第22章

"Good-morning, sir," he observed, and waited for S.Behrman's further speech.

"Well, Mr.Derrick," continued S.Behrman, wiping the back of his neck with his handkerchief, "I saw in the city papers yesterday that our case had gone against you.""I guess it wasn't any great news to YOU," commented Harran, his face scarlet."I guess you knew which way Ulsteen was going to jump after your very first interview with him.You don't like to be surprised in this sort of thing, S.Behrman.""Now, you know better than that, Harran," remonstrated S.Behrman blandly."I know what you mean to imply, but I ain't going to let it make me get mad.I wanted to say to your Governor--Iwanted to say to you, Mr.Derrick--as one man to another--letting alone for the minute that we were on opposite sides of the case--that I'm sorry you didn't win.Your side made a good fight, but it was in a mistaken cause.That's the whole trouble.Why, you could have figured out before you ever went into the case that such rates are confiscation of property.You must allow us--must allow the railroad--a fair interest on the investment.You don't want us to go into the receiver's hands, do you now, Mr.

Derrick?"

"The Board of Railroad Commissioners was bought," remarked Magnus sharply, a keen, brisk flash glinting in his eye.

"It was part of the game," put in Harran, "for the Railroad Commission to cut rates to a ridiculous figure, far below a REASONABLE figure, just so that it WOULD be confiscation.

Whether Ulsteen is a tool of yours or not, he had to put the rates back to what they were originally.""If you enforced those rates, Mr.Harran," returned S.Behrman calmly, "we wouldn't be able to earn sufficient money to meet operating expenses or fixed charges, to say nothing of a surplus left over to pay dividends----""Tell me when the P.and S.W.ever paid dividends.""The lowest rates," continued S.Behrman, "that the legislature can establish must be such as will secure us a fair interest on our investment.""Well, what's your standard? Come, let's hear it.Who is to say what's a fair rate? The railroad has its own notions of fairness sometimes.""The laws of the State," returned S.Behrman, "fix the rate of interest at seven per cent.That's a good enough standard for us.There is no reason, Mr.Harran, why a dollar invested in a railroad should not earn as much as a dollar represented by a promissory note--seven per cent.By applying your schedule of rates we would not earn a cent; we would be bankrupt.""Interest on your investment!" cried Harran, furious."It's fine to talk about fair interest.I know and you know that the total earnings of the P.and S.W.--their main, branch and leased lines for last year--was between nineteen and twenty millions of dollars.Do you mean to say that twenty million dollars is seven per cent.of the original cost of the road?"S.Behrman spread out his hands, smiling.

"That was the gross, not the net figure--and how can you tell what was the original cost of the road?""Ah, that's just it," shouted Harran, emphasising each word with a blow of his fist upon his knee, his eyes sparkling, "you take cursed good care that we don't know anything about the original cost of the road.But we know you are bonded for treble your value; and we know this: that the road COULD have been built for fifty-four thousand dollars per mile and that you SAY it cost you eighty-seven thousand.It makes a difference, S.Behrman, on which of these two figures you are basing your seven per cent.""That all may show obstinacy, Harran," observed S.Behrman vaguely, "but it don't show common sense.""We are threshing out old straw, I believe, gentlemen," remarked Magnus."The question was thoroughly sifted in the courts.""Quite right," assented S.Behrman."The best way is that the railroad and the farmer understand each other and get along peaceably.We are both dependent on each other.Your ploughs, Ibelieve, Mr.Derrick." S.Behrman nodded toward the flat cars.

"They are consigned to me," admitted Magnus.

"It looks a trifle like rain," observed S.Behrman, easing his neck and jowl in his limp collar."I suppose you will want to begin ploughing next week.""Possibly," said Magnus.

"I'll see that your ploughs are hurried through for you then, Mr.

Derrick.We will route them by fast freight for you and it won't cost you anything extra.""What do you mean?" demanded Harran."The ploughs are here.We have nothing more to do with the railroad.I am going to have my wagons down here this afternoon.""I am sorry," answered S.Behrman, "but the cars are going north, not, as you thought, coming FROM the north.They have not been to San Francisco yet."Magnus made a slight movement of the head as one who remembers a fact hitherto forgotten.But Harran was as yet unenlightened.

"To San Francisco!" he answered, "we want them here--what are you talking about?""Well, you know, of course, the regulations," answered S.Behrman."Freight of this kind coming from the Eastern points into the State must go first to one of our common points and be reshipped from there."Harran did remember now, but never before had the matter so struck home.He leaned back in his seat in dumb amazement for the instant.Even Magnus had turned a little pale.Then, abruptly, Harran broke out violent and raging.

"What next? My God, why don't you break into our houses at night? Why don't you steal the watch out of my pocket, steal the horses out of the harness, hold us up with a shot-gun; yes, 'stand and deliver; your money or your life.' Here we bring our ploughs from the East over your lines, but you're not content with your long-haul rate between Eastern points and Bonneville.