"We have refused to erect the structure or be responsible for it after
it leaves our dock. We told Senor Garlicho so."
Onativia lowered his chin, arched his eyebrows and looked at me over
his glasses.
"I don't want you to erect it," he said in a purring tone with a
patronizing strain through it. "I'll do that. What I want to know is
what it would cost HERE? That's what I came to New York to find out."
"Has Senor Garlicho been awarded the contract?" I asked. It was useless
to distribute any more bread upon the waters; certainly not on the
ripples washing the shores of Moccador. If there were any business in
sight I could very easily give either one of them an approximate cost;
if there were none the bakery was closed.
"No, Senor Garlicho has NOT been awarded the contract. I am here to
keep the affair alive. If I had thought it necessary I would have
brought a certified check with me drawn to your order, which I would
have handed you with my card. The standing of your firm prevented my
doing so. This is business, and I want to get back home as quick as
possible. Our coast is a dangerous one and the loss of life increases
every year. Do you want this matter hung up for six weeks until we can
communicate with Mr. Garlicho? Every hour's delay in putting the light
on the Lobo means that many more deaths." As he spoke a peculiar smile
struggled from under his black dab of a mustache, got as far as the
base of his nose and there collapsed.
My duty was now clear. Senor Garlicho, for some reason unknown to me,
had waited until his option had expired and had then sent Onativia in
his place. This wiped out the past and made a new deal necessary--one
which included the price of erection on the reef, a point which had not
been raised in the former negotiation.
"All right," I said, "you shall have the estimate. What you want is the
cost of erecting a structure like the one here in the plans. Well, if
it was to be put on our Florida coast, where I think the conditions are
somewhat similar to those you describe, I would advise you to add about
one hundred thousand dollars to the cost of the ironwork."
"Is that safe?" Again the smile worked itself loose.
"Yes," I replied, "if you don't lose your plant too often by bad
weather. We have warnings of our coast storms and can provide against
them. I don't know anything about yours--what are they like?"
"They come suddenly and without warning," he rejoined; "typhoons,
generally, with the tiles rattling off the roofs and the natives
hugging the cocoanut trees." With this he turned to the plans again.
"Better add another twenty thousand--I want to be safe," he said, in a
tone that showed me he had at last made up his mind.
I added it, marking the sum on the memorandum which Mawkum had given
him.
"Now, please put that in writing over your signature. I'll call
to-morrow at ten for the document. Good-day."
When he was well down the corridor--we waited really until we heard the
down-chug of the elevator--Mawkum looked at me and gave a low whistle.
"Add another twenty! What do you think is up? That Bunch of Garlic is
working some funny business, or he wouldn't have sent that brigand up
here."
I ruminated for a moment, walked to the window and took in the brick
wall, the clerks and the clock tower. Frankly, I did not know what
Garlicho was up to. It was the first time that any passenger by the
Tampico, or any other steamer, from any quarter of the globe, had asked
either Mawkum or myself to add one penny to the cost of anything. The
effort heretofore had been to cut down each item to the last cent. Was
the ivory-tinted gentleman going to build the lighthouse at his own
expense out of loyalty to President Alvarez, the saviour of his
country, and then donate it to the Government, using our estimate to
prove the extent of his generosity? Or was there a trick somewhere? I
decided to sound Senor Onativia the next morning, and find out.
I had not long to wait. He arrived on the minute, bobbed to Mawkum,
drew a chair to my desk and squared, or rather rounded, his body in
front of me.
"I will now tell you what I omitted to say yesterday," he began. "When
an order comes for this lighthouse--and it will arrive by the next
steamer--it will not be signed by Senor Garlicho, but by me. I have
reasons for this which I cannot explain, and which are not necessary
for you to know. The ironwork--all you will have to furnish--will also
be shipped in my name. With the order will be sent a letter introducing
my bankers, who will call upon you at your convenience, and who will
pay the amounts in the way you desire--one-third on the signing of the
contract (one of the firm will act as my agent), one-third on erection
and inspection of the ironwork properly put together in the yard, and
the balance on delivery to them of the bills of lading. Is that quite
satisfactory?"