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- Фрэнк Норрис
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- Спрут: Калифорнийская история
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- Стр. 357/416
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The
building
contained
the
General
Office
of
the
Pacific
and
Southwestern
Railroad
.
Large
though
it
was
,
it
nevertheless
,
was
not
pretentious
,
and
during
his
visits
to
the
city
,
Presley
must
have
passed
it
,
unheeding
,
many
times
.
But
for
all
that
it
was
the
stronghold
of
the
enemy
—
the
centre
of
all
that
vast
ramifying
system
of
arteries
that
drained
the
life
-
blood
of
the
State
;
the
nucleus
of
the
web
in
which
so
many
lives
,
so
many
fortunes
,
so
many
destinies
had
been
enmeshed
.
From
this
place
—
so
he
told
himself
—
had
emanated
that
policy
of
extortion
,
oppression
and
injustice
that
little
by
little
had
shouldered
the
ranchers
from
their
rights
,
till
,
their
backs
to
the
wall
,
exasperated
and
despairing
they
had
turned
and
fought
and
died
.
From
here
had
come
the
orders
to
S
.
Behrman
,
to
Cyrus
Ruggles
and
to
Genslinger
,
the
orders
that
had
brought
Dyke
to
a
prison
,
that
had
killed
Annixter
,
that
had
ruined
Magnus
,
that
had
corrupted
Lyman
.
Here
was
the
keep
of
the
castle
,
and
here
,
behind
one
of
those
many
windows
,
in
one
of
those
many
offices
,
his
hand
upon
the
levers
of
his
mighty
engine
,
sat
the
master
,
Shelgrim
himself
.
Instantly
,
upon
the
realisation
of
this
fact
an
ungovernable
desire
seized
upon
Presley
,
an
inordinate
curiosity
.
Why
not
see
,
face
to
face
,
the
man
whose
power
was
so
vast
,
whose
will
was
so
resistless
,
whose
potency
for
evil
so
limitless
,
the
man
who
for
so
long
and
so
hopelessly
they
had
all
been
fighting
.
By
reputation
he
knew
him
to
be
approachable
;
why
should
he
not
then
approach
him
?
Presley
took
his
resolution
in
both
hands
.
If
he
failed
to
act
upon
this
impulse
,
he
knew
he
would
never
act
at
all
.
His
heart
beating
,
his
breath
coming
short
,
he
entered
the
building
,
and
in
a
few
moments
found
himself
seated
in
an
ante
-
room
,
his
eyes
fixed
with
hypnotic
intensity
upon
the
frosted
pane
of
an
adjoining
door
,
whereon
in
gold
letters
was
inscribed
the
word
,
“
PRESIDENT
.
”
In
the
end
,
Presley
had
been
surprised
to
find
that
Shelgrim
was
still
in
.
It
was
already
very
late
,
after
six
o
’
clock
,
and
the
other
offices
in
the
building
were
in
the
act
of
closing
.
Many
of
them
were
already
deserted
.
At
every
instant
,
through
the
open
door
of
the
ante
-
room
,
he
caught
a
glimpse
of
clerks
,
office
boys
,
book
-
keepers
,
and
other
employees
hurrying
towards
the
stairs
and
elevators
,
quitting
business
for
the
day
.
Shelgrim
,
it
seemed
,
still
remained
at
his
desk
,
knowing
no
fatigue
,
requiring
no
leisure
.
“
What
time
does
Mr
.
Shelgrim
usually
go
home
?
”
inquired
Presley
of
the
young
man
who
sat
ruling
forms
at
the
table
in
the
ante
-
room
.
“
Anywhere
between
half
-
past
six
and
seven
,
”
the
other
answered
,
adding
,
“
Very
often
he
comes
back
in
the
evening
.
”
And
the
man
was
seventy
years
old
.
Presley
could
not
repress
a
murmur
of
astonishment
.
Not
only
mentally
,
then
,
was
the
President
of
the
P
.
and
S
.
W
.
a
giant
.
Seventy
years
of
age
and
still
at
his
post
,
holding
there
with
the
energy
,
with
a
concentration
of
purpose
that
would
have
wrecked
the
health
and
impaired
the
mind
of
many
men
in
the
prime
of
their
manhood
.
But
the
next
instant
Presley
set
his
teeth
.
“
It
is
an
ogre
’
s
vitality
,
”
he
said
to
himself
.
“
Just
so
is
the
man
-
eating
tiger
strong
.
The
man
should
have
energy
who
has
sucked
the
life
-
blood
from
an
entire
People
.
