Part 37 (1/2)
”There'll be temporary receivers.h.i.+ps, of course,” Daylight advised; ”but they won't bother none or last long. What you must do immediately is to save everybody--the men that have been letting their wages ride with me, all the creditors, and all the concerns that have stood by.
There's the wad of land that New Jersey crowd has been d.i.c.kering for.
They'll take all of a couple of thousand acres and will close now if you give them half a chance. That Fairmount section is the cream of it, and they'll dig up as high as a thousand dollars an acre for a part of it. That'll help out some. That five-hundred acre tract beyond, you'll be lucky if they pay two hundred an acre.”
Dede, who had been scarcely listening, seemed abruptly to make up her mind, and stepped forward where she confronted the two men. Her face was pale, but set with determination, so that Daylight, looking at it, was reminded of the day when she first rode Bob.
”Wait,” she said. ”I want to say something. Elam, if you do this insane thing, I won't marry you. I refuse to marry you.”
Hegan, in spite of his misery, gave her a quick, grateful look.
”I'll take my chance on that,” Daylight began.
”Wait!” she again interrupted. ”And if you don't do this thing, I will marry you.”
”Let me get this proposition clear.” Daylight spoke with exasperating slowness and deliberation. ”As I understand it, if I keep right on at the business game, you'll sure marry me? You'll marry me if I keep on working my head off and drinking Martinis?”
After each question he paused, while she nodded an affirmation.
”And you'll marry me right away?”
”Yes.”
”To-day? Now?”
”Yes.”
He pondered for a moment.
”No, little woman, I won't do it. It won't work, and you know it yourself. I want you--all of you; and to get it I'll have to give you all of myself, and there'll be darn little of myself left over to give if I stay with the business game. Why, Dede, with you on the ranch with me, I'm sure of you--and of myself. I'm sure of you, anyway. You can talk will or won't all you want, but you're sure going to marry me just the same. And now, Larry, you'd better be going. I'll be at the hotel in a little while, and since I'm not going a step into the office again, bring all papers to sign and the rest over to my rooms. And you can get me on the 'phone there any time. This smash is going through.
Savvee? I'm quit and done.”
He stood up as a sign for Hegan to go. The latter was plainly stunned.
He also rose to his feet, but stood looking helplessly around.
”Sheer, downright, absolute insanity,” he muttered.
Daylight put his hand on the other's shoulder.
”Buck up, Larry. You're always talking about the wonders of human nature, and here I am giving you another sample of it and you ain't appreciating it. I'm a bigger dreamer than you are, that's all, and I'm sure dreaming what's coming true. It's the biggest, best dream I ever had, and I'm going after it to get it--”
”By losing all you've got,” Hegan exploded at him.
”Sure--by losing all I've got that I don't want. But I'm hanging on to them hundred and forty hair bridles just the same. Now you'd better hustle out to Unwin and Harrison and get on down town. I'll be at the hotel, and you can call me up any time.”
He turned to Dede as soon as Hegan was gone, and took her by the hand.
”And now, little woman, you needn't come to the office any more.
Consider yourself discharged. And remember I was your employer, so you've got to come to me for recommendation, and if you're not real good, I won't give you one. In the meantime, you just rest up and think about what things you want to pack, because we'll just about have to set up housekeeping on your stuff--leastways, the front part of the house.”