CHAPTER IV
THE POWERS CONFER
Lucy Bancroft bade a smiling good-bye to her father at the door of theFirst National Bank, and crossed the street to a store on the corneropposite. Lingering in the doorway for her turn to be waited upon, shewatched him with admiring eyes. "What a handsome man daddy is," she wasthinking; "I like a man to be tall and straight and broad-shouldered;and I'm glad he's always so well groomed; I'd love him just as much ifhe wasn't, but I couldn't be quite so proud of him."
Another man was coming up the street toward her father, and Lucy smiledas her eyes fell upon him. "There's Congressman Baxter," her thought ranon. "How slouchy and dumpy he seems beside daddy! They say he's one ofthe smartest men in the Territory; but I'm sure daddy is just as smartas he is, and he's certainly a great deal handsomer and nicer looking.And he's just as nice as he looks, too, my dear daddy!"
Bancroft appeared the man of substance and of consequence, confidentalike in himself and in the regard of the community, as he stood in thedoor of his bank and met the Congressman with friendly greeting. "Gladto see you, Baxter! Come in! I want to have a talk with you."
Dellmey Baxter shook hands cordially, pleasure at the meeting fairlyradiating from his round, sunburned face, even his cold gray eyesborrowing warmth from his gratified and shining countenance. One ofthese eyes was set at an angle slightly oblique, its peculiarity mademore prominent by the loose hanging of the upper lid from the outercorner. The expression of cunning thus given to the upper part of hisface was curiously at variance with his jovial look and manner.
In Bancroft's private office Baxter's first question was if the otherhad yet visited the mine at the base of Mangan's Peak, concerning whichthey had had correspondence.
"Yes; I was there this week. The man who owns it hasn't _sabe_ enoughabout mines to know what a good proposition he's got. He'll sellcheap for cash, for he needs the money. I think it's a first-classinvestment, and we'd better snap it up. Shall we make it half and half?"
"I don't know about going in as a partner, Aleck. I'm getting too muchtied up in all kinds of enterprises, and I don't want to have more on myhands than I can attend to. But if it's a good thing I'd like to helpyou get hold of it; I know you'd hustle its development and make allthere is in it tell for the reputation of New Mexico. I've got too manyother things on hand to go in as a partner, but if you haven't theready cash to buy it yourself I'll advance you what you need and takea mortgage on the property."
In the persuasive tones of Bancroft's reply there was no hint of thereluctance and disappointment he inwardly felt at this prospect ofhaving to increase his indebtedness to Baxter, concerning which healready felt some anxiety.
"That hardly seems fair, Dell. You gave me the hint about the mine,and you ought to make more than that out of it. I'm satisfied it's analmighty good proposition and can be made to pay for itself and forthe money needed in initial development inside the first year."
"Oh, that's all right," Baxter responded heartily. "I'm glad to let thechance come your way, because you've got more _sabe_ and more hustlethan any other man I know, and you'll do something worth while with it.Think about it, and we'll talk it over again before I go back. I'm downhere now mainly for politics. You know Silverside County as well as anyman in it--how do things look?"
"Well, it's always a close county, you know. But you'll probably get thedelegates to the convention, and I reckon you'll stand as good a chanceon election day as Johnny Martinez."
The other chuckled. "Well, I rather guess! Why, he's got no money to putinto the fight!"
"No; but there are the Castletons."
"I heard that their superintendent at Socorro Springs ranch--what's hisname?--Conrad?--had come out strong in his favor. What do they careabout it? Neither one of 'em spends two weeks out of the year in theTerritory."
"Oh, if they really have any interest in it I suppose it's thateverlasting 'cousin' business of the Mexicans. You know Ned Castletonmarried a first cousin of Johnny's, although she's half American."
Baxter looked thoughtful. "If he's got the Castleton money back of him,"he began doubtfully, but broke off with an opposing idea: "I've heardthat the wives of the two brothers fight each other to the limit onevery proposition that comes along, and I reckon if Turner's wife foundout that Ned's wife wanted Martinez boosted into Congress she'd see toit that Turner blocked the game if he could."
"If Ned Castleton should back up Martinez with a bagful or two of hisloose cash it would make mighty hard sledding for us," observedBancroft.
Baxter pursed his lips and whistled softly. "I reckon it would!" hesaid, with an air of taking the other into his innermost counsels. Thenhe broke out warmly: "That was damn good of you, Aleck, to come out forme as squarely as you did in the Albuquerque _Leader_ the other day!It's a good thing for me, all over the Territory, to have people knowthat Alexander Bancroft is supporting me. They've got confidence in you,Aleck. I appreciate it, I tell you, and I won't forget it, either."
Baxter had already served two terms in Congress, and some members of hisparty thought he should be willing to stand aside and give some one elsethe prize. This made him anxious about the outcome of the approachingconvention, and set him to interrogating the banker regarding theintentions of this, that, and the other man of local consequence. Atlast he came back to the subject of the Castletons.
"Do you really think, Aleck, that Ned Castleton's money is behindMartinez? If it is, that would explain Conrad's attitude."
Bancroft saw that the Congressman was worried by the possibility of sucheffective opposition. On the instant an idea was projected into hismind, born of his own secret anxiety and his knowledge of Baxter'sreputation. It came so suddenly and so vividly that it took himunawares, sending a telltale light into his eyes and across his usuallyimpassive countenance. His lids were quickly lowered, but Baxter hadalready seen the revealing flash and was wondering what it might mean.The banker hesitated for a moment, his thoughts confused by the force ofthe bolt which had shot into his mind.
"Of course I don't know anything about it," he went on cautiously, theother watching him for signs of self-betrayal, "but it looks to me as ifConrad might be acting as Ned Castleton's agent, so that Ned won't haveto be mixed up in it. That would take away the chance of Mrs. Turner'strying to make her husband block the game. And Conrad is violentlyopposed to you. He handles you without gloves, and is doing all he canagainst your nomination. He says he'll bolt you if you get it, and thatif the other side puts up Martinez he'll jump in and fight for him withboth feet and his spurs on."
The smile faded from Baxter's face, and his left eyelid drooped lowerthan usual--a sign that his mind was busy with some knotty problem. Buthe was not considering the pros and cons of the Castleton money. He waswondering why that sudden purpose had flashed in Bancroft's eyes, why hehad shown that momentary discomposure, and why he was now dwelling somuch more strongly on the fact of Conrad's opposition. He drew his chairnearer and in confidential tones began to inquire about the youngcattleman: "Has Conrad got much influence?"
"Yes; a good deal. He's a bright, energetic fellow, and he's made lotsof friends."
"Know anything about him, Aleck?"
"Not much. Ned Castleton ran across him in San Francisco, I believe,where he was agent for one of the big cattle ranches in southernCalifornia. He's been their superintendent at Socorro Springs for twoyears, and he's put the ranch in better shape and made it pay better, inspite of the drought, than anybody else they've had since their fatherdied."
"But where'd he come from before Castleton got him?"
"I don't know, except in a general way. I guess he's mostly run alongwith the cattle business in Colorado and California and New Mexico."
"You really think his opposition to me down here is important?"
"There's no doubt about it, Dell," Bancroft rejoined, his mannerbecoming more earnest and his tones more persuasive as he went on."Curt Conrad is a fighter from the word 'go,' and he seems to havestarted out w
ith the intention of doing you up. He'll sure do you alot of damage if you can't find some way of making him change his mind.He's popular,--the sort that everybody likes, you know,--and he's alwaysenthusiastic and cocksure, so that he has a good deal of influence ofhis own, whether or not he's acting for Ned Castleton. And as peoplegenerally believe he is it amounts to the same thing."
"We must get at him some way," said Baxter earnestly, his cold eyeswatchful of his companion's manner and expression. "Hasn't he donesomething that would give us a hold on him?"
"No, there's nothing in that lead. I've tried argument, and you might aswell talk to a cyclone."
"How about money?"
Bancroft shook his head decisively. "That would be the worst mistake youcould make. He wouldn't touch it and he'd roar about it everywhere. Thefact is, Dell, we'll have to get rid of his opposition some way. I'vedone everything I can, and now I'll have to put it up to you."
"Well, I'll think it over," said Baxter, rising and looking at hiswatch. "I'll see you again about that mine business, while I'm here, andI want to talk with you about a _paisano_ ranch, up above Socorro,there's a chance of our getting. I think we'll be able to get ourdevelopment company going in less than a year. When it's organized,Aleck, I want you to be president of it."
"I don't know about that," Bancroft replied slowly, an uneasyrecollection of some of Lucy's freely expressed ideas coming into hismind. "I may prefer to stay in the background, as a silent partner, asour arrangement is now."
"It would be good for the company to have you at its head; yourreputation would be an asset," Baxter objected persuasively.
"By the way, Dell, did you foreclose on a man named Melgares, Jose MariaMelgares, a month or two ago?"
"Melgares? Yes; and I was especially easy on him; let him have threemonths' extra time. But I had to come down on him finally. Why?"
"He's here in Golden now, and he's been roaring about it. He came downhere from the Mogollons, where it's likely he'd been doing somehorse-stealing. And I guess he's been lifting chickens and things out ofpeople's back-yards since he's been here."
"Next thing he'll be getting arrested," Baxter chuckled, "and I'll haveto defend him--for nothing. These greasers all seem to think I'm aheaven-sent protector for 'em all, no matter what they do. So long,Aleck; I'll see you again before I leave town."
Baxter lounged down the street, greeting one acquaintance after anotherwith a jovial laugh, a hearty handshake, or a slap on the shoulder, hisround, red face aglow with good fellowship. But his gray eyes were coldand preoccupied. At the court-house door he stopped to talk with DanTillinghurst, the sheriff, and Little Jack Wilder, his deputy.
"Say, Jack," said the sheriff, as the Congressman went on up the street,"what sort o' hell do you-all reckon Dell Baxter's cookin' up now? He'stoo jolly not to have somethin' on hand. The louder he laughs the moresulphur you can bet he's got in his pockets."
"Be careful, Dan," warned Jack, "or that nomination for sheriff willmiss fire."
"Don't you worry about that--Dell an' me's all right; you-all just worryabout the fellow that's made his eyes look like a dead fish's. Dell'ssure got somethin' on his mind."
There was something on Baxter's mind. He was still wondering whyAlexander Bancroft had insisted so strongly upon the importance of youngConrad's opposition, which the Congressman did not believe was of muchconsequence. He chuckled and his left lid drooped lower as he finallydecided: "I reckon he wants me to pull some chestnut or other out of thefire for him. I'll just let him think I'm taking it all in. I'd like toknow what it is, though, for if I don't keep a good hold on Aleck he'slikely to get heady and try to step into my shoes."