Early one morning in March Bob picked Noah Ezekiel Foster up at a lunch
counter where the hill billy was just finishing his fourth waffle.
"Want you to go out and look at two or three leases with me," said
Rogeen as they got into the small car.
Bob had not lost his job with Crill over the Chandler loan. He was
still lending the old gentleman's money and doing it without Mrs.
Barnett's approval. But the widow had, he felt sure, done the moist,
self-sacrificing, nagging stunt so persistently that her uncle had
compromised by advancing much more money to Reedy Jenkins than safety
justified. Crill had never mentioned the matter, but Bob knew Jenkins
had got money from somewhere, and there certainly was no one else in
the valley that would have lent it to him. For Reedy had managed to
pick his cotton and gin it at the new gin on the Mexican side, where
the bales were still stacked in the yards.
"Why do you suppose," asked Bob as they drove south past the Mexican
gin, "Jenkins has left his cotton over on this side all winter?" Bob
had formulated his own suspicions but wanted to learn what Noah Ezekiel
thought, for Noah picked up a lot of shrewd information.
"Shucks," said Noah, "it's so plain that a way-farin' man though a
cotton grower can see. He's kept it over there because he owes about
three hundred thousand dollars on the American side, and as quick as he
takes it across the line there'll be about as many fellows pullin' at
every bale as there are ahold of them overall pants you see advertised."
"But cotton is selling now; it was six cents yesterday," remarked Bob.
"At that he ought to have enough to pay his debts."
Noah Ezekiel snorted: "Reedy isn't livin' to pay his debts. He ain't
hankerin' for receipts; what he wants is currency. His creditors on
the American side are layin' low, because they can't do anything else.
Reedy put one over on 'em when he built this gin. He can hold his
cotton over here for high prices, and let them that he owes on the
American side go somewhere and whistle in a rain barrel to keep from
gettin' dry.
"As my dad used to say, 'The children of this world can give the
children of light four aces and still take the jack pot with a pair of
deuces.'"
Bob knew Noah was right. He had watched Jenkins pretty closely all
winter. Reedy had endeavoured to convince all his creditors, and
succeeded in convincing some, that he had not brought the cotton across
the line because there was no market yet for it. "It is costing us
nothing to leave it over there, so why bring it across and have to pay
storage and also lose the interest on the $25,000 Mexican export duty
which we must pay when it is removed?"
"Noah," remarked Bob, as the little car bumped across the bridge over
the irrigation ditch, "I'm taking you out to see a Chinaman's lease.
He has three hundred acres ready to plant and wants to borrow money to
raise the crop. If you like the field and I like the Chinaman, I'm
going to make the loan."
"Accordin' to my observation," remarked Noah, "a heathen Chinese has
about all the virtues that a Christian ought to have, but ain't
regularly got.
"The other mornin' after I'd been to the Red Owl the night before, I
felt like I needed a cup of coffee. I went round to a Chink that I'd
never met but two or three times, and says, 'John, I'm broke, will you
lend me a hundred dollars?'
"That blasted Chink never batted an eye, never asked me if I owned any
personal property subject to mortgage, nor if I could get three good
men to go on my note. He just says, 'Surlee, Misty Foster,' and dived
down in a greasy old drawer and began to count out greenbacks. 'Here,'
I says, 'if you are that much of a Christian, I ain't an all-fired
heathen myself. Give me a dime and keep the change.'"
Bob smiled appreciatively. "I've seen things like that happen more
than once. And it is not because they are simple and ignorant either."
"You know," pursued Noah Ezekiel, "if I's Karniggy, I'd send a lot of
'em out as missionaries."
They were at Ah Sing's ranch. The three-hundred-acre field was level
as a table, broken deep, thoroughly disked, and listed ready to water.
The Chinaman, without any money or the slightest assurance he could get
any for his planting, had worked all winter preparing the fields.
Ah Sing stood in front of his weed-and-pole shack waiting with that
stoical anxiety which never betrays itself by hurry or nervousness. If
the man of money came and saw fit to lend, "vellee well--if not, doee
best I can."
"You go out and take a look at the field," Bob directed Noah, "see if
there is any marsh grass or alfalfa roots, and look over his water
ditches while I talk to the Chinaman."
"Good morning, Ah Sing," he said, extending his hand.
"Good morning, Misty Rogee." The Chinaman smiled and gave the visitor
a friendly handshake. He was of medium height, had a well-shaped head
and dignified bearing, and eyes that met yours straight. He looked
about forty, but one never knows the age of a Chinaman.
"Nice farm, Ah Sing," Bob nodded approvingly at the well-plowed fields.
"He do vellee well." The Chinaman was pleased.
"And you have no money to make a crop?" Bob asked.
"No money," Ah Sing said, stoically.
"I heard last fall you had made a good deal of money raising cotton
over here," suggested Bob.
"Me make some," admitted Ah Sing. "Workee vellee hard many year--make
maybe eighteen--twentee thousan'."
"What became of it, Ah Sing? Don't gamble, do you?"
The Chinaman shook his head emphatically, "Me no gamble.
Gamble--nobody trust. Me pick cotton for Misty Jenkins."
Bob was interested in that. He knew that after raising Jenkins' crop
Ah Sing had taken the contract to pick it. Bob had heard other things
but not from the Chinaman. "Didn't you make some money on that, too?"
"No money."
"Why not?" Bob spoke quickly. "Tell me about it, Ah Sing."
The Chinaman sighed again and the long, long look came into his patient
oriental eyes.
"Ah work in America ever since leetle boy--so high. After while I save
leetle money. Want go back China visit. I have cer-tificate. When I
come back, say it's no good. Put me in jail. Don't know why. Stay
long time. Send me back China. Then I come Mexico. Can't cross line;
say damn Mexican Chinaman. I raise cotton--I raise lettuce--make
leetle money. Maybee twent' thousan'.
"Misty Jenkins say 'Ah Sing, want pick my cotton?' I say, 'Maybee.'
He say, 'Give you ten dollar bale. You do all work--feed Chinamen.' I
say, 'Vellee well.' Lots Chinaboys need work. I hire seven
hund'--eight hund'--maybee thousan.' I feed 'em. I pick cotton. Pick
eight thousan' bale. Take all my money feed 'em. I owe Chinaboys
fifty thousan' dollar.
"No pay. No see Misty Jenkins. No cross line. Misty Jenkins pay
sometime maybee--maybee not." The old Chinaman shook his head
fatalistically.
"And you spent all you had earned and saved in forty years, and then
went in debt fifty thousand to other Chinamen to pick that cotton, and
he hasn't paid you a dollar?"
"No pay yet; maybee some time," he replied, stoically.
"What a damn shame!" Bob seldom swore, but he felt justified for this
once. "Can't you collect it under the Mexican laws?"
Ah Sing slowly, futilely, turned his hands palms outward.
"Mexican say Misty Jenkins big man. Damn Chinaman no good no way."
Noah Ezekiel came in from the field.
"As my dad says," remarked the hill billy, "this Chink has held on to
the handle of the plow without ever looking back. The field is O. K."
"How much will you need, Ah Sing?" Bob turned to the Chinaman.
"Maybee get along with thousan' dollars--fifteen hund' maybee."
"All right," said Bob, "I'm going to let you have it. You can get the
money three hundred at a time as you need it."
Bob stood thinking for a moment.
"Ah Sing," he said, decisively, "how would you like to have a partner?
Suppose I go in with you; furnish the money and look after the buying
and selling, tend to the business end; you raise the cotton. Me pay
all the expenses, including wages, for you; and then divide the
profits?"
The Chinaman's face lost its stoic endurance and lighted with relief.
"I likee him vellee much!" He put out his hand. "Me and you partners,
heh?"
"Yes," Bob gripped the hand, "we are partners."