登陆注册
15470800000075

第75章

Did you ever stop to think of the tremendous moral lesson in the Bible tale of David and Goliath? And how great, human issues are often decided one way or the other by little things? Not all crises are passed in the clashing of swords and the boom of cannon. It was a pebble the size of your thumbend, remember, that slew the giant.

In the struggle which the Happy Family was making to preserve the shrunken range of the Flying U, and to hold back the sweeping tide of immigration, one might logically look for some big, overwhelming element to turn the tide one way or the other. With the Homeseekers' Syndicate backing the natural animosity of the settlers, who had filed upon semiarid land because the Happy Family had taken all of the tract that was tillable, a big, open clash might be considered inevitable.

And yet the struggle was resolving itself into the question of whether the contest filings should be approved by the land-office, or the filings of the Happy Family be allowed to stand as having been made in good faith. Florence Hallman therefore, having taken upon herself the leadership in the contest fight, must do one of two things if she would have victory to salve the hurt to her self-esteem and to vindicate the firm's policy in the eyes of the settlers.

She must produce evidence of the collusion of the Flying U outfit with the Happy Family, in the taking of the claims. Or she must connive to prevent the filing of answers to the contest notices within the time-limit fixed by law, so that the cases would go by default. That, of course, was the simplest--since she had not been able to gather any evidence of collusion that would stand in court.

There was another element in the land struggle--that was the soil and climate that would fight inexorably against the settlers; but with them we have little to do, since the Happy Family had nothing to do with them save in a purely negative way.

A four-wire fence and a systematic patrol along the line was having its effect upon the stock question. If the settlers drove their cattle south until they passed the farthest corner of Flying U fence, they came plump against Bert Rogers' barbed boundary line. West of that was his father's place--and that stretched to the railroad right-of-way, fenced on either side with a stock-proof barrier and hugging the Missouri all the way to the Marias--where were other settlers. If they went north until they passed the fence of the Happy Family, there were the Meeker holdings to bar the way to the very foot of Old Centennial, and as far up its sides as cattle would go.

The Happy Family had planned wisely when they took their claims in a long chain that stretched across the benchland north of the Flying U. Florence Grace knew this perfectly well--but what could she prove? The Happy Family had bought cattle of their own, and were grazing them lawfully upon their own claims. A lawyer had assured her that there was no evidence to be gained there. They never went near J. G.

Whitmore, nor did they make use of his wagons, his teams or his tools or his money; instead they hired what they needed, openly and from Bert Rogers. They had bought their cattle from the Flying U, and that was the extent of their business relations--on the surface. And since collusion had been the ground given for the contests, it will be easily seen what slight hope Florence Grace and her clients must have of winning any contest suit. Still, there was that alternative--the Happy Family had been so eager to build that fence and gather their cattle and put them back on the claims, and so anxious lest in their absence the settlers should slip cattle across the dead line and into the breaks, that they had postponed their trip to Great Falls as long as possible.

The Honorable Blake had tacitly advised them to do so; and the Happy Family never gave a thought to their being hindered when they did get ready to attend to it.

But--a pebble killed Goliath.

H. J. Owens, whose eyes were the wrong shade of blue, sat upon a rocky hilltop which overlooked the trail from Flying U Coulee and a greater portion of the shack-dotted benchland as well, and swept the far horizons with his field glasses. Just down the eastern slope, where the jutting sandstone cast a shadow, his horse stood tied to a dejected wild-currant bush.

He laid the glasses across his knees while he refilled his pipe, and tilted his hatbrim to shield his pale blue eyes from the sun that was sliding past midday.

H. J. Owens looked at his watch, nevertheless, as though the position of the sun meant nothing to him. He scowled a little, stretched a leg straight out before him to ease it of cramp, and afterwards moved farther along in the shade. The wind swept past with a faint whistle, and laid the ripening grasses flat where it passed. A cloud shadow moved slowly along the slope beneath him, and he watched the darkening of the earth where it touched, and the sharp contrast of the sun-yellowed sea of grass all around it. H. J. Owens looked bored and sleepy; yet he did not leave the hilltop--nor did he go to sleep.

Instead, he lifted the glasses, turned them toward Flying U Coulee a half mile to the south of him, and stared long at the trail. After a few minutes he made a gesture to lower the glasses, and then abruptly fixed them steadily upon one spot, where the trail wound up over the crest of the bluff. He looked for a minute, and laid the glasses down upon a rock.

H. J. Owens fumbled in the pocket of his coat, which he had folded and laid beside him on the yellow gravel of the hill.

He found something he wanted, stood up, and with his back against a boulder he faced to the southwest. He was careful about the direction. He glanced up at the sun, squinting his eyes at the glare; he looked at what he held in his hand.

A glitter of sun on glass showed briefly. H. J. Owens laid his palm over it, waited while he could count ten, and took his palm away. Replaced it, waited, and revealed the glass again with the sun glare upon it full. He held it so for a full minute, and slid the glass back into his pocket.

同类推荐
  • 谜语绕口令英语

    谜语绕口令英语

    谜语和绕口令是英语文学中两种比较独特的语言艺术形式。前者既饶有情趣,又可以启发心智,增进思考和想像能力;后者结构巧妙,诙谐风趣,富有音乐性,最适合口头背诵,深受广大英语读者的喜爱。
  • 商务英语会议900句典

    商务英语会议900句典

    本书共分为主席的职责、与会者的表现、会议中的商机及商务会议知识介绍四个部分。每一章的背景知识以中英文对照的方式让读者对各部分的会议流程有清晰的理解。文中提供大量的典型范例,快速提高读者对会议用语、常见问题的熟悉程度。同时配以即学即用,让读者感觉身临其境。
  • 不可思议!原来我的英语这么溜!

    不可思议!原来我的英语这么溜!

    由徐维克编著的《不可思议原来我的英语这么溜》内容从基本的打招呼到话题应对,涵盖日常生活的方方面面,内容丰富。 关键时刻必备的一句话,依个人情况不同,可选择简易版或是升级版来回答,书里还将最夯的偶像剧对话与情境做链接,让您在练习时更容易融入情感,效果自然就会double再double啰!另外,对于想要将哪一句话延伸,从一句变两句变三句的读者朋友,书里也设计单词便利贴,提供与该情境相关、可延伸的单词,《不可思议原来我的英语这么溜》是一本实用性5颗星、趣味性也5颗星的生活英语会话书,推荐给您。
  • A Passion in the Desert

    A Passion in the Desert

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 社会交往英语口语即学即用

    社会交往英语口语即学即用

    取材于人们所从事的社交活动的方方面面,范围广、实用性强。共包括7个部分:社交惯用语、家庭交往、社会生活、电话交往、商务交往、出行交往和社交语气。希望该书对具有中低层次英语水平的读者提高英语口语水平有所帮助。
热门推荐
  • 生死再恋:绝世娇宠魔女爱

    生死再恋:绝世娇宠魔女爱

    阴冷的雪芸殿,气氛冷凝僵持。长长的黑色铁链拷在女子的手脚上。女子半坐在冰冷的地上,发丝披散在肩头。从凌乱的刘海下露出一双神秘的紫色眸子。“你最好杀了我,否则我会让整个天下为我陪葬!”从已无血色的娇唇中吐出了令人震惊的诅咒。身穿玄色华袍的男子不屑的道“那我到要看看,没有神力、武功、地位、金钱,失去一切的你如何颠覆我朝?!”男子转身离去,嘴角带着一丝她永远都不知道的苦笑。女子垂下双眸,右眼落下一滴无声的泪:你我终究还是要像和他一样以决裂的方式来终曲……无可改变!
  • 新纪元之暗夜降临

    新纪元之暗夜降临

    光明之下,是否都潜藏着阴影?繁华背后,是否都有鬼影重重?地上与地下的战火,人族与魔族的百年战争,一个又一个阴谋。生如浮萍,生如草芥。所有的罪恶,是否都要用鲜血来洗涤?那么,就感受一下魔王的愤怒吧!向我乞求吧!而我将不宽恕你们!
  • 海派书画艺术散论

    海派书画艺术散论

    海派书画艺术是海派文化的重要组成部分。本书重在对其作历史性的挖掘梳理与整体性的研究推进,第一次运用经济学的方法对三代海派书画名家的经济形态作了具体的量化分析,考证其市场运作与商业推介;从社会学的角度对三代海派书画家的从艺方式进行了个体与群体关系的考察,对海派书画领袖及名家亦作了独到而具体的研究,探幽抉微,新意迭出。
  • 韩风萧瑟

    韩风萧瑟

    这部书讲的是一个15岁女孩从平民家的孩子转变成富豪家的孩子之后的事,希望大家能够喜欢
  • 东方未杪

    东方未杪

    初入异世,是劫难,是宿命?师入长留,是阴谋,是转机?异朽东方,是邂逅,是注定?魂断妖台,紫阳尽毁,世世复尽,终是不悔。东方彧卿,那些你曾经受过的伤,尝过的痛,今生今世,都由我来为你一一抚平。
  • 魔枭神主

    魔枭神主

    吞尽世间苦楚,成就无上巅峰。魔神间游走,缔造一代魔枭神主。
  • 问天妖皇

    问天妖皇

    那一晚我静坐山巅,蓦然听见,你弹奏的琴声那一天我走出青丘,踏上大帝之路,不为无敌只为让你荣耀披身“青云,为何要哭呢!你说过要用漫天星辰来给我写情书的,可惜,看不……到了呢,那应该……很……美吧”绝美少女笑容灿烂,语气轻松!那一年磕长头匍匐在山路,不为觐见,只为见你最后一面那一年我潜入地府,翻阅所有的生死簿,不为不死只为寻找你的踪迹那一瞬我高坐九霄之上不为君临天下只为等你归来
  • 岁华纪丽谱

    岁华纪丽谱

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 仙凌神武

    仙凌神武

    神武大陆,强者的世界,将丛林法则演绎的淋漓尽致;周青是个胸无大志的二世祖,他只想纸醉金迷、荒淫无度的了此一生,奈何,天不遂人愿,在大势的推动下,他一步步的走向了巅峰
  • 太公金匮

    太公金匮

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。