CHAPTER VI
THE INVISIBLE POWER
Jay Simmons, the freight agent, was tilted comfortably in a chair near awindow looking out upon the railroad platform when Lawler stepped intothe office. The office was on the second floor, and from a side windowthe agent had seen Lawler coming toward the station from Warden'soffice. He had been sitting near the side window, but when he saw Lawlerapproaching the station he had drawn his chair to one of the frontwindows. And now, apparently, he was surprised to see Lawler, for whenthe latter opened the door of the office Simmons exclaimed, with assumedheartiness:
"Well, if it ain't Kane Lawler!"
Simmons was a rotund man, bald, with red hair that had a faded,washed-out appearance. His eyes were large, pale blue in color, with asingularly ingratiating expression which was made almost yearning bylight, colorless lashes.
Simmons' eyes, however, were unreliable as an index to his character.One could not examine very far into them. They seemed to be shallow,baffling. Simmons did not permit his eyes to betray his thoughts. Heused them as masks to hide from prying eyes the things that he did notwish others to see.
"Come a-visitin', Lawler?" asked Simmons as Lawler halted midway in theroom and smiled faintly at the greeting he received.
"Not exactly, Simmons."
"Not exactly, eh? I reckon that means you've got some business. I'll beglad to help you out--if I can."
"I'm going to ship my stock East, Simmons, and I'm wanting cars forthem--eight thousand head."
Simmons still sat in the chair beside the window. He now pursed hislips, drew his brows together and surveyed Lawler attentively.
"Eight thousand head, eh? Sort of whooped 'em up this season, didn'tyou. I reckon Gary Warden took 'em all?"
"Warden and I couldn't get together. I'm shipping them East, myself."
"Consignin' 'em to who?"
"They'll go to Legget and Mellert."
"H'm; they're an independent concern, ain't they?"
"Yes; that's the firm my father shipped to before Jim Lefingwell openedan office here."
Simmons locked his fingers together and squinted his eyes at Lawler.
"H'm," he said. Then he was silent, seemingly meditating. Then he shookhis head slowly from side to side. Apparently he was gravely consideringa problem and could find no solution for it.
He cleared his throat, looked at Lawler, then away from him.
"I reckon it's goin' to be a lot bothersome to ship that bunch of stock,Lawler--a heap bothersome. There's been half a dozen other owners in tosee me within the last week or so, an' I couldn't give them noencouragement. There ain't an empty car in the state."
Lawler was watching him intently, and the expression in his eyesembarrassed Simmons. He flushed, cleared his throat again, and then shota belligerent glance at Lawler.
"It ain't my fault--not a bit of it, Lawler. I've been losin' sleep overthis thing--losin' sleep, I tell you! I've telegraphed every damnedpoint on the line. This road is swept clean as a whistle. 'No cars' theywire back to me--'no cars!' I've read that answer until there ain't noroom for anything else in my brain.
"The worst of it is, I'm gettin' blamed for it. You'd think I wasrunnin' the damned railroad--that I was givin' orders to the president.Lem Caldwell, of the Star, over to Keegles, was in here yesterday,threatenin' to herd ride me if I didn't have a hundred cars here thisday, week. He'd been to see Gary Warden--the same as you have--an' hewas figgerin' on playin' her independent. An' some more owners have beenin. I don't know what in hell the company is thinkin' of--no cars, an'the round-up just over."
Simmons had worked himself into a near frenzy. His face had becomebloated with passion, he was breathing fast. But Lawler noted that hiseyes were shifty, that he turned them everywhere except upon Lawler.
Simmons now paused, seemingly having exhausted his breath.
"I've just left Gary Warden," said Lawler, slowly. "He offered his pricefor my stock. He told me if I accepted, it meant there would be nodelay, that they would be shipped immediately. Warden seems to knowwhere he can get cars."
Simmons' face reddened deeply, the flush suffusing his neck and ears. Heshot one swift glance at Lawler, and then looked down. In that swiftglance, however, Lawler had seen a fleeting gleam of guilt, ofinsincerity.
Lawler laughed shortly--a sound that made Simmons shoot another swiftglance at him.
"How is it that Gary Warden figures on getting cars, Simmons?" saidLawler.
Simmons got up, his face flaming with rage.
"You're accusin' me of holdin' somethin' back, eh? You're callin' me aliar! You're thinkin' I'm----"
"Easy, there, Simmons."
There was a chill in Lawler's voice that brought Simmons rigid with asnap--as though he had suddenly been drenched with cold water. The flushleft his face; he drew a deep, quick breath; then stood with open mouth,watching Lawler.
"Simmons," said the latter; "it has been my experience that whenever aman is touchy about his veracity, he will bear watching. You and GaryWarden have both flared up from the same spark. I don't know whetherthis thing has been framed up or not. But it looks mighty suspicious. Itis the first time there has been a lack of cars after a round-up.Curiously, the lack of cars is coincident with Gary Warden's firstseason as a buyer of cattle.
"I don't say that you've got anything to do with it, but it's mightyplain you know something about it. I'm not asking you to tell what youknow, because if there is a frame-up, it's a mighty big thing, and youare about as important a figure in it as a yellow coyote in a desert. Ireckon that's all, Simmons. You can tell your boss that Kane Lawler sayshe can go to hell."
He wheeled, crossed the floor, went out of the room and left the dooropen behind him. Simmons could hear his step on the stairs. Then Simmonssat down again, drew a big red bandanna handkerchief from a hip pocketand wiped some big beads of perspiration from his forehead. He wasbreathing fast, and his face was mottled with purple spots. He got up,ran to a side window, and watched Lawler until the latter vanishedbehind a building opposite Gary Warden's office.
Again Simmons mopped his brow. And now he drew a breath of relief.
"Whew!" he said, aloud; "I'm glad that's over. I've been dreadin' it.He's the only one in the whole bunch that I was afraid of. An' he'swise. There'll be hell in this section, now--pure, unadulterated hell,an' no mistake!"