Willard, but the mules, includingyour humble servant, don't seem to care much. That's one advantage inbeing a mule. I will be glad to get back to civilization and so willyour Uncle Jim I fancy. Take it altogether I don't think he has enjoyedwatching the success of Jefferson Worth's little experiments as much aswe have. The same beneficent power that has knocked out the Companyseems to have taken good care of friend Jeff."
"You are not going to stay in the West?" asked the engineer.
"I go Monday. I understand there is still a demand for good mules backhome."
The president of the wrecked Company received his former chief engineerwarmly, and heartily congratulated him on the success of his battlewith the river.
"I suppose you know, Willard," he said, "that The King's Basin Land andIrrigation Company has virtually passed into the hands of the S. & C.?We owe them a good half million for closing the break, which means thatthey will have to take over the property. We knew when we went into thedeal how it would end, of course. If you had remained with the Companythe river never would have had a chance to get in at all."
The younger man did not remind Mr. Greenfield of the many times theCompany had been urged to make the improvements that would haveprevented the disaster, nor did he suggest that he would have remainedwith the Company had not the president himself discharged him. "Yourengineer did all that any man could do after the break was made," hesaid warmly. "It was the equipment and organization of the S. & C. thatput the river back in its channel, and no other power on earth, underthe circumstances, could have done it in time to head off thatback-cut."
The older man smiled. "We all know who closed the break, my boy. Isuppose you are planning to stay with the railroad?"
"They have offered me the management of the irrigation work here in theBasin. They are going to put in permanent structures and reconstructthe whole system in first-class shape."
"And you accepted?" There was a note of anxiety in the older man'svoice.
/> "Not yet. I asked for a few days to consider."
James Greenfield did not speak for several minutes, then hesaid--hesitating as if searching for words: "Don't do it, Willard.Don't do it, for my sake. Let's go back home. You know how I hate thiscursed country. I ought never to have gone into this deal after what Ihad already suffered in the West. But it looked as if I could clean upa good thing and get out. Personally, my money losses don't amount toanything. I have enough left for both of us, and you know, Willard myboy, that it's all yours when I go. Come back home with me and leavethis damned hole! We don't fit in here; let's go back where we belong.I'm coming along now to the time when I must begin to think of gettingout of the game; and I need you, my boy, I need you."
Willard Holmes was strongly moved by the appeal of this man for whom hehad a son's affection. "I wish I could say yes, Uncle Jim," heanswered. "I owe you more than I can ever repay, and if it was only thework here I would go. But--there's something else--something that Icannot give up if I would--that I have no right to give up."
"You mean that girl? I thought that was all settled."
"So did I," returned the other grimly. "When I talked with you about itI thought there was no possible chance for me, and perhaps I was right.But I can't let it go now without absolute certainty."
"You don't mean, Willard, that you are going to offer yourself to awoman whose love you have every reason to think belongs to another man?"
The engineer rose to his feet and walked up and down the room. When hespoke there was in his voice a suggestion of that which marked hisspeech in the days of the river fight. "I mean this: that no man onearth shall take this woman from me if I can prevent it. I woulddeserve to lose her if I gave her up on the mere guess that she caredfor another man. I am going to know from her own words. If there isstill a chance for me I am going to stay and fight for it. If I have nochance"--he dropped into a chair--"then I'll go back with you, UncleJim."
James Greenfield's face flushed hotly at the younger man's words andthen, in the silence that followed, grew pale and stern while hisfingers gripped his pencil nervously. "Very well, Willard," he said atlast. "You are a man and your own master. If your love for me cannotinfluence you--"
"Uncle Jim!" The engineer's cry was a protest and an appeal, but theother continued as though he had not heard: "I can urge no otherconsideration. But you must understand this. I will never receive thisnameless woman of unknown parentage as your wife. If you prefer herwith that illiterate, low, cunning trickster whom she calls father, youneed never expect to come back to me. I have been true to your motherin my care for you. I have done all in my power to give you the placein life that you are entitled to fill by your birth and family. Youhave been my son in everything but blood. But, by God, sir! if you,with your breeding and raising--if you can turn your back upon thememory of your mother and father and upon me and all that we standfor--if you can turn your back upon us, desert us for these--thesedamned cattle, you can herd with them the rest of your life."
He was on his feet now, pacing the floor angrily. The engineer had alsorisen and stood waiting for this storm of wrath to spend itself.
"Understand me," the older man continued. "If she refuses you, you cancome back. If she accepts you, you need never show your face to meagain, and I shall take good care that your friends at home understandthe reason. Probably if you let these people know what the result willbe if you are accepted it will make a great difference in the woman'sanswer."
Willard Holmes dared not speak. Nothing but his life-long love for theman whose devotion to the engineer's mother had stood the test of yearsenabled the younger man to control himself. When he could speak calmlyhe said: "I am sorry, sir, that you said that; for you must see how youhave made it impossible for me now ever to go back with you. If MissWorth does not care for me, I would have been glad to go home with you,for next to her, Uncle Jim, you are more to me than anyone in theworld. When you say that my relation to you shall depend upon heranswer you make it impossible for her answer to make any difference sofar as you and I are concerned. Won't you--won't you reconsider, UncleJim? Won't you take back your words?"
"No, sir; I have said exactly what I mean."
"Good-by, sir."
"Good-by."
When the office door had closed behind the engineer, James Greenfieldstood motionless in the center of the room. Once he took a step towardthe door but checked himself. Then turning slowly, wearily, he sankinto the chair before his desk. For a few moments he fumbled aimlesslyover the papers and documents, then from his pocket took a flat leathercase and, opening it, held in his hand a portrait of the engineer'smother. As he looked at the face of the woman who had never ceased tohold the first place in his heart, his lips framed words he could notspeak aloud.
Slowly his form drooped, his head bowed. Then, with the picture heldclose, he buried his face in his arms among the business papers on hisdesk.
The Winning of Barbara Worth Page 37