第23章

You want to get us under your ruinous short-haul rate between Bonneville and San Francisco, AND RETURN.Think of it! Here's a load of stuff for Bonneville that can't stop at Bonneville, where it is consigned, but has got to go up to San Francisco first BYWAY OF Bonneville, at forty cents per ton and then be reshipped from San Francisco back to Bonneville again at FIFTY-ONE cents per ton, the short-haul rate.And we have to pay it all or go without.Here are the ploughs right here, in sight of the land they have got to be used on, the season just ready for them, and we can't touch them.Oh," he exclaimed in deep disgust, "isn't it a pretty mess! Isn't it a farce! the whole dirty business!"S.Behrman listened to him unmoved, his little eyes blinking under his fat forehead, the gold chain of hollow links clicking against the pearl buttons of his waistcoat as he breathed.

"It don't do any good to let loose like that, Harran," he said at length."I am willing to do what I can for you.I'll hurry the ploughs through, but I can't change the freight regulation of the road.""What's your blackmail for this?" vociferated Harran."How much do you want to let us go? How much have we got to pay you to be ALLOWED to use our own ploughs--what's your figure? Come, spit it out.""I see you are trying to make me angry, Harran," returned S.

Behrman, "but you won't succeed.Better give up trying, my boy.

As I said, the best way is to have the railroad and the farmer get along amicably.It is the only way we can do business.

Well, s'long, Governor, I must trot along.S'long, Harran." He took himself off.

But before leaving Guadalajara Magnus dropped into the town's small grocery store to purchase a box of cigars of a certain Mexican brand, unprocurable elsewhere.Harran remained in the buggy.

While he waited, Dyke appeared at the end of the street, and, seeing Derrick's younger son, came over to shake hands with him.

He explained his affair with the P.and S.W., and asked the young man what he thought of the expected rise in the price of hops.

"Hops ought to be a good thing," Harran told him."The crop in Germany and in New York has been a dead failure for the last three years, and so many people have gone out of the business that there's likely to be a shortage and a stiff advance in the price.They ought to go to a dollar next year.Sure, hops ought to be a good thing.How's the old lady and Sidney, Dyke?""Why, fairly well, thank you, Harran.They're up to Sacramento just now to see my brother.I was thinking of going in with my brother into this hop business.But I had a letter from him this morning.He may not be able to meet me on this proposition.

He's got other business on hand.If he pulls out--and he probably will--I'll have to go it alone, but I'll have to borrow.

I had thought with his money and mine we would have enough to pull off the affair without mortgaging anything.As it is, Iguess I'll have to see S.Behrman."

"I'll be cursed if I would!" exclaimed Harran.

"Well, S.Behrman is a screw," admitted the engineer, "and he is 'railroad' to his boots; but business is business, and he would have to stand by a contract in black and white, and this chance in hops is too good to let slide.I guess we'll try it on, Harran.I can get a good foreman that knows all about hops just now, and if the deal pays--well, I want to send Sid to a seminary up in San Francisco.""Well, mortgage the crops, but don't mortgage the homestead, Dyke," said Harran."And, by the way, have you looked up the freight rates on hops?""No, I haven't yet," answered Dyke, "and I had better be sure of that, hadn't I? I hear that the rate is reasonable, though.""You be sure to have a clear understanding with the railroad first about the rate," Harran warned him.

When Magnus came out of the grocery store and once more seated himself in the buggy, he said to Harran, "Boy, drive over here to Annixter's before we start home.I want to ask him to dine with us to-night.Osterman and Broderson are to drop in, I believe, and I should like to have Annixter as well."Magnus was lavishly hospitable.Los Muertos's doors invariably stood open to all the Derricks' neighbours, and once in so often Magnus had a few of his intimates to dinner.

As Harran and his father drove along the road toward Annixter's ranch house, Magnus asked about what had happened during his absence.

He inquired after his wife and the ranch, commenting upon the work on the irrigating ditch.Harran gave him the news of the past week, Dyke's discharge, his resolve to raise a crop of hops;Vanamee's return, the killing of the sheep, and Hooven's petition to remain upon the ranch as Magnus's tenant.It needed only Harran's recommendation that the German should remain to have Magnus consent upon the instant.

"You know more about it than I, boy," he said, "and whatever you think is wise shall be done."Harran touched the bays with the whip, urging them to their briskest pace.They were not yet at Annixter's and he was anxious to get back to the ranch house to supervise the blue-stoning of his seed.