"Well, I can tell you about that--you might as well save your car-fare.
They wouldn't touch your story."
"And if I appealed to the Governor?"
"In the first place, he probably wouldn't see you. And if he did, he wouldn't do anything. He's not really the Governor, you know; he's a puppet put up there to fool you. He only moves when Harrigan pulls a string."
"Of course I knew he was Old Peter's man," said Hal. "But then"--and he concluded, somewhat lamely, "What _can_ I do?"
A smile of pity came upon the reporter's face. "I can see this is the first time you've been up against 'big business.'" And then he added, "You're young! When you've had more experience, you'll leave these problems to older heads!" But Hal failed to get the reporter's sarcasm.
He had heard these exact words in such deadly seriousness from his brother! Besides, he had just come from scenes of horror.
"But don't you see, Mr. Keating?" he exclaimed. "It's impossible for me to sit still while those men die?"
"I don't know about your sitting still," said the other. "All I know is that all your moving about isn't going to do them any good."
Hal turned to Edstrom and MacKellar. "Gentlemen," he said, "listen to me for a minute." And there was a note of pleading in his voice--as if he thought they were deliberately refusing to help him! "We've got to do something about this. We've _got_ to do something! I'm new at the game, as Mr. Keating says; but you aren't. Put your minds on it, gentlemen, and help me work out a plan!"
There was a long silence. "God knows," said Edstrom, at last. "I'd suggest something if I could."
"And I, too," said MacKellar. "You're up against a stone-wall, my boy.
The government here is simply a department of the 'G. F. C.' The officials are crooks--company servants, all of them."
"Just a moment now," said Hal. "Let's consider. Suppose we had a real government--what steps would we take? We'd carry such a case to the District Attorney, wouldn't we?"
"Yes, no doubt of it," said MacKellar.
"You mentioned him before," said Hal. "He threatened to prosecute some mine-superintendents for ballot-frauds, you said."
"That was while he was running for election," said MacKellar.
"Oh! I remember what Jeff Cotton said--that he was friendly to the miners in his speeches, and to the companies in his acts."
"That's the man," said the other, drily.
"Well," argued Hal, "oughtn't I go to him, to give him a chance, at least? You can't tell, he might have a heart inside him."
"It isn't a heart he needs," replied MacKellar; "it's a back-bone."
"But surely I ought to put it up to him! If he won't do anything, at least I'll put him on record, and it'll make another story for you, won't it, Mr. Keating?"
"Yes, that's true," admitted the reporter. "What would you ask him to do?"
"Why, to lay the matter before the Grand Jury; to bring indictments against the North Valley bosses."
"But that would take a long time; it wouldn't save the men in the mine."
"What might save them would be the threat of it." MacKellar put in. "I don't think any threat of Dick Barker's would count for that much. The bosses know they could stop him."
"Well, isn't there somebody else? Shouldn't I try the courts?"
"What courts?"
"I don't know. You tell me."
"Well," said the Scotchman, "to begin at the bottom, there's a justice of the peace."
"Who's he?"
"Jim Anderson, a horse-doctor. He's like any other J.P. you ever knew--he lives on petty graft."
"Is there a higher court?"
"Yes, the district court; Judge Denton. He's the law-partner of Vagleman, counsel for the 'G. F. C.' How far would you expect to get with him?"
"I suppose I'm clutching at straws," said Hal. "But they say that's what a drowning man does. Anyway, I'm going to see these people, and maybe out of the lot of them I can find one who'll act. It can't do any harm!"
The three men thought of some harm it might do; they tried to make Hal consider the danger of being slugged Or shot. "They'll do it!" exclaimed MacKellar. "And no trouble for them--they'll prove you were stabbed by a drunken Dago, quarrelling over some woman."
But Hal had got his head set; he believed he could put this job through before his enemies had time to lay any plans. Nor would he let any of his friends accompany him; he had something more important for both Edstrom and Keating to do--and as for MacKellar, he could not get about rapidly enough. Hal bade Edstrom go to the post-office and get the registered letter, and proceed at once to change the bills. It was his plan to make out affidavits, and if the officials here would not act, to take the affidavits to the Governor. And for this he would need money.
Meantime, he said, let Billy Keating write out the check-weighman story, and in a couple of hours meet him at the American Hotel, to get copies of the affidavits for the _Gazette_.
Hal was still wearing the miner's clothes he had worn on the night of his arrest in Edstrom's cabin. But he declined MacKellar's offer to lend him a business-suit; the old Scotchman's clothes would not fit him, he knew, and it would be better to make his appeal as a real miner than as a misfit gentleman.
These matters being settled, Hal went out upon the street, where Pete Hanun, the breaker of teeth, fell in behind him. The young miner at once broke into a run, and the other followed suit, and so the two of them sped down the street, to the wonder of people on the way. As Hal had had practice as a sprinter, no doubt Pete was glad that the District Attorney's office was not far away!
SECTION 4.
Mr. Richard Parker was busy, said the clerk in toe outer office; for which Hal was not sorry, as it gave him a chance to get his breath.
Seeing a young man flushed and panting, the clerk stared with curiosity; but Hal offered no explanation, and the breaker of teeth waited on the street outside.
Mr. Parker received his caller in a couple of minutes. He was a well-fed gentleman with generous neck and chin, freshly shaved and rubbed with talcum powder. His clothing was handsome, his linen immaculate; one got the impression of a person who "did himself well." There were papers on his desk, and he looked preoccupied.
"Well?" said he, with a swift glance at the young miner.
"I understand that I am speaking to the District Attorney of Pedro County?"
"That's right."
"Mr. Parker, have you given any attention to the circumstances of the North Valley disaster?"
"No," said Mr. Parker. "Why?"
"I have just come from North Valley, and I can give you information which may be of interest to you. There are a hundred and seven people entombed in the mine, and the company officials have sealed it, and are sacrificing those lives."
The other put down the correspondence, and made an examination of his caller from under his heavy eyelids. "How do you know this?"
"I left there only a few hours ago. The facts are known to all the workers in the camp."