The incident had attracted attention.A comparative quiet followed, the guests following the letters with their eyes as they were passed around the table.They fancied that Annixter had arranged a surprise.
Magnus Derrick, who sat next to Annixter, was the first to receive his letter.With a word of excuse he opened it.
"Read it, read it, Governor," shouted a half-dozen voices."No secrets, you know.Everything above board here to-night."Magnus cast a glance at the contents of the letter, then rose to his feet and read:
Magnus Derrick, Bonneville, Tulare Co., Cal.
Dear Sir:
By regrade of October 1st, the value of the railroad land you occupy, included in your ranch of Los Muertos, has been fixed at $27.00 per acre.The land is now for sale at that price to any one.
Yours, etc., CYRUS BLAKELEE RUGGLES, Land Agent, P.and S.W.R.R.
S.BEHRMAN, Local Agent, P.and S.W.R.R.
In the midst of the profound silence that followed, Osterman was heard to exclaim grimly:
"THAT'S a pretty good one.Tell us another."But for a long moment this was the only remark.
The silence widened, broken only by the sound of torn paper as Annixter, Osterman, old Broderson, Garnett, Keast, Gethings, Chattern, and Dabney opened and read their letters.They were all to the same effect, almost word for word like the Governor's.
Only the figures and the proper names varied.In some cases the price per acre was twenty-two dollars.In Annixter's case it was thirty.
"And--and the company promised to sell to me, to--to all of us,"gasped old Broderson, "at TWO DOLLARS AND A HALF an acre."It was not alone the ranchers immediately around Bonneville who would be plundered by this move on the part of the Railroad.The "alternate section" system applied throughout all the San Joaquin.By striking at the Bonneville ranchers a terrible precedent was established.Of the crowd of guests in the harness room alone, nearly every man was affected, every man menaced with ruin.All of a million acres was suddenly involved.
Then suddenly the tempest burst.A dozen men were on their feet in an instant, their teeth set, their fists clenched, their faces purple with rage.Oaths, curses, maledictions exploded like the firing of successive mines.Voices quivered with wrath, hands flung upward, the fingers hooked, prehensile, trembled with anger.The sense of wrongs, the injustices, the oppression, extortion, and pillage of twenty years suddenly culminated and found voice in a raucous howl of execration.For a second there was nothing articulate in that cry of savage exasperation, nothing even intelligent.It was the human animal hounded to its corner, exploited, harried to its last stand, at bay, ferocious, terrible, turning at last with bared teeth and upraised claws to meet the death grapple.It was the hideous squealing of the tormented brute, its back to the wall, defending its lair, its mate and its whelps, ready to bite, to rend, to trample, to batter out the life of The Enemy in a primeval, bestial welter of blood and fury.
The roar subsided to intermittent clamour, in the pauses of which the sounds of music and dancing made themselves audible once more.
"S.Behrman again," vociferated Harran Derrick.
"Chose his moment well," muttered Annixter."Hits his hardest when we're all rounded up having a good time.""Gentlemen, this is ruin."
"What's to be done now?"
"FIGHT! My God! do you think we are going to stand this?Do you think we CAN?"The uproar swelled again.The clearer the assembly of ranchers understood the significance of this move on the part of the Railroad, the more terrible it appeared, the more flagrant, the more intolerable.Was it possible, was it within the bounds of imagination that this tyranny should be contemplated? But they knew--past years had driven home the lesson--the implacable, iron monster with whom they had to deal, and again and again the sense of outrage and oppression lashed them to their feet, their mouths wide with curses, their fists clenched tight, their throats hoarse with shouting.
"Fight! How fight?What ARE you going to do?""If there's a law in this land"
"If there is, it is in Shelgrim's pocket.Who owns the courts in California?Ain't it Shelgrim?""God damn him."
"Well, how long are you going to stand it?How long before you'll settle up accounts with six inches of plugged gas-pipe?""And our contracts, the solemn pledges of the corporation to sell to us first of all----""And now the land is for sale to anybody.""Why, it is a question of my home.Am I to be turned out?Why, I have put eight thousand dollars into improving this land.""And I six thousand, and now that I have, the Railroad grabs it.""And the system of irrigating ditches that Derrick and I have been laying out.There's thousands of dollars in that!""I'll fight this out till I've spent every cent of my money.""Where?In the courts that the company owns?""Think I am going to give in to this?Think I am to get off my land?By God, gentlemen, law or no law, railroad or no railroad, I--WILL--NOT.""Nor I."
"Nor I."
"Nor I."
"This is the last.Legal means first; if those fail--the shotgun.""They can kill me.They can shoot me down, but I'll die--die fighting for my home--before I'll give in to this."At length Annixter made himself heard:
"All out of the room but the ranch owners," he shouted."Hooven, Caraher, Dyke, you'll have to clear out.This is a family affair.Presley, you and your friend can remain."Reluctantly the others filed through the door.There remained in the harness room--besides Vanamee and Presley--Magnus Derrick, Annixter, old Broderson Harran, Garnett from the Ruby rancho, Keast from the ranch of the same name, Gethings of the San Pablo, Chattern of the Bonanza, about a score of others, ranchers from various parts of the county, and, last of all, Dabney, ignored, silent, to whom nobody spoke and who, as yet, had not uttered a word.
