The Spoilers of the Valley Part 88

At the hotel, while the ladies and Phil's father were upstairs, he was standing idly in the rotunda when Jim pushed out from the swing doors of the billiard room.

"Hullo, old boy!" he cried. "Sorry I couldn't get back before closing time. Say!--I've found out who the lady is."

"Allow you for that," remarked Phil.

"Funny though!--they have the same name as yourself,--Ralston. They are from some distant clime down Texas way. Man!--I wish they were cousins or something of yours. Can't you work up an acquaintance on the name, Phil? They've gone down town and haven't come back yet."

At that moment, the trio came down the carpeted stairway. Phil, who was facing them, quietly beckoned them forward, and before Jim knew how, he was surrounded.

"Meet my mother, Mr. Langford--Mrs. Ralston."

Jim gasped.

"My sister! Mr. Langford--Margery."

Jim's face underwent a series of changes. He stood and bowed stiffly, and was quite inarticulate.

"My dear old dad,--Jim."

And it was all over.

Phil enjoyed the joke immensely, but Jim was limp with the excitement of it and remained so for several courses of that interesting little dinner, although, towards the finish of it, he made ample amends with his dry humour and his brilliant sallies. He took possession of Margery finally, and Margery seemed greatly to enjoy being possessed, for to her Jim Langford was a type distinctly new, absolutely original and delightfully amusing.

Jim arranged a motor trip for the ladies for the next morning, and was reluctant indeed to wish them "Good night," in order to take part in the long business talk which Phil and Mr. Ralston, Senior, had arranged.

Right on until the early morning the three men sat in the smoking room of the Station Hotel discussing the country, the conditions and future possibilities.

Phil and Jim furnished the local information, until father Ralston became almost as well posted as they were themselves. He was a keen business man, one who knew good opportunities when they were presented and who was never afraid to grasp them.

Next morning early, as soon as he got up, Phil telephoned Eileen the wonderful news, but that alert little lady already knew, for the news had travelled quickly over the little town.

Soon thereafter, two cars--one containing the two ladies and Jim, and the other Phil and his father--ran up to Royce Pederstone's. Eileen and her father came out, were introduced, and the cheerful little party set out for a tour of inspection over the neighbourhood. Every ranch of importance was visited, particular attention being given to the many possessed by Royce Pederstone, who, although greatly improved in health, was still far from well; and the visit to the beautiful places he possessed in name only, the great areas of wonderful property that would have to pa.s.s out of his keeping to satisfy his bank creditors, seemed to cast fresh gloom over the old man.

They lunched in the open, and they visited the lakes.

While the elderly folks sat and talked together, Phil wandered off with Eileen down among the trees by the lake side. There in the shade, sitting on a gra.s.sy knoll, he told her of the plans his father and Jim and he were formulating. He cajoled her, he coaxed her, then he bullied her; but it was only when he proved to her that everything was purely in the nature of an investment, that there was no question of bolstering a tottering edifice, that it was only because of its great possibilities that they were anxious to be in it; it was only then that he won her over to their way of thinking.

Meantime Jim and Margery were away out on the lake in a motor boat, and they were both so loth to return that much hallooing and horn-honking had to be done before they swung round sh.o.r.eward.

After dinner at Royce Pederstone's, the ladies gathered together for music and conversation, while the four men closeted themselves over their cigars, in order to thrash out the burning question.

"That, gentlemen, is my exact financial position, as far as I know it," said John Royce Pederstone, after a lengthy explanation. "This is the bank's statement of my indebtedness to them. I received it yesterday."

They studied the figures closely for a time, then Phil's father--shrewd business man, quick to grasp a situation; clear-visioned, frank, lucid and brief--put the proposition in a nut-sh.e.l.l.

"Mr. Pederstone,--the boys have two hundred and fifty thousand dollars eating their paper heads off in idleness in the bank. I have,--well--as much as I require at any time. I have come out West to settle, and I mean to do so. If we don't come to an arrangement with you, we intend buying from someone else.

"We have been all over your properties to-day and they comprise some of the most valuable land in the Valley. The ranches are well laid out, the fruit varieties are of the best. Unfortunately, these ranches have not been too well looked after. The reason for this is not far to seek. From what I can gather, there has been no proper supervision of your various ranch foremen, who, evidently, have been devoting most of their time to the places they themselves own, fattening and growing rich meanwhile in some mysterious way, while you grew poor.

"The boys and I are willing to enter into joint partnership with you for the purpose of paying off your entire indebtedness to the bank and any others, so that the properties may be absolutely unenc.u.mbered.

"Between us, we can see to the proper future supervision of the farms.

We can get rid of all your useless help, hire competent foremen and ranch-hands at good wages, and so have the trees properly cared for and new ones planted to replace those that have been killed by the winter cold or have died from neglect.

"Are you agreeable to the proposition?"

"No!" put in Royce Pederstone, "because there isn't a market for the fruit when you have it harvested."

"Wait a moment! I am getting to that.

"There is a market; but there is no organisation to command it.

"When we jointly own and work these properties, we can immediately approach every rancher in the Valley, as one of themselves with mutual interests. We can organise--we shall organise--for I know how. We shall have a large, central warehouse for the segregation of the Valley's produce, for grading, for packing and for distributing. This will at once eliminate unfair compet.i.tion and the highway robber in the guise of jobber. Only first-cla.s.s fruit will be allowed to go out.

We will ship out under the Valley's special brand, with the grower's own name underneath. We will make our own way into the markets and demand fair prices for our harvests.

"Again, a single individual--or individuals crying separately--can do little or nothing with the Powers that be, as you well know; but once we are organised we can and shall insist on the Government introducing a proper system of irrigation throughout the entire Valley,--not a hit or a miss scheme such as presently obtains, for, if we would insure ourselves against periodical failure, if we would have annual uniformity of quality in our fruit, we must have proper irrigation. So far as the Government is concerned, our battle is more than half over, for we have in you a representative who knows the requirements of the Valley as no other member of parliament does.

"And in regard to the water,--look at the unlimited supply we have of it right at our very doors. If only some clear-minded inventor would devise a cheap, feasible scheme for getting the water up from these great, but low-lying lakes, on to the higher ranch levels! Failing that--we still have the lesser lakes up on the surrounding hills, as well as the numerous waterways in the neighbourhood.

"This glorious Valley is practically free from blight; the coddling moth is under perfect control. There is nothing, Mr. Pederstone, and you know it too, nothing in the world to prevent the Valley's production of fruit from increasing year by year as the younger orchards come to bearing age and fresh orchards are planted.

"There is no reason why we should not be able ultimately to take care of the entire Canadian requirements, with a surplus for export trade.

"As a vast fruit-growing organisation, we can demand and get all the transportation facilities we require.

"I tell you, the land is here, and the climate. All that is required now is cohesion and enterprise. Mr. Pederstone, we are going to see that this is supplied here and now.

"These are the facts. There is our partnership proposition to you in black and white. Read it over carefully and give us your decision to-morrow afternoon."

John Royce Pederstone rose.

"Thank you, gentlemen! I shall do so. I would give you my answer now, but I would like to go over the whole matter with my daughter Eileen.

Had I consulted her more often in the past, things would have been better for me to-day."

And next day, John Royce Pederstone shook hands with his three new partners, and sealed the compact. He had a brighter look in his eye, a more erect head, and a laugh on his lips that Eileen heard from the next room and thanked G.o.d for. She was standing at the front window, as she had so often stood--as she and Phil had occasionally done--looking out over the sun-kissed little town, with the ranges, the ranches, the settlers' cottages; the gardens, the trees, the lakes; the blue sky and the bright sunshine; all co-mingling in a merry-go-round of fairy delight and harmony and peace.

As Jim Langford hastened below, Phil stole to Eileen's side. He did not have to tell her, for she knew already.

They stood together, hand in hand, dreaming in happy contentment.

"My dear little, brave little lady," said he, as he drew her close; "The big game is just ahead of us. And we are going to win."

"You have won," she answered. "The real victory is always in the decision, Phil."

He stroked her breeze-blown curls, for the window was open and the summer wind, warm and fresh, was coming in over the hills.

The sound of a voice, sweet and mirthful; and another, low, melodious, and charming in its enunciation, came up from below, breaking in on their conversation.