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The
office
was
the
nerve
-
centre
of
the
entire
ten
thousand
acres
of
Los
Muertos
,
but
its
appearance
and
furnishings
were
not
in
the
least
suggestive
of
a
farm
.
It
was
divided
at
about
its
middle
by
a
wire
railing
,
painted
green
and
gold
,
and
behind
this
railing
were
the
high
desks
where
the
books
were
kept
,
the
safe
,
the
letter
-
press
and
letter
-
files
,
and
Harran
’
s
typewriting
machine
.
A
great
map
of
Los
Muertos
with
every
water
-
course
,
depression
,
and
elevation
,
together
with
indications
of
the
varying
depths
of
the
clays
and
loams
in
the
soil
,
accurately
plotted
,
hung
against
the
wall
between
the
windows
,
while
near
at
hand
by
the
safe
was
the
telephone
.
But
,
no
doubt
,
the
most
significant
object
in
the
office
was
the
ticker
.
This
was
an
innovation
in
the
San
Joaquin
,
an
idea
of
shrewd
,
quick
-
witted
young
Annixter
,
which
Harran
and
Magnus
Derrick
had
been
quick
to
adopt
,
and
after
them
Broderson
and
Osterman
,
and
many
others
of
the
wheat
growers
of
the
county
.
The
offices
of
the
ranches
were
thus
connected
by
wire
with
San
Francisco
,
and
through
that
city
with
Minneapolis
,
Duluth
,
Chicago
,
New
York
,
and
at
last
,
and
most
important
of
all
,
with
Liverpool
.
Fluctuations
in
the
price
of
the
world
’
s
crop
during
and
after
the
harvest
thrilled
straight
to
the
office
of
Los
Muertos
,
to
that
of
the
Quien
Sabe
,
to
Osterman
’
s
,
and
to
Broderson
’
s
.
During
a
flurry
in
the
Chicago
wheat
pits
in
the
August
of
that
year
,
which
had
affected
even
the
San
Francisco
market
,
Harran
and
Magnus
had
sat
up
nearly
half
of
one
night
watching
the
strip
of
white
tape
jerking
unsteadily
from
the
reel
.
At
such
moments
they
no
longer
felt
their
individuality
.
The
ranch
became
merely
the
part
of
an
enormous
whole
,
a
unit
in
the
vast
agglomeration
of
wheat
land
the
whole
world
round
,
feeling
the
effects
of
causes
thousands
of
miles
distant
—
a
drought
on
the
prairies
of
Dakota
,
a
rain
on
the
plains
of
India
,
a
frost
on
the
Russian
steppes
,
a
hot
wind
on
the
llanos
of
the
Argentine
.
Harran
crossed
over
to
the
telephone
and
rang
six
bells
,
the
call
for
the
division
house
on
Four
.
It
was
the
most
distant
,
the
most
isolated
point
on
all
the
ranch
,
situated
at
its
far
southeastern
extremity
,
where
few
people
ever
went
,
close
to
the
line
fence
,
a
dot
,
a
speck
,
lost
in
the
immensity
of
the
open
country
.
By
the
road
it
was
eleven
miles
distant
from
the
office
,
and
by
the
trail
to
Hooven
’
s
and
the
Lower
Road
all
of
nine
.
“
How
about
that
seed
?
”
demanded
Harran
when
he
had
got
Cutter
on
the
line
.
The
other
made
excuses
for
an
unavoidable
delay
,
and
was
adding
that
he
was
on
the
point
of
starting
out
,
when
Harran
cut
in
with
:
“
You
had
better
go
the
trail
.
It
will
save
a
little
time
and
I
am
in
a
hurry
.
Put
your
sacks
on
the
horses
’
backs
.
And
,
Cutter
,
if
you
see
Hooven
when
you
go
by
his
place
,
tell
him
I
want
him
,
and
,
by
the
way
,
take
a
look
at
the
end
of
the
irrigating
ditch
when
you
get
to
it
.
See
how
they
are
getting
along
there
and
if
Billy
wants
anything
.
Tell
him
we
are
expecting
those
new
scoops
down
to
-
morrow
or
next
day
and
to
get
along
with
what
he
has
until
then
.
.
.
.
How
’
s
everything
on
Four
?
.
.
.
All
right
,
then
.
Give
your
seed
to
Phelps
when
you
get
here
if
I
am
not
about
.
I
am
going
to
Guadalajara
to
meet
the
Governor
.
He
’
s
coming
down
to
-
day
.
And
that
makes
me
think
;
we
lost
the
case
,
you
know
.
I
had
a
letter
from
the
Governor
yesterday
.
.
.
.
Yes
,
hard
luck
.
S
.
Behrman
did
us
up
.
Well
,
good
-
bye
,
and
don
’
t
lose
any
time
with
that
seed
.
I
want
to
blue
-
stone
to
-
day
.
”
After
telephoning
Cutter
,
Harran
put
on
his
hat
,
went
over
to
the
barns
,
and
found
Phelps
.
Phelps
had
already
cleaned
out
the
vat
which
was
to
contain
the
solution
of
blue
-
stone
,
and
was
now
at
work
regrading
the
seed
.
Against
the
wall
behind
him
ranged
the
row
of
sacks
.
Harran
cut
the
fastenings
of
these
and
examined
the
contents
carefully
,
taking
handfuls
of
wheat
from
each
and
allowing
it
to
run
through
his
fingers
,
or
nipping
the
grains
between
his
nails
,
testing
their
hardness
.
The
seed
was
all
of
the
white
varieties
of
wheat
and
of
a
very
high
grade
,
the
berries
hard
and
heavy
,
rigid
and
swollen
with
starch
.
