It was the twentieth day of September by the calendar--ten days before
the first of October as every man, woman, and child in the Valley
measured time.
Conniston came and went superintending every part of the work, and,
although he was still the gaunt, tired man he had been two weeks ago,
he was no longer tight-lipped and somber-eyed. He smiled often; he
laughed readily, like a boy. Argyl, her clean, healthy, resilient
young body and spirit having shaken off the effects of the clutch of
the desert, was the same Argyl who had raced for the Overland Limited
that day when Conniston had first seen her; her laugh was as
spontaneous as his, sparkling and free and buoyantly youthful. Mr.
Crawford was quiet, saying few words, but the little lines of care had
gone from the corners of eyes and mouth. Tommy Garton was the
proverbial cricket on the hearth of the Valley's big family. Brayley
looked upon his ditches with the gleam in his eye bespeaking a deep
pride like the pride of ownership and a big, strong love. Jimmie Kent
assured whomever would listen that he was glad that he had stayed, and
that he had a mind to call on his old friend Oliver to see how he was
feeling. Rattlesnake Valley had become the Happy Valley. With the
first of October ten days off there was no shadow of doubt in a single
heart that the Great Work would be a finished, actual, successful
thing before the dawn of the Great Day.
Upon the twentieth day of September Greek Conniston, being in Valley
City, received a telegram which puzzled him. It was from Edwin
Corliss, private secretary and confidential man of affairs of William
Conniston, Senior, of Wall Street. Conniston replied immediately and
by wire. During the three days following he received and despatched
several telegrams. Since the messages have a certain bearing upon the
Great Work, they are given below in the order in which they were
received in the Valley and despatched from it:
"WM. CONNISTON, Jr.,
"Rattlesnake Valley.
"Drop everything. Come home immediately. Your father
insists. Particulars when you arrive.
"CORLISS."
"EDW. CORLISS,
"New York.
"Can't get away. Under contract. Love to dad.
"WM. CONNISTON, Jr."
"WM. CONNISTON, Jr.
"Rattlesnake Valley.
"Smash contract. Will pay damages. Your father wants you in
New York in five days.
"CORLISS."
"EDW. CORLISS,
"New York.
"Impossible. Can make hurried trip East after October first.
"WM. CONNISTON, JR."
"WM. CONNISTON, JR.,
"Rattlesnake Valley.
"Orders imperative from your father. Cables from Paris drop
everything immediately and come home.
"CORLISS."
"EDW. CORLISS,
"New York.
"I refer you to wire of yesterday.
"WM. CONNISTON, Jr."
Then came a message which puzzled Greek Conniston more deeply than the
others had done--a message _via_ cable and telegraph and telephone
from his father himself:
"WM. CONNISTON, Jr.,
"Rattlesnake Valley.
"Come home. Leave that work alone. Start minute you get
this. Wiring you thousand dollars Crawfordsville. Corliss
will advance all you want in New York. Do as I command
immediately or I disinherit you.
"WM. CONNISTON, Sr."
"WM. CONNISTON, Jr.,
"Rattlesnake Valley.
"At your father's orders have wired thousand to you
Crawfordsville.
"CORLISS."
"EDW. CORLISS,
"New York.
"Money you wired remains subject your orders. I don't need
it. Inform dad.
"WM. CONNISTON, Jr."
When William Conniston, Junior, received the second message from
William Conniston, Senior, a swift understanding came to him, an
understanding not only of the reason for the attitude Corliss had
taken, but of what Oliver Swinnerton had had in mind when he had
talked slyly of Conniston's intentions, and had expressed his
confidence that the young superintendent was preparing to double cross
his employer.
"WM. CONNISTON, JR.,
"Rattlesnake Valley.
"Am starting for New York. Meet me. Drop work. I have a
million dollars at stake in Oliver Swinnerton project. Will
lose all if you don't quit.
"WM. CONNISTON, Sr."
And it gave Greek Conniston a great, unbounded joy to answer:
"WM. CONNISTON, Sr.,
"Paris.
"Sorry, dad. You lose million. I have reputation at stake.
"WM. CONNISTON, Jr."