THE TURNING OF THE TIDE
I rose early next morning, and a stroll through the awakening city,
which was cool and fresh as yet, braced me for the stress of the day.
Haldane looked thoughtful at breakfast; Boone was silent and
suspiciously stolid, for he betrayed himself by the very slowness with
which he folded back the newspaper brought him to expose the commercial
reports. He handed it to Haldane, who nodded, saying nothing. It was a
relief to me, at least, when the meal was over, but afterwards the
morning passed very heavily, for I spent most of it haunting a dark
telephone box, where Haldane received and dispatched cabalistic
messages. I did not approve of conflict of this description, in which
the uninitiated could neither follow the points lost or won nor see the
enemy, and I should have preferred the hay-fork and a background of
sunlit prairie.
Noon seemed a very long time coming, and the report of the broker who
arrived with it far from reassuring. "We have sold a fair block of
stock, and I brought you the contracts to sign," he said. "Settlement
and all conditions as usual. Each time that we offered a round lot
Graham's salesman and another man took them up."
"Lane is taking hold. He has stirred up his allies," said Haldane. "I'll
put my name to these papers, and you can call down another few dollars
when you start again. I suppose there is no other person selling?"
"No," said the broker. "There were a good many other men curious about
our game, and I fancy one or two of them had instructions; but they did
nothing. We'll work up a sensation during the afternoon."
It would have greatly pleased me to hear of other persons parting with
their shares; but Haldane still looked confident, and Boone appeared to
place implicit faith in his generalship. I, however, grew more and more
anxious as the afternoon dragged by, for my sense of responsibility to
the men behind me increased when each tinkle of the telephone bell was
followed by a message reporting further sales. Somebody was steadily
taking up the stock we offered, and when, for the fourth time, Haldane
had answered my question, "Any sign of weakness yet?" in the negative, I
could stay indoors no longer, and found it a relief to stride briskly
through the busy streets towards a grain buyer's offices.
My own personal risk was heavy enough, but I knew also what it had cost
my prairie neighbors to raise the sum they had credited me with, and I
felt that, if beaten, I dare not return and face them with the news
that, losing all in an unsuccessful gamble, we had left them doubly
helpless at the mercy of a triumphant enemy. The interview with the
grain merchant was, however, in a measure comforting. He admitted that
prices were improving, stated approximate figures which almost surprised
me, and volunteered the information that when my crop should be gathered
he would be glad to make me an offer. Although prospects were good in
Western Canada, cereals were scarce everywhere else; and I returned so
involved in mental calculations that I walked into several citizens, one
of whom swore fluently. He wore toothpick-pointed shoes, and in my
abstraction I had, it seemed, trodden cruelly on his toes.
Boone came up while I attempted to apologize, and tapped me on the
shoulder. "What do you think of this amusement, Ormesby? It seems to
have had the effect of dazing you," he said. "You were walking right
past the hotel as though your eyes were shut."
"To be candid, I think very little of it," I said. "Still, I was
puzzling over a slightly complicated sum to ascertain how much--counting
every remaining beast, salable implement, and load of grain--would, when
I have paid off Lane, remain my own."
"Planning your campaign for next year?" asked Boone, with a trace of
dryness.
"No," I answered. "It will not be a great deal, but I'm open to stake
the last cent on beating Lane."
"Good man!" said Boone. "We are going to beat him; and, to show that I
am prepared to back my convictions, I may say that I have already
hypothecated every pennyworth of my English property."
Haldane was waiting for us when we came in. "Our men have had a busy
afternoon. All the shares they offered were bought up, and there is no
sign of any weakness yet," he said.
We formed a somewhat silent company during the earlier portion of the
evening. Haldane sat busy, pencil in hand, and finally passed a page of
his notebook across to us. "I don't quite know who is backing Lane, but
his purse is a tolerably long one," he said. "You see, we must produce
shares, or the difference between their value at that time and the price
we sold at, to this extent on settling day, Ormesby."
"Of which nobody would apparently sell us one," I answered ruefully.
Haldane nodded. "You mean, of course, to-day. A good many people may be
willing to do so before this hour to-morrow--if not it will be time then
to consider seriously. Meanwhile, the best we can do is to seek innocent
relaxation, and I see that Miss Redmond is singing at the opera house."
I was hardly in the mood to enjoy a concert, though I was curious to
hear Redmond's daughter; but inaction had grown almost insufferable and
when we took our places in the crowded building I felt glad that I had
come. The sight of the close-packed multitude and the hum of many voices
helped to hold in check my nervous restlessness. Nevertheless, though a
lover of music, I scarcely heard a word of the first three songs, and
only became intent when a clapping of hands rolled round the building as
a dark-haired girl stood forward in the glare of the footlights. It was
evidently she who had drawn the perspiring crowd together, and that
alone was an eloquent testimonial, considering the temperature.
Ailin Redmond was very plainly dressed, and she smiled her
acknowledgments with a simplicity that evidently pleased the audience,
while perhaps in compliment to them she wore as sole adornment a few
green maple leaves. Then I settled myself to listen, and continued
almost spell-bound to the end of the song, wondering where the girl I
had seen herding cattle barefooted not very long ago had acquired such
power. She was not, from a technical view, perhaps, a finished singer;
but Western audiences can feel, if, for the most part, they cannot
criticise; and I think she drove the full meaning of the old Irish
ballad home to the hearts of all of them. A wailing undertone rang
through it, and the effect of the whole was best expressed as uncanny.
It was no doubt the strangeness of her themes, and the contrast she
presented to her stereotyped rivals, which had led to the girl's
success.
In any case the applause was vociferous, and continued until the singer
returned and stood still, with hands lightly clasped, looking, not at
the expectant audience, but directly at us. There was a curious
expression in her eyes, which were fixed steadily on myself and Haldane
beside me. Then I gained understanding as she commenced to sing, for
there was no mistaking the fact that she meant the song for us. It was a
clever resetting of such an old-world ballad as I think no Anglo-Saxon
could have written; its burden was a mourning over ancient wrongs and
hunger for revenge; but the slender, dark-haired girl held the power to
infuse her spirit into me. My lips and hands closed tight as I saw, what
I think she wished me to, Helen Boone dying in a sod hovel, and the
wagon that bore the dead man rolling through murky blackness across the
prairie.
Then I shook all misgivings from me, feeling that though every acre and
bushel of grain must go, and we failed, they would be well spent in an
attempt to pull down the man who had brought about such things. That
others might suffer with him counted little then. They had clutched at
their dividends--dividends wrung by him out of the agony of poor men;
and their ignorance, which was scarcely possible, did not free them from
responsibility.
There was dead stillness for several seconds between the accompanist's
final chord and the tumultuous applause which the slightly puzzled
audience accorded, while, when it died away, I saw that Boone's forehead
was beaded and his lips slightly quivering. Even Haldane appeared less
than usually at ease.
"Miss Redmond is a young lady of uncommon and even uncomfortable gifts,"
he said. "Women, as you will discover some day, Ormesby, are responsible
for most of the mischief that goes on, as well as a large amount of
good. For instance, it was the encouragement of one of them which helped
to start me on this campaign, and now, when slightly doubtful respecting
the wisdom of the step, another must sing eerie songs to me with a
purpose. I think we will walk round and call on her."
We did so, and Redmond's daughter did not keep us waiting long. She
sailed down a broad stairway and stood smiling under the glaring lamps,
very slight and slim and graceful, so that it seemed fitting Haldane
should bend over the hand she gave him.
"There is no need for my poor compliments after the verdict of the
multitude; but did you sing that song to us?" he said.
"Yes," said the girl quietly, while the smile sank out of her eyes. "We
have a good many friends and hear much gossip, so I knew at once who was
directing the attack on Lane's company. As to the song--I had some
slight education down East, you know--its choice was not without a
meaning. You will remember how, on the eve of battle, Shakespeare's
ghosts prophesied to one man ruin and to another victory?"
"Yes," said Haldane, looking puzzled, "I think I do."
"Then"--and Ailin Redmond seemed to shiver a little--"do you think there
are no ghosts on the prairie?"
"I have not met any of them," said Haldane; and the girl answered with
infectious gravity: "That does not prove there are none; and, even if
you call it a childish fancy, I felt as I sang that they will bring you
victory to-morrow."
"You are far too clever and pretty to fill your head with such fancies,
my dear," said Haldane. And when we went out into the open he repeated,
with a shrug of his shoulders: "In spite of her talents, that is a most
uncomfortable young woman; but heaven send her prophecy comes true."
Again I passed a restless night, but our agent procured us admission
into the inner precincts of the exchange on the morrow, and as I
listened to the eager shouting and watched the excited groups surge
about the salesmen, I began to comprehend the fascination that
speculation wields over its votaries. Our little spectacled broker,
however, held my eye as he flitted to and fro, and now and then with a
strident cry gathered a mob of gesticulating men about him. Somebody
accepted his offers on each occasion, and he approached us with an
almost dismayed expression when the market closed at noon.
"You are an old hand at this business, sir, but I feel it's my duty to
warn you that things don't look well," he said. "Your friends of the
opposition are evidently able to stand considerable hammering. The sum
you mentioned would be no use now to pull us straight; and unless
there's a break pretty soon they'll squeeze you like a screw vice on
settling day. It would be hard to figure the price they'll make you
pay."
"You don't suppose I haven't foreseen such a contingency," said Haldane.
"The break will probably come this afternoon--if not, to-morrow. Tell
your allies to sell further small lots down at a moderate reduction."
Our lunch was, as the others had been, luxurious; but my throat was dry,
and I could not eat. Boone's appetite had also failed, and I may have
guessed aright at part of his story when I saw him, after thrice
emptying his glass, glance still thirstily at the wine, and then thrust
the decanter away.
"It is time to consider," said Haldane. "Unless somebody is soon scared
into selling, Lane's company will be able to fleece us horribly on
settling day; but experience of such affairs teaches me that sooner or
later the smaller holders must break under a persistent hammering. Now,
I don't mind admitting that I did not anticipate such an obstinate
defense; and the cause of my interference is mainly this: I had promised
to take my younger daughter on a trip to Europe, but am not overfond of
traveling, and Lucille is tolerably contented with her own country; so
when she first suggested and then insisted that I should make a campaign
fund of what it would cost I was not wholly sorry to agree, and figured
that, with careful handling, the money might be sufficient to scare Lane
into making some rash move. At present it seems that I was mistaken, and
that before we break him I must throw Bonaventure into the scale. You
may save your protests, gentlemen; I'm a born speculator, and my
daughter has set her heart on this thing. If she hadn't, I'd have a very
great reluctance to being beaten by a single-horse-power company."
"Every acre of Crane Valley I can find a buyer for goes in, too," I
said; and Boone added quietly: "You have my last dollar, sir, already."
Nothing of moment happened until next day, but it appeared to me that
there was an almost insupportable tension in the very atmosphere. Our
chief broker was clearly excited, and his tone significant, when he
called to inform us that, while no other sellers had followed his
challenge, only very small parcels of the stock he offered were being
taken up; and so the matter stood until the afternoon.
I was now anxious as well as determined. It did not require much
knowledge of such affairs for me to realize that unless other persons
flung their shares on the market we should be left absolutely at the
mercy of the men who had the stock to sell; and while I had nerved
myself to part with everything, it would be inexpressibly galling to
strip myself to enable Lane to reap a handsome profit. Neither do I
think it was mere lust of revenge that impelled me. The man was a menace
to the prosperity of every struggling rancher, and had shown no mercy;
while--setting aside the fact that he himself deserved none--it seemed
that my neighbors' right to existence depended on our efforts to
overthrow him. Haldane appeared unusually serious when I glanced at him.
"If nothing happens in an hour we shall have to hold a council as to how
we may cut our losses," he said.
Half an hour passed very slowly, and then, warned by a message, we
strolled into the market to find there was comparative silence in the
long echoing room, as those who congregated there grew languid and
drowsy under the heat of the afternoon. Its atmosphere seemed
suffocating, and before I had been present long the suspense reacted
upon me physically, for my throat resembled a lime-kiln and the
superficial arteries of my forehead throbbed painfully. Boone, at
intervals, moistened his dry lips with his tongue, and Haldane alone
leaned calmly against a pillar jotting down figures in the notebook he
held.
Then a few listless men gathered round a broker, and suddenly became
intent, while a murmur of interest rose through the drowsy heat. The
voices grew louder, the group swelled, and I started at the call: "Any
more of you with Territories to sell?"
"It must be Lane's last throw," said Haldane quietly. "Ah! The tide is
turning. There is somebody who doesn't belong to us making a deal with
him."
The bystanders surged to and fro about the speakers in a manner that
reminded me of corraled cattle; others hurried towards them, and our
broker's voice rang out: "I'll trade with you at two dollars better."
Then there was a confused shouting, "I'll beat him by another! Two more
dollars down!" and every unoccupied man in the room joined the crowd,
out of which rose indistinguishable offers, comments, questions, and
counter-offers. These swelled into a deafening clamor, but through them
all I could hear or feel the hurried beating of my heart, and my voice
sounded hollow as I touched Haldane's arm. "Tell me the meaning of it,"
I said.
"We have beaten them," said Haldane quietly. "There are other men
hurrying to sell. The weak holders have broken at last, and, because a
panic is infectious, most of the others will follow them. Ah! It is
beginning. There go the telegrams, and I hear both telephone bells. The
fun will commence in earnest when the answers come in; and, meanwhile, a
breath of fresher air would brace one. You may have noticed that it's a
trifle choky inside here."
I had, but my feet seemed glued to the floor and my eyes on the swaying
crowd, so that it cost me an effort to tear them free and follow Boone
and Haldane into the open air. He presently led us into the grateful
coolness of a big basement saloon, and, scarcely drawing breath, I
emptied the contents of a tumbler filled with iced liquid, and then I
looked at Boone, who had pushed aside the glass set before him and
reached for the ice bowl.
"I have bought my experience, Ormesby," he said, with a smile which once
more flashed a sidelight on his history. "In times like these it is
better to confine one's self to nature's distillery. A cigar? No, thank
you, sir. Do you feel like smoking, Ormesby?"
I did not, for, in spite of the cool beverage, the bite of tobacco would
have been insufferable then; but Haldane lay back in a big lounge
chewing a cigar. He said nothing whatever, and though he appeared
satisfied, the lines on his forehead had deepened and his face appeared
older. In spite of my impatience we must have remained nearly an hour
before our leader rose a little stiffly and proceeded with unusual
slowness towards the scene of the conflict. It was raging fiercely. Some
of the speculators howled like wild beasts; others wrestled with their
fellows to reach the clear space in the center of the ring; and,
standing on the plinth of a column, I could see gesticulating men hard
at work with their notebooks. How they were able to record any bargain
or to comprehend any offer amid that pandemonium was more than I could
discover; for everybody interested appeared to be shouting at once, and
the rest of the assembly cheering them on. One irate individual, indeed,
dragged a neighbor backwards by the collar, and then plunged blindly
into the midst of the circle when the other, retaliating, drove his hat
down over his eyes.
Haldane listened keenly for several minutes, and then turned to me.
"It's going our way, Ormesby. Holders are getting out as fast as they
can, and various speculative gentlemen who have been waiting for the
first sign of weakness are hammering them. We have done our part, and
can safely leave the rest to them. See if you can give our broker this
note for me, and then, if you have had sufficient excitement, we will
take a drive somewhere until dinner's ready."
I had certainly had sufficient excitement in that form to last the rest
of my life, and I managed to reach the broker without personal injury,
after which we solaced ourselves with a drive through the city and
across some very uninteresting prairie. I saw little of either, and was
conscious of scarcely anything beyond the all-important fact that Lane's
power was broken, and henceforward my neighbors would enjoy the fruits
of their own labor instead of swelling heavy dividends with
three-fourths of them.
When we returned to the hotel our agent, who appeared in an exultant
mood, was waiting us, and he positively beamed upon Haldane as he said:
"It's an honor to work for a man with your nerve and judgment, sir, and
we have whipped the last grit out of them. I let up altogether when I
saw every outside 'bear' come ramping in; and, if you're inclined that
way, we might cover a little quietly without stiffening prices."
I do not know what Haldane's instructions were. Indeed, the reaction of
relief prevented my remembering anything at all very clearly, except
that, as we sat at dinner, Haldane said: "I shouldn't wonder if those
physicians were right, and I think I have made my last stake this
afternoon. I dare say you understand, Ormesby, that as we could now
purchase the stock below the price at which we sold there will be a
profit in the transaction. Individually, I did not undertake this matter
as a speculation."
Haldane made light of our anxiety lest he should have suffered. "I have
long known I should have to sink into idleness, and it was a good piece
of work to retire on," he said. "But what about the profit?"
I had no hesitation about the answer. "It was no desire of profit that
brought me here; and as one experience of the kind is sufficient, I
intend henceforward to stick to my horses and cattle. I will not touch a
dollar of the money beyond actual expenses, and would propose that,
setting aside any portion necessary to secure us against reprisals and
to complete our work, the rest should be handed to Miss Haldane to
distribute as she thinks best in charity."
Boone expressed his full compliance, and Haldane smiled at me. "Do you
think you can run up a contra account in that way, Ormesby?"
"I believe we are justified; but, justified or not, I will not touch a
dollar of the gains," I said. "I am going back to the prairie to-morrow,
to express our deepest gratitude to Miss Haldane. As to yourself, sir, a
good many hard-pressed men will never forget you."
Then Boone rose up gravely with a wine-glass in his hand. "The task is
too big for Ormesby, or any other man," he said. "May every good thing
follow the Mistress of Bonaventure."