The two girls kept their constrained and artificially elaborated attitude for a few moments, accompanied by the murmur of voices in the kitchen, the monotonous drip of the eaves before the window, and the far-off sough of the wind. Then Phemie suddenly broke into a constrained giggle, which she however quickly smothered as she had the accordion, and with the same look of mischievous distress.
Im astonished at you, Phemie, said Clementina in a deep contralto voice, which seemed even deeper from its restraint. You dont seem to have any sense. Anybodyd think you never had seen a stranger before.
Saw him before you did, retorted Phemie pertly. But here a pushing of chairs and shuffling of feet in the kitchen checked her. Clementina fixed an abstracted gaze on the ceiling; Phemie regarded a leaf on the window sill with photographic rigidity as the door opened to the strangers and her father.
The look of undisguised satisfaction which lit the young mens faces relieved Mr. Harkutts awkward introduction of any embarrassment, and almost before Phemie was fully aware of it, she found herself talking rapidly and in a high key with Mr. Lawrence Grant, the surveyor, while her sister was equally, although more sedately, occupied with Mr. Stephen Rice, his assistant. But the enthusiasm of the strangers, and the desire to please and be pleased was so genuine and contagious that presently the accordion was brought into requisition, and Mr. Grant exhibited a surprising faculty of accompaniment to Mr. Rices tenor, in which both the girls joined.
Then a game of cards with partners followed, into which the rival parties introduced such delightful and shameless obviousness of cheating, and displayed such fascinating and exaggerated partisanship that the game resolved itself into a hilarious melee, to which peace was restored only by an exhibition of tricks of legerdemain with the cards by the young surveyor. All of which Mr. Harkutt supervised patronizingly, with occasional fits of abstraction, from his rocking-chair; and later Mrs. Harkutt from her kitchen threshold, wiping her arms on her apron and commiseratingly observing that she declared, the young folks looked better already.
But it was here a more dangerous element of mystery and suggestion was added by Mr. Lawrence Grant in the telling of Miss Euphemias fortune from the cards before him, and that young lady, pink with excitement, fluttered her little hands not unlike timid birds over the cards to be drawn, taking them from him with an audible twitter of anxiety and great doubts whether a certain fair-haired gentleman was in hearts or diamonds.
Here are two strangers, said Mr. Grant, with extraordinary gravity laying down the cards, and here is a journey; this is unexpected news, and this ten of diamonds means great wealth to you, which you see follows the advent of the two strangers and is some way connected with them.
Oh, indeed, said the young lady with great pertness and a toss of her head. I suppose theyve got the money with them.
No, though it reaches you through them, he answered with unflinching solemnity. Wait a bit, I have it! I see, Ive made a mistake with this card. It signifies a journey or a road. Queer! isnt it, Steve? Its THE ROAD.
It is queer, said Rice with equal gravity; but its so. The road, sure! Nevertheless he looked up into the large eyes of Clementina with a certain confidential air of truthfulness.
You see, ladies, continued the surveyor, appealing to them with unabashed rigidity of feature, the cards dont lie! Luckily we are in a position to corroborate them. The road in question is a secret known only to us and some capitalists in San Francisco. In fact even THEY dont know that it is feasible until WE report to them. But I dont mind telling you now, as a slight return for your charming hospitality, that the road is a RAILROAD from Oakland to Tasajara Creek of which weve just made the preliminary survey. So you see what the cards mean is this: Youre not far from Tasajara Creek; in fact with a very little expense your father could connect this stream with the creek, and have a WATERWAY STRAIGHT TO THE RAILROAD TERMINUS. Thats the wealth the cards promise; and if your father knows how to take a hint he can make his fortune!
It was impossible to say which was the most dominant in the face of the speaker, the expression of assumed gravity or the twinkling of humor in his eyes. The two girls with superior feminine perception divined that there was much truth in what he said, albeit they didnt entirely understand it, and what they did understandexcept the mans good-humored motivewas not particularly interesting. In fact they were slightly disappointed. What had promised to be an audaciously flirtatious declaration, and even a mischievous suggestion of marriage, had resolved itself into something absurdly practical and business-like.
Not so Mr. Harkutt. He quickly rose from his chair, and, leaning over the table, with his eyes fixed on the card as if it really signified the railroad, repeated quickly: Railroad, eh! Whats that? A railroad to Tasajara Creek? Ye dont mean it!That isit aint a SURE thing?
Perfectly sure. The money is ready in San Francisco now, and by this time next year
A railroad to Tasajara Creek! continued Harkutt hurriedly. What part of it? Where?
At the embarcadero naturally, responded Grant. There isnt but the one place for the terminus. Theres an old shanty there now belongs to somebody.
Why, pop! said Phemie with sudden recollection, aint it Lige Curtiss house? The land he offered
Hush! said her father.
You know, the one written in that bit of paper, continued the innocent Phemie.
Hush! will you? God Amighty! are you goin to mind me? Are you goin to keep up your jabber when Im speakin to the gentlemen? Is that your manners? What next, I wonder!
The sudden and unexpected passion of the speaker, the incomprehensible change in his voice, and the utterly disproportionate exaggeration of his attitude towards his daughters, enforced an instantaneous silence. The rain began to drip audibly at the window, the rush of the river sounded distinctly from without, even the shaking of the front part of the dwelling by the distant gale became perceptible. An angry flash sprang for an instant to the young assistants eye, but it met the cautious glance of his friend, and together both discreetly sought the table. The two girls alone remained white and collected. Will you go on with my fortune, Mr. Grant? said Phemie quietly.
A certain respect, perhaps not before observable, was suggested in the surveyors tone as he smilingly replied, Certainly, I was only waiting for you to show your confidence in me, and took up the cards.
Mr. Harkutt coughed. It looks as if that blamed wind had blown suthin loose in the store, he said affectedly. I reckon Ill go and see. He hesitated a moment and then disappeared in the passage. Yet even here he stood irresolute, looking at the closed door behind him, and passing his hand over his still flushed face. Presently he slowly and abstractedly ascended the flight of steps, entered the smaller passage that led to the back door of the shop and opened it.
He was at first a little startled at the halo of light from the still glowing stove, which the greater obscurity of the long room had heightened rather than diminished. Then he passed behind the counter, but here the box of biscuits which occupied the centre and cast a shadow over it compelled him to grope vaguely for what he sought. Then he stopped suddenly, the paper he had just found dropping from his fingers, and said sharply,