El Diablo, Page 26

  CHAPTER XXVI

  THE VALUE OF PUBLICITY

  "What time is it?"

  Gregory huddled to the floor of the cockpit and drew out his watch."Two-thirty," he shouted above the frenzied snapping of the openexhaust.

  Dickie hurled the _Richard_ into a mounting wall of green water whichtottered above them. Then she cried through set lips: "Just abouthalf-way. We're over the worst of it though. The nearer we get to shorethe better time we'll make. We're sure going to need it too."

  Gregory nodded absent-mindedly. His mind was filled with the problem ofwhat he was going to do if he did arrive at Legonia on time. Dickie hadmade a wonderful run thus far, had handled the _Richard_ masterfullyagainst wind and wave, had more than done her part. Soon her work wouldbe done. Then his would begin. And what was he going to do?

  The sum to be raised would have once seemed trifling. What would twelvehundred dollars have amounted to three months ago? Now, it looked like amillion. There was no chance of raising it to-day. He must secure abond.

  Rock had played his hand well. The bank president had hit in some wayupon a plan of injuring him while he was away. And Rock could injurehim. A tie-up at such a time would rob him of all he had gained bybeating Mascola at El Diablo. The fishing fleet were loaded to thegunwales with albacore. The fish must be worked up at once. A loss ofeven twenty-four hours would render them worthless.

  Gregory reflected bitterly that he had other creditors. Had Rockobtained other due and unpaid accounts? Even if such were not the case,the shutting down of his plant might be the signal for other wholesalersto launch a similar attack upon his credit. He realized sharply that hewas accomplishing nothing. Merely thinking in circles. Hawkins hadsuggested putting up a bond. The newspaperman was doubtless familiarwith the procedure. Perhaps it could be effected if they arrived earlyenough to arrange the matter. He turned to his friend for enlightenment.

  "How long would it take for me to get a bond?" he asked.

  Hawkins' usually cheery countenance clouded, as he replied:

  "Not long, if you could find a surety company agent in his office. Butthe trouble is this is Saturday. I didn't think of it until you got thatwire from your attorney. It's a legal holiday for the courts and it'shard to find anybody around you want." Hawkins' frown grew blacker as hecontinued: "Then there's another thing. You've got to have the judgeapprove the bond, granting you're lucky enough to get it. And lookingfor a judge on Saturday afternoon is like looking for the proverbialneedle."

  Hawkins placed a hand wearily over his eyes and lapsed into silence.

  * * * * *

  Jack McCoy was at his wit's end. The fishing fleet from Diablo had justarrived, loaded with albacore. The captains reported a rough trip allthe way over. They had seen or heard nothing from Gregory since leavingCavalan. McCoy paced up and down the dock while he superintended theunloading of the fish. What a haul they had made! But what good would itdo them? The whole plant would be tied up in less than an hour.

  He jerked out his watch and looked at it again. It was seven minutesafter three. Walking to the bay-side, he shaded his eyes with his handand gazed anxiously in the direction of the inlet. Granting that Gregoryarrived within the next half-hour, what could he possibly accomplish inso short a time? All McCoy's efforts to confer with Rock had beenfruitless. The bank president could not be located and had left but oneword.

  He would be at the cannery at four o'clock.

  * * * * *

  The low-lying clouds which hung about the entrance to Crescent Bayrifted sullenly and exposed the ragged line of rocks which made up thejetty.

  "Right on the dot," Dickie Lang exclaimed. "I was afraid maybe I wastoo far down. What time is it now?"

  "Three-thirty," Gregory answered. "We ought to dock in ten minutes."

  "We'll be there in five unless I run into something going down theharbor."

  "Stop at the municipal dock first," Gregory instructed her. "I'm goingto run ashore and try to get a bond. Then we'll go on to the cannery."

  Hawkins roused himself from his lethargy as they sped down the bay.

  "I can help you some," he announced. "I can go on your bond. I own atleast three times the amount of the claim in real estate in this county.That will save us some time. We can get a blank form from a notary andhave him fill it out. Then all we've got to do is to find the judge."

  "Doesn't Rock have to put up a bond, too?" Gregory asked. "He's tryinghis best to damage me. Haven't I any come-back?"

  "Don't bank on Rock's bond," Hawkins answered. "He has to put one up,but it's pretty liable to be 'straw.' Fellows like him generally have astrangle-hold on a little place like this and they are pretty sure oftheir ground before they shoot. The chances are Rock's in the clear witha 'dummy' or else his property is all under cover. I'm going to make itmy business to look the old fellow up and see how he's fixed. Men likehim don't do anything without a motive. I'm going to try to find outwhat Rock is up to."

  At the municipal docks Gregory and Hawkins debarked hastily and ran downthe main street of the town. Contrary to the newspaperman's fears theywere successful in finding a young notary in his office. Stimulated bythe promise of an extra fee, the man made out the papers in record time.

  "Where can we find the local judge?" Gregory asked quickly.

  The notary shook his head.

  "Hard telling," he answered. "He went out a while ago with Mr. Rock andone of the real estate men in this office to look at a piece ofproperty. Haven't seen Joe back since so I suppose they're still out."

  When Gregory arrived at the cannery it lacked ten minutes of being fouro'clock. Hurrying to the office the party from the _Richard_ encounteredMcCoy talking with a well-dressed stranger.

  "Here's Mr. Gregory now," exclaimed the house-manager running over tomeet his employer. "What luck?" he whispered.

  A glance at Gregory's face, however, was all McCoy needed to answer hisquestion. The boss had failed to stay the attachment. The plant would beshut down and all the fish from Diablo would rot on the docks.

  The visitor stepped forward with a smile and introduced himself. "I'mMr. Dalton, of Winfield & Camby," he said pleasantly. "I kind of stole amarch on you people to-day. Came down to inspect at the firm's requestand found you all so busy that I just sneaked into your warehouse andwent to work without saying anything to anybody." He smiled, as headded: "We kind of like to do that. With a new firm especially. Itprevents them 'stacking' on us."

  "Have you finished your inspection?"

  Gregory put the question with suppressed eagerness.

  Dalton nodded. "Yes," he answered. "I'm well enough satisfied. Yourstuff is fully up to par. Perhaps a little better than some standards.If you are willing to hold to your schedule of prices which you gave Mr.Dupont I'm ready to tie up with you right now."

  A gleam of hope flashed to Gregory's eye.

  "Isn't it customary to make a part payment when the contract is signed?"he asked.

  Dalton smiled and shook his head.

  "Ten dollars is enough," he answered.

  Gregory's eyes were fixed earnestly on the representative from Winfield& Camby.

  "Listen, Mr. Dalton," he said. "I've got to have twelve hundred andthirty-five dollars by four o'clock or I'll lose thousands. I've gotfifteen boats outside loaded to the water-line with albacore besides allthe canned stuff on the floor. I own the building, machinery andtwenty-five fishing-boats. There's not a dollar against any part of it.I guess you've looked me up already and you know I'm telling the truth.If you give me an advance of twelve hundred and thirty-five dollarsI'll close right now and pay you any interest you want. But I've got tohave the money right now."

  Dalton jerked out his watch.

  "Hardly time," he answered. "Even if Dupont would O.K. it, which Idoubt."

  Gregory was already at the telephone.

  "I'll get him for you. Can you let me have the money if he says it's allright?"

&n
bsp; As Dalton nodded in affirmation, Gregory's eye fell upon the open watchupon the desk. It lacked five minutes of four o'clock.

  * * * * *

  Mr. Dupont was seated in his private office puffing contentedly at along panatella when the door opened and the publicity man entered.

  "What's new, Black? Anything?"

  Black smiled and dropped into a chair.

  "Nothing new," he said. "It's getting to be an old story. Every eveningpaper in the city copied that fellow Hawkins' yarn in _The Times_ aboutthe sea fight at Diablo Island. Why, that man Gregory has enough freepublicity to elect him to Congress. And he's advertising on the strengthof it, like a department store. I was around to his service market a fewminutes ago and people were fighting to get within shouting distance ofthe counter. I'd say he was a mighty good bet right now, Dupont. Thatstuff has the town all lit up. If his output is anywhere near up tostandard I'd say it would be good business to tie him up and beat theothers to it."

  As Mr. Dupont was about to speak, the telephone bell interrupted.

  "Yes," he answered. "On the phone. Hello, Dalton.--What's that?--Yes, Iget you.--How's the stuff?--It is, eh? How's that?--I see.--What do youthink?--You would?--All right, Dalton. Sure, go ahead. Drop in at theapartments when you get back. I want to have a look at that contract."

  Mr. Dalton hung up the instrument and faced about. "You win," heexclaimed. "Caught the old man just right. He'd have given me a month'svacation on full pay if I'd have had the nerve to have asked for it." Hewrote the check hurriedly as he spoke and passed it over to Gregory withthe words: "And now, don't forget that you still have the contract tosign."

  Gregory took the check with shaking fingers, at a loss for words toexpress fittingly his appreciation of the favor.

  A moment later the door opened and Silvanus Rock entered with twostrangers. The financier was on time. In another few seconds the handsof the watch would be pointing to four o'clock. Rock's beady eyes openedwider as he took in the occupants of the room.

  "I regret that circumstances have forced upon me a very unpleasantduty," he began, but Gregory cut him short.

  "They haven't," he said. "You guessed wrong this time, Mr. Rock. You'vecome for your money. Here it is."

  Endorsing the check, he passed it over.

  Silvanus Rock's fat fingers closed about the check and his small eyesglinted. For a moment his heavy jaw sagged and the flabby flesh gatheredin rolls and pressed tightly against his white collar. At length hefound his voice. "This check is not certified," he exclaimed hotly. "Irefuse to take it."

  Dalton smiled.

  "I guess that check isn't worrying you much, Mr. Rock," he said easily."We're both pretty well acquainted with Winfield & Camby's reputationand between you and me, I hardly think they would relish any inferencelike that coming from a man in your position here."

  Rock gulped, as he recognized the representative of the big jobbers.Still he hesitated, rolling the check nervously in his fingers.

  Then Hawkins pressed forward.

  "Don't urge him to take that check, Cap, if he doesn't want to," hedrawled. "In fact I think it would make a much better story if he turnedit down in the presence of all these witnesses."

  Rock confronted Hawkins angrily. "Who are you?" he demanded.

  Hawkins introduced himself with a happy smile. "I've been wanting tomeet you for some time, Mr. Rock," he said. "I'm with the Port Angeles_Daily Times_. Since coming to Legonia I have become much interested inthe local fishing situation. As yet there are several things I'm notquite clear on. I believe you could enlighten me. What about aninterview?"

  Rock's face purpled, then grew white. His beady eyes shifted nervouslyfrom one person to another, and focused at last on Kenneth Gregory.

  "I'll take the check," he said thickly in a voice that shook withemotion.

  * * * * *

  It was some time later when the business of the day came to asatisfactory close. Winfield & Camby's representative had departed withhis signed contract which McCoy had designated as a "gilt-edgeproposition." The fish were all unloaded and the night-shift had alreadystarted to work on them. The events of the past two days were beginningto bear fruit.

  Mascola had been beaten. Rock had been beaten. The sea itself had beenbeaten by Dickie Lang and the _Richard_. All of these things had beengone over again and again. Weak from the reaction of the continuedstrain under which they had labored, the quartette of principals in thecannery drama slouched deep in their chairs and conversation began tolag.

  Then Dickie Lang broke the silence.

  "We've all forgotten to eat," she exclaimed. "If you'll all come up tothe house I know Aunt Mary will do her best for you."

  Gregory, Hawkins and McCoy accepted the invitation in unison. As theyfollowed the girl out, Gregory observed to McCoy:

  "I can't understand why Winfield & Camby faced about so suddenly. Why,they saved our lives. Who would have thought it?"

  "I would," Hawkins cut in. "Anybody would who stopped to think." Heslapped Gregory affectionately on the shoulder. "Didn't I tell you, Cap,that I'd have old Dupont eating out of your hand in less than a week?"he challenged. "Old leather-face has an ear to the ground. He's heardthe rumble of my thunder and he wants to get to cover."

  His face lighted with enthusiasm as he went on: "Just wait until thelightning begins to play around some of these birds. Then you'll seethem scamper. I'm going to the city to-morrow to have a talk with theC.E. and I've just got a sneaking hunch that I'm going to startsomething."