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He
watched
it
,
silent
,
thoughtful
,
and
without
articulate
comment
.
Even
after
it
passed
he
sat
in
his
place
a
long
time
,
watching
it
lose
itself
slowly
in
the
distance
,
its
prolonged
rumble
diminishing
to
a
faint
murmur
.
Soon
he
heard
the
engine
sounding
its
whistle
for
the
Long
Trestle
.
But
the
moving
train
no
longer
carried
with
it
that
impression
of
terror
and
destruction
that
had
so
thrilled
Presley
’
s
imagination
the
night
before
.
It
passed
slowly
on
its
way
with
a
mournful
roll
of
wheels
,
like
the
passing
of
a
cortege
,
like
a
file
of
artillery
-
caissons
charioting
dead
bodies
;
the
engine
’
s
smoke
enveloping
it
in
a
mournful
veil
,
leaving
a
sense
of
melancholy
in
its
wake
,
moving
past
there
,
lugubrious
,
lamentable
,
infinitely
sad
under
the
grey
sky
and
under
the
grey
mist
of
rain
which
continued
to
fall
with
a
subdued
,
rustling
sound
,
steady
,
persistent
,
a
vast
monotonous
murmur
that
seemed
to
come
from
all
quarters
of
the
horizon
at
once
.
When
Annixter
arrived
at
the
Los
Muertos
ranch
house
that
same
evening
,
he
found
a
little
group
already
assembled
in
the
dining
-
room
.
Magnus
Derrick
,
wearing
the
frock
coat
of
broadcloth
that
he
had
put
on
for
the
occasion
,
stood
with
his
back
to
the
fireplace
.
Harran
sat
close
at
hand
,
one
leg
thrown
over
the
arm
of
his
chair
.
Presley
lounged
on
the
sofa
,
in
corduroys
and
high
laced
boots
,
smoking
cigarettes
.
Broderson
leaned
on
his
folded
arms
at
one
corner
of
the
dining
table
,
and
Genslinger
,
editor
and
proprietor
of
the
principal
newspaper
of
the
county
,
the
“
Bonneville
Mercury
,
”
stood
with
his
hat
and
driving
gloves
under
his
arm
,
opposite
Derrick
,
a
half
-
emptied
glass
of
whiskey
and
water
in
his
hand
.
As
Annixter
entered
he
heard
Genslinger
observe
:
“
I
’
ll
have
a
leader
in
the
’
Mercury
’
to
-
morrow
that
will
interest
you
people
.
There
’
s
some
talk
of
your
ranch
lands
being
graded
in
value
this
winter
.
I
suppose
you
will
all
buy
?
”
In
an
instant
the
editor
’
s
words
had
riveted
upon
him
the
attention
of
every
man
in
the
room
.
Annixter
broke
the
moment
’
s
silence
that
followed
with
the
remark
:
“
Well
,
it
’
s
about
time
they
graded
these
lands
of
theirs
.
”
The
question
in
issue
in
Genslinger
’
s
remark
was
of
the
most
vital
interest
to
the
ranchers
around
Bonneville
and
Guadalajara
.
Neither
Magnus
Derrick
,
Broderson
,
Annixter
,
nor
Osterman
actually
owned
all
the
ranches
which
they
worked
.
As
yet
,
the
vast
majority
of
these
wheat
lands
were
the
property
of
the
P
.
and
S
.
W
.
The
explanation
of
this
condition
of
affairs
went
back
to
the
early
history
of
the
Pacific
and
Southwestern
,
when
,
as
a
bonus
for
the
construction
of
the
road
,
the
national
government
had
granted
to
the
company
the
odd
numbered
sections
of
land
on
either
side
of
the
proposed
line
of
route
for
a
distance
of
twenty
miles
.
Indisputably
,
these
sections
belonged
to
the
P
.
and
S
.
W
.
The
even
-
numbered
sections
being
government
property
could
be
and
had
been
taken
up
by
the
ranchers
,
but
the
railroad
sections
,
or
,
as
they
were
called
,
the
“
alternate
sections
,
”
would
have
to
be
purchased
direct
from
the
railroad
itself
.
But
this
had
not
prevented
the
farmers
from
“
coming
in
”
upon
that
part
of
the
San
Joaquin
.
Long
before
this
the
railroad
had
thrown
open
these
lands
,
and
,
by
means
of
circulars
,
distributed
broadcast
throughout
the
State
,
had
expressly
invited
settlement
thereon
.
At
that
time
patents
had
not
been
issued
to
the
railroad
for
their
odd
-
numbered
sections
,
but
as
soon
as
the
land
was
patented
the
railroad
would
grade
it
in
value
and
offer
it
for
sale
,
the
first
occupants
having
the
first
chance
of
purchase
.
The
price
of
these
lands
was
to
be
fixed
by
the
price
the
government
put
upon
its
own
adjoining
lands
—
about
two
dollars
and
a
half
per
acre
.
With
cultivation
and
improvement
the
ranches
must
inevitably
appreciate
in
value
.
There
was
every
chance
to
make
fortunes
.
When
the
railroad
lands
about
Bonneville
had
been
thrown
open
,
there
had
been
almost
a
rush
in
the
matter
of
settlement
,
and
Broderson
,
Annixter
,
Derrick
,
and
Osterman
,
being
foremost
with
their
claims
,
had
secured
the
pick
of
the
country
.
