Ranching For Sylvia Volume-554 by Harold Bindloss (chrome ebook reader .TXT) 📕

"Well," He Said, "There Is Some Good Rubber In Your Territory, As I

Have Stated."

"But Not Readily Accessible?"

"I'm Afraid I Can't Say It Is."

Herbert Smiled At Him.

"I'm Not Suggesting Such A Course.  In Asking A Man Of Your Character

And Attainments To Investigate, I Was Prompted By The Desire To Get A

Reliable Report."

Singleton Did Not Know What To Make Of This; So Far As His Experience

Went, Gentlemen Who Paid For An Opinion On The Property They Meant To

Dispose Of Did Not Want An Unfavorable One.

"The Rubber's Scattered And Grows In Awkward Places," He Explained.

"Precisely."  Herbert Glanced At The Paper.  "You Mentioned Something

Of The Kind.  But What About Planting And Systematic Cultivation?"

"Soil And Climate Are Eminently Suitable."

"I Gather That There's A Difficulty In The Way Of Obtaining Native

Labor?"

Singleton Broke Into A Grim Smile.

"It's A Serious One.  The Natives Consider Strangers As Their Lawful

Prey, And They Lately Managed To Give A Strong Punitive Expedition A

Good Deal Of Trouble.  In Fact, As They're In A Rather Restless Mood,

The Authorities Were Very Dubious About Letting Me Go Inland, And In

Spite Of The Care I Took, They Got Two Of My Colored Carriers.  Shot

Them With Little Poisoned Arrows."

"Ah!" Ejaculated Herbert.  "Poisoned Arrows?  That Should Have A

Deterrent Effect."

"Singularly So.  A Slight Prick Is Enough To Wipe You Out Within An

Hour.  It's Merciful The Time Is So Short."

"That," Said Herbert, "Was Not Quite What I Meant.  I Was Thinking Of

The Effect Upon The Gentlemen Who Wish To Launch This Company."

"The Risk Isn't Attached To Their End Of The Business," Singleton Dryly

Pointed Out.

Herbert Did Not Answer.  While He Sat, With Knitted Brows, Turning Over

Some Of The Papers In Front Of Him.  Singleton Looked About.  Hitherto

His Life Had Been Spent In Comfortless And Shabby English Lodgings, In

The Sour Steam Of Tropic Swamps, And In Galvanized Iron Factories That

Were Filled All Day With An Intolerable Heat.  As A Result Of This, His

Host's Library Impressed Him.  It Was Spacious And Furnished In

Excellent Taste; A Shaded Silver Lamp Stood On The Table, Diffusing A

Restricted Light That Made The Room Look Larger; A Clear Wood Fire

Burned In The Grate.  The Effect Of All He Saw Was Tranquilizing; And

The House As A Whole, Inhabited, As It Was, By Two Charming, Cultured

Women, Struck Him As A Delightful Place Of Rest.  He Wondered With

Longing Whether He Would Have An Opportunity For Coming Back To It.

Then His Host Looked Up.

"Have You Any Strong Objections To Recasting This Report?" He Asked.

"Don't Mistake Me.  I'm Not Asking You To Color Things In Any Way; I

Want Simple Facts.  After What You Have Told Me, I Can't Consider The

Prospects Of Our Working The Concessions Very Favorable."

Singleton Was Surprised; Lansing's Attitude Was Puzzling, Considering

That He Had Suggested The Flotation Of The Projected Company.

"Do You Want The Drawbacks Insisted On?" He Asked.

Herbert Smiled.

"I Don't Want Them Mitigated; State Them Clearly.  Include What You

Told Me About The Trouble With The Natives, And The Poisoned Arrows."

Then A Light Broke In Upon Singleton.  He Had Not Placed His Host In

The Same Category With Mrs. Lansing And Sylvia.  It Looked As If He Had

Changed His Plans And Wished To Prevent The Company From Being Formed.

This Caused Singleton To Consider How Far He Would Be Justified In

Assisting Him.  He Could Honestly Go Some Length In Doing So, And,

Having Fallen A Victim To Sylvia's Charm, He Was Willing To Do His

Utmost.

"There's No Doubt That Some Of The Facts Are Discouraging," He Said.

Herbert Looked At Him Keenly.

"That Is What Struck Me.  Suppose You Think The Thing Over And Bring Me

Down A Fresh Report A Week From To-Day.  Stay A Day Or Two, If You're

Not Busy; I Can Get You Some Shooting, And We Can Talk Over Any Points

That Seem To Require It At Leisure."

Singleton Sat Silent A Moment.  He Wanted To Come Back, And He Did Not

Believe The Concession Could Be Profitably Worked By Any Usual Methods.

For All That, He Thought He Could Make Something Of The Property; It

Was Not Altogether Worthless, Though It Would Require Exceptional

Treatment.

"Perhaps That Would Be Better," He Replied, "I Should Be Delighted To

Make Another Visit."

Herbert Took Up The Paper And Looked At Singleton With A Smile As He

Flung It Into The Fire.

"Now I Think We'll Go Down," He Said.  "Mrs. Lansing Will Be Waiting

For Us."

Singleton Spent The Remainder Of The Evening With Great Content,

Talking To Sylvia.  When She Left Him, Herbert Met Her In The Hall.

"Thanks," He Smiled Meaningly.  "Did You Find The Man Interesting?"

"To Some Extent," Returned Sylvia; "He's A Type That's New To Me.

Still, Of Course, He's A Little Raw, And Inclined To Be Serious.  I

Think One Could See Too Much Of Him."

"He's Coming Down Again In A Week."

"Oh!" Said Sylvia, With Signs Of Protest.  "And After That?"

Herbert Laughed.

"I Don't Think He'll Make A Third Visit."

Singleton Came Down Again To Brantholme, Bringing His Amended Report,

Which Met With Herbert's Approval.  He Spent One Wet Day Walking

Through Turnip Fields And Stubble In Search Of Partridges, And Two

Delightful Evenings With Mrs. Lansing And Sylvia, And Then He Was

Allowed To Depart.  He Had Served His Purpose, And Herbert Was Glad To

Get Rid Of Him.  Lansing Generally Found It Desirable To Drop Men For

Whom He Had No More Use; But He Had Not Done With Singleton.

A Day Or Two Later, After His Guest Had Left, Herbert Sat In His Office

In A Busy Town With An Open Ledger In Front Of Him.  He Looked

Thoughtful, And, As A Matter Of Fact, He Was Reviewing The Latter Part

Of His Business Career, Which Had Been Marked By Risks, Boldly Faced,

But Attended By Keen Anxiety.  Though His Wife Had Some Money, Lansing

Had Been Hampered By Lack Of Capital, And George's Money Had Been

Placed At His Disposal At A Very Opportune Time.  It Had Enabled Him To

Carry The Rubber Company Over What Might Have Proved A Crisis, And Thus

Strengthen His Position As Director, By Purchasing Sufficient Shares On

George's Account To Keep The Price From Falling And Defeat The

Intrigues Of A Clique Of Discontented Investors.  Now, However, The

Strain Had Slackened; Herbert's Schemes Had Succeeded, And He Had Only

To Take His Profit By Selling Out As Quietly As Possible.  He Had

Already Given A Broker Orders To Do So.  He Rather Regretted That He

Could Not Dispose Of George's Shares, But These Must Be Kept A Little

Longer; To Throw A Large Quantity Upon The Market Would Have A

Depressing Effect And Might Arouse Suspicion.

Presently A Man With Whom He Had Dealings Was Shown In And Sat Down.

His Appearance Indicated Some Degree Of Prosperity, But He Looked

Disturbed And Anxious.

"I Met Jackson Yesterday, And After What He Told Me Of His Interview

With You, I Thought I'd Better Run Up And See You At Once," He

Explained.

Herbert Had Expected The Visit.

"I'm At Your Service," He Said.

"What About The New Company?  I Understand You Haven't Come To Any

Decision Yet About The Suggestions We Sent You For Its Flotation."

"No," Replied Herbert.  "In Fact, I've Reasons For Believing It

Wouldn't Be Wise To Go Any Farther In The Matter."

The Other Looked At Him In Astonishment.

"Well," He Said, "I Heard That You Were Not So Enthusiastic As You Were

Not Long Ago, Which Is Why I Came Down; But I Never Expected This!

Anyway, After What We Have Done, You Are Bound To Go On With The Thing.

Our Success With The First Company Will Help The Shares Off."

"That's Not Certain."  Herbert Handed Him A Paper.  "You Haven't Seen

Singleton's Report."

The Man Read It Hastily, His Face Changing.  Then He Looked Up With

Signs Of Strong Indignation.

"You Let Him Give You A Thing Like This?  Paid Him For It?"

"What Could I Do?  The Man's Honest.  He Declares The Country's

Dangerous; He Had Two Carriers Killed.  There's No Prospect Of Our

Obtaining The Needful Native Labor."

"Send Somebody Else Out At Once!"

"With The Same Result.  Besides, It's Expensive.  Singleton's Fee

Wasn't So Big, Because He Shared The Cost Of His Orchid Collecting Or

Something Of The Kind With Us.  Then He Might Talk, And There Would

Always Be The Risk Of Somebody's Challenging Us With Suppressing His

Report.  If Things Went Wrong, That Would Lead To Trouble."

"Would There Be Any Use In My Seeing Him?"

Herbert Smiled.  Singleton Would Not Turn