INTERLOPERS 
 
 IFFING BANCROFT
 
 THE INTERLOPERS
 
 "I want to have you with me always."
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 A NOVEL 
 
 BY 
 GRIPPING BANCROFT 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS BY 
 
 ARTHUR D. FULLER 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 THE BANCROFT COMPANY, PUBLISHERS 
 1917
 
 Copyright, 1917, by Griffing Bancroft 
 All Rights Reserved 
 
 Printed in the United States of America
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 
 PAGE 
 
 I 
 
 A New Doctor Comes to Rosario . 
 
 . . 1 
 
 II 
 
 The Christmas Storm 
 
 . . 15 
 
 III 
 
 J. P. Butler & Co 
 
 . . 26 
 
 IV 
 
 Sam Coulters Plays Politics . 
 
 . . 43 
 
 V 
 
 Love at Sunrise 
 
 . . 56 
 
 VI 
 
 The Rosario School 
 
 68 
 
 VII 
 
 Robert Hollington s Ideals . . 
 
 . . 82 
 
 VIII 
 
 Gossip and Courtship . . . . 
 
 94 
 
 IX 
 
 An Angry Father 
 
 . . 106 
 
 X 
 
 The Breach 
 
 119 
 
 XI 
 
 Coulters Stumps the State . . . 
 
 . . 135 
 
 XII 
 
 Hollington Visits the Indians . 
 
 . . 148 
 
 XIII 
 
 Frances Goes to. San Clemente . 
 
 . . 162 
 
 XIV 
 
 Coulters Gets His Land Law . 
 
 . . 176 
 
 XV 
 
 The Japanese Pupils Return . 
 
 . . 189 
 
 XVI 
 
 The Dance in San Clemente . 
 
 . . 202 
 
 XVII 
 
 Hollington Goes Fishing .... 
 
 . . 214 
 
 XVIII 
 
 Dorothy Teaches School .... 
 
 229 
 
 XIX 
 
 Frances Comes Home 
 
 . . 242 
 
 XX 
 
 The Black Scale 
 
 . . 255 
 
 XXI 
 
 Frances and Kotingo 
 
 267 
 
 XXII 
 
 Dorothy Tibbetts Wedding . 
 
 . . 280 
 
 XXIII 
 
 The Other Woman 
 
 . .. 293 
 
 XXIV 
 
 The Collapse of Donald Scott . 
 
 . . 305 
 
 XXV 
 
 The Decline of Hollington . . 
 
 . . 319 
 
 XXVI 
 
 Arrest of Clem Harding .... 
 
 327 
 
 XXVII 
 
 The Last Trench 
 
 341 
 
 XXVIII 
 
 Irving Stanhope s Sermon .... 
 
 . . 354 
 
 XXIX 
 
 Love s Clearing House 
 
 . . 364 
 
 XXX 
 
 Hanba Coerces Sam Coulters . 
 
 . . 376 
 
 XXXI 
 
 The Bubonic Plague 
 
 . . 386 
 
 2134313
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 "I want to have you with me always" . . . Frontispiece 
 
 "The time spent with him became the hours to which 
 
 she looked forward" 235 
 
 "Drop that gun!" 335 
 
 "When barely two yards separated them, Robert s 
 
 hand shot out of his coat pocket" 387
 
 Interlopers 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 A NEW DOCTOR COMES TO ROSARIO 
 
 HE San Diego and Eden Valley train 
 stopped noisily to drop a single passenger at 
 Rosario. The station was on a barren hill 
 side, a mile or more from the nearest house. 
 The only persons about were the agent, 
 talking lazily to the engineer, and a rather elderly 
 man in overalls and jumper holding the lines over a 
 pair of farm horses. These were harnessed to a 
 spring wagon, a dilapidated, weather-worn vehicle 
 that had not seen a coat of paint since leaving the 
 factory. 
 
 The passenger, a carefully groomed young man, 
 obviously from the eastern coast, walked up to the 
 driver and asked: 
 
 "Are you Mr. Coulters man?" 
 "Yes. Sam sent me. Wait until they get your 
 stuff off the train, and I ll drive you home. Are you 
 our new doctor?" 
 
 Soon the two were off toward the valley. They 
 
 occupied the single seat in front; the rear, designed 
 
 like a small delivery wagon, was filled with baggage. 
 
 The driver was meditatively enjoying his plug 
 
 tobacco; the passenger was absorbed in the first im- 
 
 (1)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 pressions of his new environment. The air was 
 hot, the road thickly powdered, and the incandescent 
 dust enveloped them. 
 
 So this was the famous southern California, that 
 called and called again to all who had ever made it 
 their home. Where was the charm? Surely not 
 in these barren plains and denuded hills that 
 stretched off toward the north-west. 
 
 "It s the wrong time of day," broke in a voice on 
 his right, "and the wrong time of the year. You ll 
 learn to love these hills some time; everybody does. 
 You see how ugly they can be; I ve lived among 
 them so long that I know how beautiful they can be. 
 Do you judge a woman as she displays herself in 
 evening dress or as she appears in the morning at 
 breakfast? These hills can t be going to a party 
 all the time." 
 
 The easterner fairly gasped. Then he looked 
 about again, sighed and shook his head. He wasn t 
 expecting philosophic discourse, and he didn t know 
 just how to take it. 
 
 "You can see most of Rosario from here," con 
 tinued the native, who did not relish even a silent 
 criticism of his mountains. "There s only a little of 
 it past that bend. They grow oranges mostly; some 
 lemons and some olives, but nearly all those fruit 
 trees are oranges. Can you make out that water 
 tower away off there to the right? It s just in line 
 now with the bunch of eucalyptus across the valley. 
 That s Sam Coulters place. Mine is the first one 
 over on your left, almost under our feet." 
 
 (2)
 
 A NEW DOCTOR COMES TO ROSARIO 
 
 "Yours looks like a snug little place. Doesn t 
 it require all of your time?" 
 
 "I can t get more than taxes and interest out of 
 it. I had to put a mortgage on it during the dry 
 years. So now when I want to eat I have to work 
 outside, usually for Sarri. At the time of the big 
 slump I thought I d lose it, but I m hanging on to 
 that little old place, for it s the only home I ve ever 
 had. And this year I m going to make some money 
 on it." 
 
 "You ve not always lived in Rosario, have you?" 
 
 Clem Harding, the driver, was always glad of an 
 opportunity to talk about himself. He chatted on 
 for some time about his early days when he "fol 
 lowed the cows" all over the great west, and about 
 his experiences in prospecting, from Canada to be 
 low the Mexican line. And he knew quite a bit 
 of frontier times and frontier towns when the lid 
 was off, and life was cheap and tense. 
 
 So a pleasant half hour slipped by, while the lum 
 bering draft-horses descended to the floor of the val 
 ley. The young doctor was enjoying himself, though 
 without any change of sentiment toward the coun 
 try. He was waiting now until they should be 
 among the orchards; there it must be that lay the 
 charm of this great southwest. 
 
 The first cultivated land they came to was a bar 
 ley field, several hundred acres on either side of the 
 road. And then a dog emerged from the shadows 
 of the wagon, a large, rangy, black greyhound. 
 
 "That s Nig," said Harding. "He s a good old 
 (3)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 scout. He ll not let a jack rabbit stay in the valley, 
 and he s getting to be the best squirrel dog I ve ever 
 seen." 
 
 "Those little brown things really are squirrels? 
 It s hard to realize it. Those at home live in trees 
 and are so much prettier." 
 
 "Like the ones we have in the mountains among 
 the pines. I just love those, and I wouldn t let Nig 
 worry them. He can t catch them, however, and I 
 think they all enjoy the game. But these ground 
 squirrels are pests. Their holes have broken many 
 a good horse s leg. And look at that grain." 
 
 It was well worth more than a cursory glance. 
 Shoulder high and dead ripe, it stirred luxuriantly 
 in the afternoon breeze. Little gusts of wind could 
 be traced on its surface, when the stalk heads ducked 
 and sported and changed color faster than the eye 
 could follow. 
 
 "Those vermin lead a happy life until they get 
 the poison," Clem went on. "Mr. Squirrel digs a 
 hole and sits on the dump to enjoy the weather. 
 When meal time comes, or when he wants to put 
 away a winter supply of food he starts at his 
 front door and takes what is nearest. See those 
 round spots; some of them thirty feet across, where 
 every blade of grass is gone? That s why he s so 
 unpopular with the farmer. When he s in his hole 
 he s safe, and when he s sitting beside it all he has 
 to do for self-protection is to let himself drop. 
 Even when he s rustling he takes no chances, for he 
 can hear anything in the grain and see anything in 
 
 (4)
 
 A NEW DOCTOR COMES TO ROSARIO 
 
 the sky, and he never goes far from home. He 
 can t get absent minded or careless, for his neigh 
 bors just enjoy barking at an enemy as soon as one 
 comes over the sky line." 
 
 "You said that Nig was a good squirrel dog. 
 How in the world does he catch them?" 
 
 "Curiosity." 
 
 "Curiosity?" 
 
 "Children and Chinamen haven t it all, by any 
 means. It has spoiled more poker plays and killed 
 more squirrels but I ll see if I can show you. Nig 
 seems to know what we re talking about." 
 
 Keen and alert, the dog looked at his master, 
 then, at the word, plunged into the grain-field. He 
 was at once lost to view, and for some time could 
 be followed only by the noise and the movement of 
 the stalks. A loud, metallic squeaking heralded the 
 attack. 
 
 "Now watch that dog!" 
 
 Nig had made a leap high enough to carry him 
 above the grain. He struck the ground running, 
 ventre a terre. A squirrel sitting above his burrow 
 scolded viciously at a rustle in the grain which he 
 couldn t understand. Suddenly a black thunder bolt 
 tore through the edge of the clearing. With a 
 frightened cry the rodent instinctively dropped to 
 safety. But he had waited too long. A black muz 
 zle followed him into the hole. He was jerked out 
 and tossed ten feet into the air. By the time he was 
 scrambling once more for his hole the pursuer had 
 turned and caught him. 
 
 (5)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 Nig made several unsuccessful attempts to. repeat 
 this achievement; then he did kill once more in the 
 same way. Clem called him back after that. The 
 wagon had passed the barley field and was now 
 coming to a truck garden. 
 
 Given the proper contrasts and perspective, one 
 of the prettiest colors in nature is found in fresh 
 plowed adobe. This is especially true when, as in 
 this case, the earth is red, shading from almost gray 
 in sandy spots to the rich, lustrous black of the king 
 of soils. Add row after row of delicate green, with 
 just a suggestion of motion among the leaves and 
 flowers, and in the sluggish threads of irrigation 
 and there is the material for a picture. 
 
 Art appeals to some; tastes and training vary. 
 Beauty finds a response more in temperament than 
 in education. Robert Hollington at once fell under 
 the spell of this simple pastoral scene; it was one 
 of those rare gems of nature which so impress the 
 mind that recollection in some form remains for 
 ever. 
 
 For a few hundred feet the road here runs 
 straight, then turns sharply to the right. A cluster 
 of three or four giant eucalypts on the left; on the 
 right a drooping pepper, and the California sky, in 
 comparable when clouded. The background all 
 glistening soil in brilliant colors. The Japanese 
 gardener is pushing a hand cultivator along the nar 
 row furrows. At a little distance are his wife and 
 three small children. The figures are too diminutive 
 
 (6)
 
 A NEW DOCTOR COMES TO ROSARIO 
 
 to make their costumes distinguishable, but their 
 posture while weeding is a bit of old Japan. 
 
 The two men in the wagon are watching the scene 
 intently; each knows the other is doing so, and each 
 thinks the better of him because of it. 
 
 "There s one thing about this I don t like," said 
 Clem, half to himself. "That woman ought to be 
 making a home for her family, and those babies 
 ought to be playing, or studying." 
 
 The road led through the first of the orchards, 
 and for the rest of the drive there were citrus groves 
 on one side or the other, usually both. With Clem s 
 help Hollington was soon able to distinguish be 
 tween the lighter green of the lemon and the rich 
 velvety shade of the orange, and to recognize the 
 citron, the olive, and the walnut. The subtle mark 
 ings and shades of color that distinguished the va 
 rious varieties of the same fruit were beyond his 
 grasp, though an open book to his companion. 
 
 The lemon and orange trees were usually from 
 ten to twenty feet high, and planted twenty-five feet 
 apart. They were pruned to resemble an inverted 
 cup, the foliage often being brought down quite close 
 to the ground. The object was to get the greatest 
 possible area of leaves exposed to the sun and the 
 air, and to shade the ground around the trunk. 
 
 The sun was sinking, taking the light breeze with 
 it; the dust no longer rose as high as the wagon seat. 
 The air was filled with the rich perfume of the 
 orange blossom, blended at times when it drifted 
 across half harvested oat or alfalfa. The ornamen- 
 
 (7)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 tal trees by the roadside threw long shadows; the 
 most beautiful time of the day had come. Conver 
 sation ceased in that old spring wagon. Clem was 
 off in the mountains again, with pick and pack train. 
 Hollington was lazily absorbing the contentment 
 that had made a race of speculators and dreamers. 
 
 Both men came to themselves when the horses 
 left the county road. Before them lay a few hun 
 dred feet of a gardened driveway. Palms on either 
 side half hid the orange trees beyond, and flowers 
 of all colors and degree were growing in a profusion 
 little short of wanton to the New Yorker. At the 
 farther end was a clump of magnificent peppers. 
 Through their long spreading branches there could 
 just be distinguished a feature here and there of the 
 house they sheltered. It soon revealed itself, an 
 attractive bungalow, a rambling wooden structure, 
 with an attic and a porch. The veranda, always 
 shaded and cool, fragrant with honeysuckle and 
 climbing rose, was clearly the family hearth. Some 
 simple wicker furniture was scattered about; a damp 
 olla with an inviting tin dipper was hanging in a 
 corner, half a dozen magazines and odds and 
 ends of sewing gave it all a homelike touch. 
 
 On three sides the orchard came almost to the 
 house. There was no attempt at a lawn. Some 
 narrow garden beds were occupied largely by the 
 roots of the vines that climbed in profusion over the 
 cottage. On the fourth side, at a little distance, was 
 the barn, used for horses, hay, and harness, as well 
 as for everything else that did not properly belong 
 
 (8)
 
 A NEW DOCTOR COMES TO ROSARIO 
 
 in the house. There were two low, shake-covered 
 wings, in one of which a cow was kept, in the other 
 farm implements. Some pig-pens were near, and 
 beyond a windmill, its raised tank silhouetted 
 against the sky. The farmyard, all the space taken 
 from the orchards and not actually covered with 
 buildings, was scrupulously clean, and for the 
 greater part in the shadow of the peppers. A few 
 chickens and turkeys, and even a pig or two, had 
 the freedom of the place. A harrow, a cultivator, a 
 sled and an old farm wagon were in the shadows, 
 while hanging from the trees were two trace-chains, 
 a whiffle-tree and a meat box. A suggestion of all 
 this Hollington took in at a glance as he left the 
 wagon and walked toward the house. The horses 
 had made his coming known, so by the time he 
 reached the porch Mrs. Coulters was there to wel 
 come him. 
 
 "I have your room all ready for you, Doctor," 
 she said, cordially. "I m Mary Coulters and this is 
 my daughter Ruth. The others will be here by the 
 time dinner is ready. You ve nearly half an hour." 
 
 So she took him through a sitting room that left 
 a suggestion of wicker furniture and well-stocked 
 book-cases, up a flight of stairs and into a narrow 
 hall. Opening from this was a rather small bed 
 room, into which Clem Harding soon came, laden 
 with suit cases. 
 
 After Hollington had changed his clothes, he 
 went downstairs. Ruth called him into the dining 
 room where she was setting the table. A pretty 
 
 (9)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 little thing she was, not past fifteen, yet thoroughly 
 self-possessed. 
 
 "I hope you re going to like Rosario," she said. 
 "Dr. Ailing is coming over early in the morning to 
 take you around." 
 
 "I m sure I will if all Rosarians are like you," 
 returned the doctor gallantly. "May I help you?" 
 
 "Thank you, I ve almost finished. It s easier to 
 do the rest myself than to show you how. You 
 don t mind my saying that, do you?" 
 
 "Certainly not; it s true." 
 
 "New York is a long way from here. Did you 
 have any exciting experiences on your trip?" 
 
 "I saw a great deal of interesting country and 
 some uninteresting desert. I m looking for my 
 excitement here." 
 
 "In Rosario? Nothing ever happens in Rosario." 
 
 Mrs. Coulters came in, both hands holding a 
 platter with the roast. Behind her came a young 
 woman whom she introduced as her daughter 
 Frances. The contrast between the two girls was 
 striking, the elder tall, willowy, blonde, every move 
 suggesting efficiency and good, hard common sense. 
 Ruth had her mother s expression, the face of a 
 dreamer, sweet and lovable. 
 
 Then Sam Coulters arrived, a man of parts, with 
 the frame of an athlete and a hand clasp to make 
 one wince. He wore a rather large moustache; his 
 skin was hardened by the sun, his clothes were the 
 clothes of a working man. But in any costume or in 
 any company his face would mark him a man of 
 
 (10)
 
 A NEW DOCTOR COMES TO ROSARIO 
 
 note. It had strength. Here was one who could 
 think pretty straight to the core of any proposition, 
 and who had the courage to follow his convictions. 
 
 Seated at the table, one of Dr. Hollington s first 
 questions was of geography. "I m trying to get 
 something worked out in my mind," he said. "Dr. 
 Ailing always referred to Eden Valley as being in 
 the mountains, and in San Diego you Rosarians are 
 called mountaineers. Yet we were told at home that 
 oranges are grown only in the lowlands, and our 
 train today did not seem to climb very much." 
 
 "We are mountaineers," said Mary Coulters, "if 
 shore birds are waterfowl. Our coast valleys run 
 into the mountains like the fjords of Norway, and 
 probably for the same reason. It must be that at 
 some prehistoric time these valleys were deeper than 
 you see them now, and were arms of the ocean. The 
 wash of the rivers deposited silt under the water at 
 a fairly constant level, so when the land rose out of 
 the sea it left us with smooth, fertile fields running 
 from one steep hillside to the other." 
 
 "I have always believed," said Frances, "that 
 this country was once all rough and barren, and that 
 the wash from the mountains has gradually filled 
 the canons. As soon as the water reached the bot 
 tom its speed would be so checked that it would 
 deposit whatever soil it carried. Then, of course, 
 the river would be raised until it was higher than 
 the land on either side. After that it would work 
 from one canon side to the other like the thread 
 on a bobbin." 
 
 (ID
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 "Whatever the cause, these valleys sometimes 
 work their way up among the hills," continued Mrs. 
 Coulters, "and Eden Valley is really an isolated 
 little finger tip, a tiny part of the great system below, 
 yet practically separate, snuggling right into the 
 heart of the mountains." 
 
 "The answer to the doctor s question," said Sam 
 Coulters, "lies in the fact that in the days before 
 we had trains the wagon road from San Diego ran 
 across the hills into Rosario. Once this road started 
 to climb, everything beyond became a part of the 
 mountains, and that idea clung to us even after the 
 railroad found its way here along the valley floor. 
 You were almost home before your train took to 
 the hills at all." 
 
 "You will find Rosario very different from New 
 York." Mary Coulters had refilled the plates. 
 "You ll have to learn to substitute horses for the 
 subway and shooting for the theatre. At first you re 
 going to be dissatisfied. But it will come to you, 
 just as it has to all of us, that this is the real life, 
 the natural one, the one to which we were born. 
 When it does come, you ll never be contented away 
 from here ; nothing else will make up for our skies, 
 our air, or our lovely evenings, and no home can 
 ever mean as much to you as your home in these 
 California hills." 
 
 "Mother is right," said Frances. "We ve seen 
 it happen here time after time. Wait until you have 
 met the people of this valley and learned to know 
 them. You ll find them hard-working, poor, victims 
 
 (12)
 
 A NEW DOCTOR COMES TO ROSARIO 
 
 of countless vicissitudes, yet happy, thoroughly glad 
 to be alive; and as to their homes, their little farms 
 and bungalows, seldom is seen such determination 
 to stay, such love, such devotion." 
 
 "They ve proven it, too," said the father. "It s 
 not been a matter of falling into some sinecure and 
 becoming enervated in this balmy southland. 
 They ve worked and fought and suffered to stay 
 here. That makes real people of men and women. 
 I ve lived in the west all my life and have watched 
 the spirit of the pioneers come and go. This little 
 settlement of ours is one of the fast disappearing 
 spots that still has their spirit; it s a breeding place 
 of something the nation is beginning to need." 
 
 "Just the same," said Ruth, "I don t want to live 
 here. I want to see the east, and Broadway^ and 
 Paris, and the world." 
 
 "Of course you do, honey, and you shall," said 
 Mary. "And when you have, you ll want to come 
 straight back here to settle down." 
 
 Hours are early in the country. The evening was 
 all too short for Hollington when the party broke 
 up and he found the way to his room. He sat by 
 the window for a long time before retiring, looking 
 out on a darkened landscape, thinking of the people 
 he had just left. They were so different from any 
 he had ever known before. The outsanding fact 
 was the love and harmony in the family circle. An 
 other thing was that these people were natural, per 
 fectly sure of themselves and of each other, and 
 they really felt the friendliness they showed. Only 
 
 (13)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 later did it occur to him that though farmers and 
 workers they were educated, well-read, and refined. 
 What manner of people were they?" 
 
 He guardedly put the question to Clem Harding 
 later. 
 
 "Why, they are just Americans." 
 
 (14)
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 THE CHRISTMAS STORM 
 
 "TTTHEN Hollington woke in the morning the 
 fresh sunshine flooded his room. He stepped 
 to the window to breathe the aromatic air of the 
 garden and look out upon a vista of oranges and 
 lemons set in the soil of a seed bed. Downstairs 
 he found only Frances who was waiting to get him 
 something to eat. The others had finished long 
 before, and had gone to their appointed work. 
 
 "Good morning," she said, "I hope you slept 
 well." 
 
 "Entirely too well, I m afraid. I m putting you 
 to a great deal of trouble." 
 
 "Not at all. By the way, Dr. Ailing has been 
 here. He will be back just about the time you finish 
 breakfast. Isn t it a lovely morning?" 
 
 "I m already beginning to catch your mother s en 
 thusiasm." 
 
 "Oh, and mine too," she replied, with a smile that 
 made him grudge the sound of heavy footsteps in 
 the front yard. 
 
 Dr. Ailing shook hands cordially with both of 
 the others. 
 
 "Sit right down, young man, and finish that meal. 
 I m about to work you so hard for the next two days 
 that you re going to need food. I have to get away 
 on Thursday, and do you know, Frances, it just 
 
 (15)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 breaks my old heart to do it. And as to the wife, I 
 declare she wouldn t go with me if she thought I was 
 able to take care of myself." 
 
 When Frances left the room for a moment the 
 talk turned to some of Alling s cases, each doctor 
 taking stock of the other, and each pleased with 
 what he found. Frances did not attempt to inter 
 rupt them when she returned. She was surprised to 
 notice that Dr. Ailing was asking the younger man s 
 advice on some process which had apparently been 
 recently improved upon in a Boston clinic. 
 
 The two soon left to start on their round of calls. 
 The first visit was to little Sadie McClure, who had 
 been unfortunate enough to sprain her ankle by 
 sliding off a roof. 
 
 "Well, well, what is this I hear?" cried Dr. All- 
 ing, as he entered the sick room. He called to the 
 mother for the things he needed, and proceeded to 
 ease the suffering in that poor swollen joint. When 
 it was done, and the little patient made comfortable, 
 Dr. Hollington was introduced. 
 
 "He will look out for you from now on, for I 
 have to go to Chicago in a day or two. He is a 
 thoroughly trained and skilful young man. I could 
 not have found anyone better able to take my place." 
 
 "Meaning no disrespect to our new doctor, there 
 is no one that can ever take your place. I don t see 
 how we are going to get along without you at all." 
 
 "I know I m going to miss the people terribly, 
 and my old friend Mrs. McClure as much as any 
 one. I never can forget the many things you have 
 
 (16)
 
 THE CHRISTMAS STORM 
 
 done for me. Hollington, I am giving you a little 
 advice. When you need something particularly 
 choice for a convalescent you come here. Mrs. 
 McClure is the best cook I have ever known, and 
 with proper savoir faire I am sure you can persuade 
 her to make anything you want." 
 
 "Indeed he can, sir, if you ask it. Do I really 
 have to say good-bye to you? Oh, I know you will 
 come back some time; no one could leave Rosario 
 forever." 
 
 "I certainly could not. Good-bye, Mrs. McClure, 
 and may God bless you." 
 
 There followed a succession of calls, and then to 
 the office to keep the morning hours. Everywhere 
 there was the same spirit of friendliness and regret. 
 Hollington had believed at first that the reasons lay 
 in the obvious superiority of the Coulters, and that 
 Mrs. McClure had been included more or less by 
 accident. But when it was the same with all it gave 
 Hollington food for thought. He finally com 
 mented to Ailing on the matter, asking him how he 
 could act in so friendly a spirit to so many people. 
 
 "I am not acting, my boy. I don t pretend to 
 care more for these people than I actually feel. If 
 you re going to do justice to yourself and to Rosario, 
 you must break through your Harvard reserve and 
 be one of them. It is going to take time, and dur 
 ing that time you may be misunderstood. But you 
 must try, try consciously; whenever you do like 
 anyone, show it, my boy, show it. They want you 
 
 (17)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 to like them, and they ll size you up in time all right 
 enough." 
 
 A frightened Mexican interrupted them. A rattle 
 snake had bitten him in the arm not an hour before. 
 His companions had tied a cord above the wound, 
 then rushed him to the office. 
 
 "Here is something I m glad to have you see, 
 Hollington. It s one of the cases where western 
 experience is better than eastern. Now, Manuel, 
 don t be excited; you re in no danger and you ll not 
 be hurt much. First I must put on the proper lig 
 ature." He took a roll of gauze about an inch wide, 
 ran it lightly about the arm. Then he wound it 
 around and around, steadily increasing the pressure, 
 until by the time the spool was exhausted he was 
 pulling almost as hard as he could. The cord was 
 then removed, and the wound itself treated. 
 
 "Manuel, I want you to take this off slowly; take 
 it off once around every ten minutes. Here is some 
 medicine. Swallow it and go to bed. I will be 
 around to see you this afternoon. 
 
 "The idea is this, Hollington. The poison in the 
 snake fang is an acid, and a very powerful heart 
 depressent. Neutralize that acid as well as you can 
 with any alkali, and let the heart absorb it over a 
 period of several hours. If the heart takes it too 
 fast there will be excruciating pain, and even death, 
 in rare cases. But if you take time enough, the heart 
 can handle it very nicely." 
 
 In the afternoon when they called at Manuel s 
 home they found his condition just what Ailing had 
 
 (18)
 
 THE CHRISTMAS STORM 
 
 predicted. Hollington was no longer surprised to 
 observe that the dirty, dismal little shack made no 
 more difference to Ailing than did the primitive 
 half-animal nature of the Mexican. Manuel was a 
 patient, but Manuel and the entire Muchado family 
 were friends. Their grief at Alling s plans for 
 leaving was the least restrained of any; but if vocif 
 erous it was sincere. 
 
 When later the doctors looked in on the new baby 
 of the Japanese truck gardener, Hollington would 
 have been surprised had there not been manifesta 
 tions of friendship on both sides. The lesson was 
 learned; there remained now only to put it into prac 
 tice. 
 
 By evening Hollington had a fair knowledge of 
 Alling s cases, and had met many people. He had 
 arranged to take over Dr. Alling s offices, and had 
 found a place to board. 
 
 Thrown upon his own resources, Hollington did 
 well from the first. That he was a good physician 
 and surgeon goes without saying. Dr. Ailing would 
 have trusted his business in Rosario to no other. 
 What the latter called Hollington s Harvard re 
 serve was enough in evidence to keep the new doctor 
 from taking too quickly the place of the old in the 
 hearts of the people. But in due time this obstruc 
 tion passed, and the good people of the valley grew 
 to understand. They rather sympathized with what 
 to them was shyness and diffidence. 
 
 Hollington was not of an impressionable nature. 
 All the more remarkable was the influence of two 
 
 (19)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 days intimate association with Dr. Ailing. In that 
 time was bred and developed the enthusiasm of the 
 disciple. Then and there Hollington determined to 
 dedicate his own life to following in the footsteps 
 of the predecessor whom he so greatly admired. 
 The doctor in Rosario should be more than a healer, 
 just as a minister should be more than a teacher. 
 In order to fulfill what he had grown to regard as 
 his mission in life, he must make friends of the 
 people, of all the people, as he had seen done. Then 
 he must be prepared at all times to help them with 
 advice, good advice and sympathetic. 
 
 As time passed he found a steady growth in his 
 power to carry out this conception. He became 
 really fond of his neighbors, though intimate with 
 none except the Coulters. By the time the winter 
 came he knew he was succeeding, for often people 
 came to him as previously they had come to Ailing. 
 But the greatest tribute of all was when Sam Coul 
 ters himself began to take the young man into his 
 confidence, and to look to him for occasional help. 
 
 Then came a catastrophe. 
 
 Christmas eve it began to rain. All night the 
 life-giving water fell with a steady patter. Rosario 
 was happy; as the storm kept on into Christmas the 
 delighted inhabitants puttered around in the mud, 
 exchanging gifts and greetings, a smile on every 
 face. They saw their citrus crop sparkling with the 
 golden promise of dreams come true. More than 
 one happy parent pored over the catalogue of a 
 
 (20)
 
 THE CHRISTMAS STORM 
 
 boarding-school, or added a long coveted luxury to 
 the family budget. 
 
 In the afternoon the downpour became fitful; by 
 midnight an occasional star could be seen, and be 
 fore dawn the cold north wind had cleared the sky 
 of every vestige of cloud. The storm was past, but 
 it had been magnificent; more than two inches of 
 water had fallen. 
 
 Over the ground where the storm had been the 
 atmosphere was so light as to form a partial vac 
 uum. The heavier air from the outside rushed in 
 to fill it, and from the friction came heat, which was 
 absorbed from the incoming air. So nature main 
 tains her balances. 
 
 The beneficent wind from the ocean was thrust 
 aside by its rival from the north which swept down 
 from the snowy Sierra in cold dry blasts withering 
 to the very heart of nature. 
 
 Ceaseless it came on and on. The sun shone 
 down from a clear sky, and the earth gave up its 
 moisture. By sunset the soil was drying fast, and 
 the persistent assaults on the temperature began to 
 tell. Down below forty went the thermometer, be 
 low thirty-five. At thirty-two the last protection of 
 nature was reached, the latent heat of freezing. For 
 one hour, for two, until a telltale ice-scum showed 
 the final triumph of the invader. 
 
 Then it was that Sam Coulters, his hand on his 
 watch and his eye on the recording dial, called in 
 man, man with his puny resources. By midnight a 
 hundred thousand smudge-pots, filled and placed 
 
 (21)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 two months before, were vomiting up their black 
 smoke and overspreading the valley. 
 
 Every man, woman, and child was out with a 
 torch. Dr. Hollington was drawn to the Coulters 
 with the others. It was all new to him ; no one had 
 time to tell him what it meant. But he soon found 
 himself working down his row, a swarthy Mexican 
 on one side, Frances herself on the other. She gave* 
 an occasional smile of encouragement. And he 
 surprised himself no less than her by crossing to her 
 and telling her what a pleasure it was to him to be 
 really cooperating with her. 
 
 "Look out; you will lose some of that dignity!" 
 and they both laughed. 
 
 At last the work was done, and a tired group of 
 farm-hands and neighbors collected in the Coulters 
 kitchen. Hot coffee and thick slices of bread were 
 passed around. In the genial atmosphere that fol 
 lows hard work and success Mrs. Warner went to 
 Dr. Hollington. 
 
 "I want to shake hands with you, young man. 
 I have heard more than one nice thing said of you 
 tonight." 
 
 "Why, I did only what everyone was doing." 
 
 "I know. That is what we all liked. We feel 
 now that you are one of us." 
 
 "Welcome to our city," giggled Ruth. "Just the 
 same, she s right." 
 
 "Now people, we have a hard day ahead of us, 
 so we must all get what rest we can. There is not 
 enough of the night remaining to hurt us." Sam 
 
 (22)
 
 THE CHRISTMAS STORM 
 
 Coulters was saving his resources, the strength of his 
 family and friends. 
 
 "Pretty soon the sun will come up," said Clem 
 Harding, "and he ll smile at us, and say, Now you 
 folks, just let me take care of this, it s easy!" 
 
 With varying hours of sleep the people of the 
 valley straggled to work the next morning. The 
 smudge-pots had to be filled. Many used briquettes, 
 a composition of sawdust and petroleum. More 
 had small tanks to hold crude oil. In either case a 
 wagon with fuel travelled endlessly from one row 
 to another, while two or three or four people 
 trudged beside it, preparing pot after pot for the 
 coming of the night. 
 
 The irrigation ditches were opened and the 
 orchards flooded. Brush was hauled, prunings were 
 gathered, all possible preparations were made. But 
 mostly it was pots, pots, till the mind itself was 
 smudged by the thought of them. 
 
 Always the cold north wind, unchanging and re 
 morseless. If colder than the day before, it was 
 still the same wind, for the forces in opposition were 
 weakening. Many a time the lowering temperatures 
 of the two days were checked, but never with en 
 couragement. At three o clock the thermometer 
 began to fall in earnest, and at sunset had almost 
 touched the freezing point. 
 
 It was a repetition of the previous night, but the 
 smudge-pots were lighted hours earlier. Once more 
 the tired orchardists had to tramp through the dark, 
 wet groves, and once more the answering smoke 
 
 (23)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 filled the skies. It checked the fall of the thermom 
 eter, but bursting water pipes and ice-coated pools 
 showed how triumphant still was the relentless 
 enemy from the north. 
 
 So Sam ordered the firing of the barricade. 
 Against such a contingency had the prunings of two 
 seasons been piled along the north and northwest 
 corners of the valley. Every few hundred yards 
 were these monuments of foresight, many of them 
 larger than a cottage. When they burst into flame 
 the orchards were guarded by a wall of fire that 
 Boreas could not hope to overcome. But he was 
 never a bit discouraged. "I will blow those flames 
 and make them all the hotter. And when that brush 
 is ashes I will push the warm air out of that lovely 
 valley, and then ha ! ha !" 
 
 "We might as well quit now," said Sam Coulters, 
 "all except the men who are tending the fires. 
 They ll protect us until one o clock. If the wind 
 shifts by that time we re safe; if it blows all night 
 we re going to be badly hurt. In either event we ve 
 done all that could have been done. I m going to 
 get some rest, and I advise you all to do the same. 
 Perhaps in daylight things will not seem so hope 
 less." 
 
 But victory lay with the Hun. Not until the sun 
 had struggled for hours did the west wind come into 
 its own. And then the beautiful valley lay prostrate 
 under a blow from which it never fully recovered. 
 Hardy native plants, the wild tobacco and the su 
 mach, were shrivelled as though by a wave of fire. 
 
 (24)
 
 THE CHRISTMAS STORM 
 
 Gardens and ornamental trees suffered still more. 
 Even the olive, seemingly unscathed, had sloughed 
 its crop to save itself. And the citrus, the most del 
 icate of them all! 
 
 The trees were dying from the tips of the 
 branches toward the heart. Probably there were 
 few of them but could be saved, but all that could 
 be kept alive would be a short, bare stump. For the 
 tender shoots had gone first, and the march of death 
 could be followed to the older twigs, to the main 
 branches themselves, to the very trunks. 
 
 And the fruit, the bread and butter, the neces 
 sities and happiness of the people. There are thou 
 sands upon thousands of tiny vials in an orange. 
 When the juice within them freezes it bursts the 
 membranes, leaving within the skin a pulpy mass 
 that at once begins to decay. As beautiful as ever 
 to look upon, yet utterly worthless. 
 
 (25)
 
 CHAPTER III 
 J. P. BUTLER & Co. 
 
 T. P. Butler & Co., Real Estate, Loans, and In- 
 *^ surance." 
 
 The sign was generously spread over a large 
 plate glass window. Around the window was a 
 building with a door, and a fire wall in front intimat 
 ing a two-story structure. The office was in full 
 view of the street; contents, one swivel and two 
 straight chairs, a roll-top desk, a cuspidor, and a 
 waste basket, maps and advertising pictures on the 
 wall, and dust everywhere; the effect within was 
 strain, but the sign without was gorgeous. 
 
 Beside the open desk sat J. P. Butler & Co., the 
 somewhat slovenly man being Butler, and the com 
 pany the dusty surroundings. Before the man lay 
 a letter bearing the printed heading of "The Nippon 
 Merchandise Co." He was puzzling over its con 
 tents, his eyes half-closed, and his hand gently car 
 essing his chin. 
 
 The letter was a general request for information 
 as to the chance of buying a citrus grove at a low 
 price. Business, never very large at this office, was 
 particularly dull just now; the broker wanted money, 
 and the outlook at Rosario was not flattering. 
 
 His fingers idly drummed his lot book, but he did 
 not open it. It contained a list of every piece of 
 property in Eden Valley, with the name of the 
 
 (26)
 
 J. P. BUTLER & CO. 
 
 owner, and the amount of and holder of every in- 
 cumbrance. It seemed there usually was one. But 
 ler knew the contents of this book pretty thoroughly; 
 his living had been made for many years by placing 
 these mortgages. 
 
 The result of his meditations was a trip to the 
 coast. He gave some attention to his personal ap 
 pearance before he presented himself at the South 
 ern California Bank. As an out of town correspon 
 dent who had sent quite a bit of valuable business 
 there, he was courteously received by the president. 
 
 "How do you do, Mr. Butler," said that affable 
 man of affairs, "you certainly are looking well." 
 
 "I m feeling first rate, but I m just a little wor 
 ried, so I thought I would drop in here." 
 
 "You Rosarians were hard hit. It s bad enough 
 along the coast, but nothing by comparison." 
 
 "I know it, Mr. Barlow. That is why I have 
 come to see you. You have made so many of your 
 Eden Valley loans through me that I feel a great 
 deal of responsibility." 
 
 "You mean the situation is as serious as that?" 
 
 "I can t see where those men are coming out. 
 How can they pay? How can they even meet their 
 interest or taxes? It will be a full year before they 
 get any real crops. How will they keep on? They 
 nearly all owe money on the crops that were lost; 
 where is it to be had?" 
 
 "Yes, I know, they ve lost their gross receipts 
 for a year." 
 
 "And no business in the world can stand that." 
 (27)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 "No business could, but some men can. I ve 
 given this matter a good deal of thought, and I con 
 fess that it s bothering me quite a little. I know you 
 didn t come here just to frighten me. You have 
 some idea in mind; what is it?" 
 
 "Well, as I said, I feel partly to blame, and I 
 want to keep my record clear. I think the thing for 
 you to do is to let me sell some of the mortgages 
 for you." 
 
 "No one would buy without the bank s guarantee, 
 and then we would be in just so much the worse 
 shape for having lost control." 
 
 "I think perhaps I could sell some for you with 
 out that." 
 
 "Look here, Butler, that s not the way we do 
 business. If you think I m going to sell that paper 
 to men who will foreclose ." 
 
 "Don t be angry, please. We can t govern what 
 the buyer does, Mr. Barlow. I was thinking of 
 my responsibility." 
 
 "Of your commissions ! Of your chance to make 
 a few dollars out of your neighbors troubles. If 
 you can bring me any kind of a proposition by which 
 I can help those poor people without jeopardizing 
 my stockholders interests, come back here. That is 
 the only kind of business I want with Eden Valley 
 just now. Good morning!" 
 
 When the firm of J. P. Butler & Co. reached the 
 sidewalk it was with a somewhat diminished air of 
 confidence. The Southern California Bank appeared 
 with lamentable frequency in the lot book. And so 
 
 (28)
 
 J. P. BUTLER & CO. 
 
 many of the choicest holdings were marked with its 
 name. Of the other loans, one after another was 
 held out of town, or for some other reason was 
 unavailable. The Warner place seemed to offer 
 the best, if not the only opportunity. The loan on 
 it was small and it had but a short time to run. The 
 farm was marketable. Mrs. Warner had recently 
 been through a prolonged illness, which had ex 
 hausted every family resource up to the frozen crop. 
 
 So it came about that old Arthur Speirs, who held 
 the mortgage, listened to much the same tale as was 
 told to the bank president, listened with fear and 
 trembling, for it was adorned with many embellish 
 ments that the astute agent had not dared to use in 
 his former interview. Arthur Speirs had no high 
 philanthropic motives; the Warners were imper 
 sonal to him. His money was in danger, a part of 
 his income might be lost, he was rattled and badly 
 frightened, facts which, skilfully played upon, re 
 sulted in a very satisfactory option made out to the 
 long established and highly respectable firm of J. P. 
 Butler & Co. 
 
 Hanba was the leading spirit of the Nippon Mer 
 chandise Co. He was the better dressed, the better 
 educated, and even spoke the better English of the 
 two, when Butler was in his store. 
 
 "Eden Valley? No." 
 
 "But the trees will come back." Butler was sit 
 ting close to his customer, and speaking in a low, 
 confidential tone, although the two were alone in a 
 large office. His salesmanship was of the "can t you 
 
 (29)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 see it?" type, his explanations were those of a school 
 teacher, both as to the pains taken and as to the 
 mental attitude assumed. Frequently he would em 
 phasize a point by gently tapping his hearer on the 
 knee. "The roots and the trunks are still alive. In 
 one year you will be picking fruit. And think of the 
 price. Two thousand dollars will buy that mort 
 gage, and with five hundred to me for my option; 
 only a hundred dollars an acre, with houses and 
 machinery and water rights thrown in. It is less 
 than two dollars apiece for the trees, with every 
 thing else for nothing." 
 
 "But I do not understand this way of buying. If 
 I pay two thousand five hundred dollars why do 
 I not own the place?" 
 
 "Now listen; that mortgage has three months to 
 run. If he pays it, you get your money back and 
 you get interest. If he does not, you pay me five 
 hundred dollars and the place is yours. In a year it 
 will be worth fifteen thousand." 
 
 "Is this all right? Is this the way to do business 
 in this country?" 
 
 "Why, certainly, it s all right. Do you think the 
 Southern California Bank would do this if it were 
 not all right? Look in this book and see the mort 
 gages they own. You know the Warner property 
 and you know it s exactly what you want. And you 
 know that it s worth five, six, eight hundred dollars 
 an acre. This is a gamble; he may pay, but even 
 then you can t lose. I ll tell you what to do; let us 
 go to your lawyer." 
 
 (30)
 
 J. P. BUTLER & CO. 
 
 "We will do that. I will not do anything that is 
 not perfectly honorable. If Mr. McGowan tells me 
 the same things that you have, I will buy your mort 
 gage. But I will not pay you five hundred dollars; 
 I will pay one hundred and fifty." 
 
 After much haggling two hundred and sixty-five 
 dollars was agreed upon. Then came the visit to 
 the attorney. McGowan was a lawyer with all that 
 the word implies. The papers and the question 
 were submitted to him. The mortgage, the certifi 
 cate, and the option were all regular; it took him 
 but a few moments to pass upon them. And the 
 transaction itself? Why, certainly. Years of delv 
 ing into intricate legal problems had robbed him of 
 any point of view other than what was according 
 to law must be right. To him, Hanba, Butler, and 
 Warner alike were only markers in the game. 
 
 It was decided that the best way to handle the 
 situation was for McGowan to take over the mort 
 gage as trustee and hold it until such time as it 
 should be either satisfied or foreclosed. So Speirs 
 was repaid his loan, less a hundred dollar commis 
 sion, McGowan was satisfied because every paper 
 was perfectly drawn; Butler, because of the money 
 he already had, and the larger amount which he 
 was determined to get; Hanba, because the true 
 Oriental is a born gambler, and Warner, well, there 
 has to be a loser in every game ; anyway no one took 
 the trouble to tell him. 
 
 When Butler had returned, and was once more 
 established in his office in Rosario, he found him- 
 
 (31)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 self the object of quite general interest. Coulters 
 was one of his first callers. 
 
 "We ve been waiting for your return with a good 
 deal of interest," said Coulters to the broker. "I 
 suppose you saw Barlow?" 
 
 "Oh yes. That s why I went down. So many 
 loans have been placed with him through me, that 
 I thought I owed it to the valley to put matters be 
 fore him in its best light. I wanted to get at him 
 before those coast knockers could influence him. 
 They are trying to borrow a great deal of money to 
 develop Silver Cliffs, and are just small enough to 
 figure that the less we get the more they will obtain." 
 
 "How does Barlow stand?" 
 
 "He said to me, word for word, If you can bring 
 me any kind of a proposition by which I can help 
 those poor people without jeopardizing my stock 
 holders, come back with it. Mr. Barlow is a man 
 whom I am proud to number among my friends, 
 and I certainly am glad I went to him." 
 
 "You feel sure that he will at least give us plenty 
 of time?" 
 
 "Beyond any question." 
 
 "And do you think he ll help us any more than 
 that?" 
 
 "He might. I tell you what to do. Figure out 
 the amount that is going to be needed, and work it 
 up into some businesslike proposition, then we will 
 consult him. I did not like to go any further than 
 I did at first, nor until I knew just what I wanted 
 him to do." 
 
 (32)
 
 J. P. BUTLER & CO. 
 
 All his visitors who were indebted to the Southern 
 California Bank were told the same thing. It was 
 the subject of a carefully written interview in the 
 Rosario Record, a marked copy of which was 
 promptly mailed to Mr. Barlow. And as no denial 
 was ever forthcoming Butler s story was not ques 
 tioned. 
 
 Among his callers on this first day was Warner. 
 
 "Oh, yes, I saw Mr. Speirs," said Butler. "He 
 was very uneasy at first, but when I left him I knew 
 that he had no intention of foreclosing." 
 
 "I am very glad to hear that. You see I have 
 given a trust deed, not a mortgage. And so I have 
 no chance to redeem. I must either get that money 
 somewhere else, if I can, or get an extension from 
 Speirs." 
 
 "I know he will not foreclose. But as to asking 
 him for a long extension, I don t know." 
 
 "Perhaps I d best go to San Diego and see him. 
 Then when I find out just what he ll do I can have 
 the papers drawn, and close the whole matter at 
 once." 
 
 "That is the wrong way to go about it, entirely 
 wrong. I had a long talk with him, and everything 
 is all right. But if you go to him and show him that 
 you are uneasy he may grow uneasy too. A very 
 peculiar man. So easy to get an idea into his head, 
 but so nearly impossible to get one out of it." 
 
 "What shall I do?" 
 
 "You just leave it all to me. I will fix it for you. 
 How much more time do you want?" 
 
 (33)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 "I think I can clear it all right in two years. I 
 know I can in three." 
 
 "That can be arranged for you easily enough. 
 Don t give the matter another thought. The next 
 time I go to town I ll attend to it." 
 
 "When are you going?" 
 
 "Before long. I don t know exactly." 
 
 Supper that night at the Warners was a very 
 cheerful meal. A little reaction came from the call 
 on Butler. One thing, at least, could have been 
 worse. The first smile was contagious, for the whole 
 family was eager to rebound from its depression. 
 The overshadowing topic of conversation was the 
 education of the children. The parents knew that 
 for themselves the next few years meant harder 
 work and greater denials than had ever been their 
 lot before. They knew it and accepted it, so there 
 was nothing further to be said. 
 
 Richard was the oldest son. He was in his junior 
 year at Hopkins. To his family, at least, his record 
 was one of brilliant scholarship. He not only had 
 a big future before him because of his marked abil 
 ity as an engineer, but he had already reached a 
 point where, between prizes won and outside work, 
 he had become self-supporting. It would be little 
 less than cruel to call him home at this time. 
 
 Could the farm be kept going by the father and 
 the younger son, the latter a youth of seventeen who 
 had inherited his mother s delicate constitution? 
 Deland Warner, worshipping his elder brother, 
 would listen to no other plan. The father was se- 
 
 (34)
 
 J. P. BUTLER & CO. 
 
 rious, for he could estimate the work that had to 
 be done, and knew how hopeless it was to even think 
 of engaging hired help. And there was Jeanette, 
 as pretty and as sweet a bit of girlhood as any valley 
 could boast. Did it all mean for her a department 
 store counter? Would high school have to be given 
 up, and normal become an abandoned dream? 
 
 Yes, unquestionably. She smiled through her 
 tears, protesting that she was glad to do what she 
 could for them. They petted her, and praised her, 
 promising that it would not be for long, that their 
 very first crop would put her back on the road to her 
 ambition. But they were serious, too, they knew 
 what a lonely home theirs would be, for they loved 
 the daughter of their house no less than she loved 
 them. 
 
 Warner and Deland turned to a discussion of the 
 farm work, how it could be handled and how di 
 vided. They agreed that the first thing they must do 
 was to cut from the fruit trees all the dead wood, 
 the wood that had been killed by the cold. There 
 was imperative need to have this done before the 
 warm weather started the spring flow of sap. They 
 would probably be a little late in completing that 
 task, and would be behind with all the farm work 
 for a long time to come. But by working a little 
 harder than they had ever done, and having no crop 
 to be lost by their tardiness, they could probably 
 leave Richard in the east. 
 
 Mrs. Warner and Jeanette might have plunged 
 into talk about the changed prospects of the latter 
 
 (35)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 and the coming separation, but they tacitly reserved 
 the subject for feminine privacy, contenting them 
 selves with listening to the plans of their men, and 
 occasionally offering a suggestion. 
 
 Later in the evening the Kraemers came in from 
 across the road. They had been friends and neigh 
 bors in the far back Iowa days. Their only child, 
 a babyhood playmate of Jeanette, was but a memory 
 now, the memory of golden curls and roguish smiles 
 and happy laughter. On the Warner children they 
 lavished the affection that craved an outlet; they 
 mothered them until these seven people were almost 
 as one family. 
 
 As was the custom, the two households walked 
 together to the store and post office, a half mile 
 away. They met many of their neighbors this eve 
 ning, on the same errand bound. And the exchange 
 of greetings and of queries as to welfare held more 
 than the usual significance. It was characteristic of 
 these people that they had discounted their losses, 
 and with few exceptions were making no complaints. 
 Instead, they were asking or telling about what had 
 been saved, and taking pleasure in any little thing 
 that had escaped. And they were full of the future 
 as it was to be, not as it might have been. 
 
 Mrs. Warner was not at all reticent in telling the 
 family plans, in fact she seemed rather glad to have 
 generally known what had been decided upon that 
 evening. The way her friends received the news 
 showed the universal esteem in which the Warners 
 were held. They were in no sense leaders as the 
 
 (36)
 
 J. P. BUTLER & CO. 
 
 Coulters were. They were of those whom everyone 
 likes, which is sometimes different from being of 
 those whom everyone follows. 
 
 Warner s days, and those of his son Deland, were 
 strenuous ones. Both men were in the orchards at 
 daylight, and both came home at dark, utterly 
 fatigued. Little by little they decreased the area 
 of apparently dead trees. The brush pile grew to 
 amazing proportions, and there was a very gratify 
 ing number of healthy looking stumps, properly 
 trimmed and protected with wax. 
 
 The details of arranging for the extension of the 
 loan were being neglected, and Warner knew it. 
 But he was too tired evenings to look up Butler, and 
 too concentrated on his work to be willing to leave it 
 in the daytime. Several weeks elapsed before he 
 forced himself to go to the broker. He was assured 
 that Speirs had recently been in correspondence with 
 Butler, that matters stood exactly where they did 
 at the time of the first interview, and that the for 
 malities would be gone through with in due season. 
 
 The time had come, however, to take Jeanette to 
 town, and to establish her there, both in the store 
 where she would work, and with the people with 
 whom she would board. Her father was to take her 
 down, so he told Butler that he himself would see 
 Speirs. 
 
 Butler thought it over. With his eye on the cal 
 endar, his thumb pressing his chin on one side while 
 his forefinger stroked the other, he was trying to 
 
 (37)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 fit one more move into the puzzle he was determined 
 to solve. 
 
 One day three or four months later, while the 
 broker was writing in his office, the door was 
 opened, and Sam Coulters walked in. 
 
 "Hello, Sam. I suppose, since you re all dressed 
 up, that you re going to town?" 
 
 "I ve just returned." His face was cold as a 
 statue. "Didn t you know that Barlow would re 
 peat what you said to him?" 
 
 "He told you that I tried to persuade him to sell 
 his mortgages?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "That s what he really believes. But I was only 
 trying to find out what he would do. I wanted to 
 make sure, and I did." 
 
 "There s another mistake you made. I suppose 
 you thought Hanba would keep still?" 
 
 Butler s face turned to a pasty white. 
 
 "You ve three hundred and sixty-five dollars of 
 blood money. Give me a check for that amount, 
 and Richard Warner can get his degree. Then pack 
 and go where no one of us will ever see you again." 
 
 "You can t talk to me like that and get away with 
 it. Business " 
 
 "I m not going to talk to you much more. I don t 
 enjoy it. And I m not going to listen to you at all. 
 But unless you do exactly what I ve told you to do, 
 I m going to Harry Warner and tell him some 
 things that will interest him. 
 
 "All about your little chat with Barlow, for in- 
 (38)
 
 J. P. BUTLER & CO. 
 
 stance, and with Speirs, and with Hanba, and with 
 McGowan. How you lied about Speirs intentions, 
 and how you later intimidated the poor old man into 
 being your confederate. How Speirs was so upset 
 over the whole transaction that he moved heaven 
 and earth to take that loan up again, but simply 
 could not do it. I will tell Harry how you dangled 
 him with your damnable lies until it was too late 
 for him to get that money elsewhere. And how, 
 with your hypocritical offers of help you blocked 
 every one of the desperate efforts of himself and his 
 friends to do something. It all unwound easily 
 enough, after I had once forced Hanba to talk. If 
 I tell Harry that you threw him and his whole fam 
 ily into poverty for the sake of three hundred and 
 sixty-five dollars, what do you think he is going to 
 do? 
 
 "Kill you! All he can do is to kill you, and he ll 
 do so without a moment s hesitation. There was a 
 time in his life before he went to Iowa that you don t 
 know about as well as I do. He seldom speaks 
 of it himself; but Clem Harding knew him in those 
 days. If I tell this story he ll forget the thirty years 
 that passed between Nevada and that sheriff s sale, 
 and all hell couldn t keep him off from you. 
 
 "I m giving you a chance simply because I don t 
 want to see him in trouble any deeper than he al 
 ready is. But if he does kill you he ll do so here, 
 among his friends, and so long as I m a deputy sheriff 
 we ll hang any jury that tries him. You have no 
 chance, Butler. Give me that check." 
 
 (39)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 It was done. "It will take some time to wind up 
 my business, Sam. You wouldn t be so hard if you 
 knew all the circumstances " 
 
 "Your train leaves in about two hours. I ll at 
 tend to closing your business. Everything will be 
 carefully accounted for, and the proceeds turned 
 over to Mrs. Warner. I m going now to cash this 
 check. Be sure not to miss that train." 
 
 Later in the afternoon Coulters stopped at Hol- 
 lington s office to take him home for supper. 
 
 "I hear that Butler has left town," said Robert, 
 "was it not rather sudden?" 
 
 "I don t know." 
 
 "I supposed you knew all about it, for I saw you 
 talking with him this afternoon." 
 
 "Oh no, Robert, you are mistaken. I have not 
 seen him for days." 
 
 "All right," laughed the young doctor. "I sup 
 pose that bulge in your hip pocket is natural?" 
 
 "Sometimes we have to do unpleasant things. 
 One of those times happened today. It is best to 
 try to forget it." 
 
 "Doctors are trained not to gossip. Do you know, 
 Sam, you are a big man. If this whole valley knew 
 what I do, everyone would say, If Sam ran him out 
 of town, he must have had good reasons. I don t 
 know of a soul who would think of asking why, ex 
 cept for motives of curiosity." 
 
 "Here s the old Warner place," said Coulters. 
 Old doesn t the word hurt? If Speirs had sold to 
 a white man, I could have saved Warner. You can 
 
 (40)
 
 J. P. BUTLER & CO. 
 
 always reach a man if you know how. No white 
 man would try to keep that place under the circum 
 stances, he couldn t endure the adverse opinion of a 
 community." 
 
 "There are thick skinned people who would 
 stand it if they were making money." 
 
 "I can t imagine not being able to stop a man by 
 some means. But these Japanese ! They under 
 stand only what they want to, and are hardly inter 
 ested in what we think. They re scrappy beggars, 
 their whole army is behind them and they know it, 
 you can t scare them out. Hanba appears to regard 
 McGowan as the court of last resort. From his own 
 point of view his actions are irreproachable. He s 
 not responsible for our laws, nor does he interpret 
 them; he merely follows the best advice he can get. 
 He simply refuses, whether wilfully or not I really 
 don t know, to adopt our customs along with our 
 laws." 
 
 "There seems to be quite a few men there. Is 
 Hanba with them?" 
 
 "Hanba is merely an agent. The money was fur 
 nished from Japan; there is probably a certain 
 amount of government backing. The men you see 
 are peasants of the lowest type." 
 
 "Why so many?" 
 
 "They re doing a great deal more than Harry 
 ever attempted. It must be the intensive farming 
 of which we have so long heard. Hello, there s 
 Clem." 
 
 The old frontiersman was leaning over a fence, 
 (41)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 his head resting on his arms, his pose one he might 
 have been holding indefinitely. He didn t hear his 
 friends approach until Sam called to him : 
 
 "Hello, Clem, what s new?" 
 
 "I was just thinking that I m not lawyer enough 
 to know how these Japanese got here, nor minister 
 enough to know if it s right for them to stay; but 
 I do know that the valley was a lot better off with 
 Warner than with them, and that a valley full of 
 such people wouldn t be nearly as good a thing for 
 the country as our dear old Rosario." 
 
 And so the first of the Mongolian orchardists 
 came to be in Eden Valley. 
 
 (42)
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 SAM COULTERS PLAYS POLITICS 
 
 AFTER dinner that evening Frances and Robert 
 drifted out upon the porch. Mrs. Coulters 
 was busy about the house, and her husband had a 
 meeting to attend down in the village. The meet 
 ings were important these days, for there were al 
 ways some poor, despondent souls who really needed 
 encouragement. Ruth had given up boarding school, 
 but she conscientiously devoted her evenings to keep 
 ing up her studies. 
 
 "You have only been here six months," Frances 
 was saying, "yet you have changed a great deal." 
 
 "Have I? In what way?" 
 
 "Do you remember that Clem Harding met you 
 when you came? He told me all about your drive 
 from the depot. The part I remember most clearly 
 was his saying that while you had learned his whole 
 history, he had not even found out your name. If 
 you had that same drive to take today with a 
 stranger, you would let him learn a little not much, 
 but still something." 
 
 "The comparison is not fair. I was not prepared 
 for people such as you Rosarians. My preconceived 
 idea of farmers came from stage caricatures, I m 
 afraid. So I d planned to devote all my thoughts 
 to medicine." 
 
 (43)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 "You did nt come with a very high opinion of us, 
 did you?" 
 
 "Certainly not. I did nt know there was such a 
 pure democracy in the world. Dr. Ailing first opened 
 my eyes. He has nothing to yield on family to any 
 of my old circle, and where I was brought up we 
 regard family as a matter of some importance. Pro 
 fessionally, there are not many of his age who have 
 made a higher mark. I know better than you the 
 meaning of that appointment he received when he 
 left here. And personally, well, you knew him 
 much more intimately than I." 
 
 "He did have a wonderful personality, didn t he?" 
 
 "He certainly did. Do you wonder that I fell 
 under his influence? If it hadn t been for him where 
 would I have learned to appreciate the people here?" 
 
 "That may have helped, but the change is really 
 inside. Six months ago you wouldn t have talked 
 like this to anyone. By the way, what did you mean 
 by calling us such a pure democracy?" 
 
 "Simply that you do not recognize caste. You ad 
 mit no social superiority above you, and you don t 
 claim much social inferiority below you. According 
 to all precedent, people living on small farms and 
 doing their own work, men and women as well, as a 
 class, you understand, should rank but little above 
 the unskilled laborer. And yet, if you gave the mat 
 ter any thought you would regard yourselves as just 
 about on a par with Millionaire s Row in Coronado. 
 But of course you don t give the matter any thought, 
 for the very existence of this condition depends on 
 
 (44)
 
 SAM COULTERS PLAYS POLITICS 
 
 your not doing so. It all affects character in the 
 aggregate. Yielding servility to some, demanding 
 even more servility from others, is bound to leave an 
 impression." 
 
 "Do you often hear from Dr. Ailing?" 
 
 "Oh, yes, regularly. He tells me about his ex 
 periences in Chicago, asks about his old friends here, 
 and gives me good advice." 
 
 "What sort of advice?" 
 
 "He has high ideals of the position a doctor 
 should occupy in such a- place as this. He thinks I 
 can and should exert a strong influence for good in 
 this valley. Carry it out to its logical conclusion, I 
 should not only treat the sick but minister to dis 
 eased minds. Moreover I should help to keep 
 the community in good health, and that implies inter 
 ference in the most minute details of family life. 
 For it is the countless little things that in the aggre 
 gate determine whether you are to be well and 
 strong or not. He had all the zeal of a reformer, 
 and sometimes he s afraid I m not taking my work 
 seriously enough." 
 
 "I don t see why he should be. With both of you, 
 medicine is as much a religion as a profession. Only 
 you re even worse than Dr. Ailing; because you are 
 younger, I suppose, and so have more enthusiasm. 
 By the way, didn t you say something at dinner to 
 night about having gone to see one of the Japanese 
 boys on the old Warner place? The conversation 
 turned just then, and I had no opportunity to ask 
 about it." 
 
 (45)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 "One of them was kicked by a horse and had 
 his leg broken, a nasty fracture above the knee." 
 
 "How do they live, how do they keep house?" 
 
 "An impossible mixture of their customs and ours. 
 Do you remember those two days Dr. Ailing spent 
 in taking me everywhere, to fit me to be his succes 
 sor? The truck gardener had a lot of extra work 
 to do at that time; he had fourteen men sleeping in 
 one small room. And instead of doing everything 
 they could for ventilation, they burned scented punk 
 to make the room habitable-. At the Warner place, 
 where they re not crowded for room, it s only by 
 threats that I can get my patient enough fresh air. 
 Yet most of our rules of hygiene they accept with 
 implicit faith, often not even pretending to under 
 stand them. 
 
 "For the most part their food comes to them in 
 kegs or crates from the Nippon Merchandise com 
 pany in San Diego. I didn t pay much attention, 
 for I thought it best not to change the diet. The 
 race has lived on it so many centuries that their sys 
 tem needs it. Some of them use chairs occasionally, 
 but sitting on the floor is more natural. The War 
 ners took their furniture out, as you remember, and 
 there s been very little put in to replace it. Rooms 
 that are not being used have been allowed to accumu 
 late dust and trash. A few cheap Japanese pictures 
 are on the wall, and there are some Japanese books 
 and old newspapers scattered about, usually on the 
 floor. The garden is overgrown with weeds and is 
 
 (46)
 
 SAM COULTERS PLAYS POLITICS 
 
 dying, and everywhere is the smell that tells of a 
 different race. 
 
 "The foreman s wife came in while I was there. 
 She had been out with her children; one of them she 
 led by the hand, the other was in a baby buggy. 
 She had dressed herself, as well as them, in Euro 
 pean clothes. No style and no fit, but clean; that the 
 trio could roam about the country and come in so 
 nearly immaculate is little short of a miracle. There 
 is one of their inconsistent contrasts. 
 
 "They re an interesting people, quick, imitative, 
 and responsive, until unexpectedly you encounter the 
 stone wall that marks their limitations. Beyond that 
 you have the mind of primitive man. I don t even 
 try to understand them, although they amuse and 
 interest me. I ve found that you can t argue them 
 into much nor drive them into anything, but that 
 they re very susceptible to ridicule. Would you like 
 to go over there with me sometime?" 
 
 "Very much. Oh, no, I couldn t, not to the War 
 ner place. Doesn t it bother you?" 
 
 "The manner of the Warners leaving did, more 
 than you know. But there are two entirely separate 
 conditions here, and I don t feel that I m showing 
 any disloyalty to Harry Warner and his family by 
 treating that boy with the broken leg, nor by being 
 friendly with the others. Besides why, here comes 
 your father!" 
 
 "And he doesn t look any too well. Father, you re 
 tired." 
 
 (47)
 
 "I m worried; have you heard about the Kraem- 
 ers?" 
 
 "No, what about them?" 
 
 "The interest that Hanba represents, whatever 
 it is, has bought them out. They had almost com 
 pleted a deal to sell to a northern buyer, but he 
 dropped it cold when he heard that he would have a 
 Japanese colony for a neighbor. Kraemer grew 
 discouraged. No one knows just what he was paid, 
 but the price was ridiculous. The Kraemers were 
 lonely without the Warners, and are going to San 
 Diego to make a home for Jeanette. Perhaps they 
 will be happier, but Schumacker and Hancpck have 
 now become contiguous to Hanba s men. Both are 
 bitter toward the Kraemers for having done them 
 what they regard an injury. Both sides have friends 
 who are taking up the quarrel, and there s more 
 feeling in this valley than I ve ever seen before. I 
 don t like it at all, but I don t know how to stop it. 
 
 "There was a good deal of rough talk to-night. 
 Some, frightened by the rather mysterious way in 
 which the two deals were made, and not knowing 
 where the infection would stop, openly advocated 
 running the Japanese out of the valley. It can t be 
 done, not permanently, but it wasn t easy to get the 
 idea suppressed." 
 
 "Which means, I suppose, that people still do 
 what father tells them to, but that he had to fight 
 them to-night to make them." 
 
 "I suppose I might as well admit it. I don t want 
 to lose my grip just now, especially if we are going 
 
 (48)
 
 SAM COULTERS PLAYS POLITICS 
 
 to have trouble. And we surely would have had it 
 if those hot heads had had their way." 
 
 "Are you afraid that the Japanese colony will 
 grow much larger?" asked Robert. 
 
 "It is sure to, for the simple reason that they can 
 make it pay. I don t mind telling you that the sit 
 uation is serious. I ve been in Rosario eighteen 
 years, Robert, and have seen this valley go through 
 a great many ups and downs. There have been sea 
 sons, one after another, when we would make a 
 yearly profit equal to half the value of our farms. 
 On the other hand, last winter s freeze is only one 
 of a series of disasters. We ve had years so dry 
 that our trees shrivelled and our crops became value 
 less. Time and again insect pests, the scale and the 
 spider, have ruined our fruit. I ve seen our markets 
 so glutted that we simply couldn t sell. Carload 
 after carload of fruit has left here to be put on the 
 auction block in the east without bringing enough 
 to pay freight." 
 
 "Nothing has ever hurt us as much as that awful 
 Christmas storm, and yet we re pulling through. 
 On the whole, we re pretty good fighters; the weaker 
 ones have dropped out, one by one, as the years went 
 by. We are facing a hard summer, harder, perhaps, 
 than any of us know. Left to ourselves we d win 
 out somehow; we always have. But there is no 
 margin of safety, none at all. Every resource will 
 be exhausted. 
 
 "That s why this new trouble is so bad. Two 
 small farms held by the Japanese don t amount to 
 
 (49)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 anything, and with all the feeling there is, I don t 
 think as yet there s much uneasiness. But look 
 ahead; if they can make two pay, twenty would do 
 the same. I know they can, even better than they do 
 themselves. The time to stop this thing is now." 
 
 "Can you do it, father?" 
 
 "I can try," was the grim answer. 
 
 So Sam Coulters went down out of the mountains, 
 and paid a visit to an old friend. Rutherford White 
 was more than a friend, he was popularly regarded 
 as the political boss of the southwestern counties. 
 He was thoroughly glad to see the mountaineer, and 
 his welcome showed it. 
 
 "And now tell us what you re doing in this part 
 of the world?" asked the politician. 
 
 "I came to see you," said Coulters, who didn t 
 often indulge in finesse. 
 
 "You know I m always glad to do anything I can 
 for you." 
 
 "There s something you have to do for me now, 
 whether you can or not. The governor has called 
 the legislature in special session next month. I want 
 a law passed to prevent the Japanese from owning 
 land in California." 
 
 "Gee, but that is a big order. Tell us about it." 
 So Sam told of the experience in Rosario, and of his 
 fears for the future. White listened with close at 
 tention, and at the conclusion answered: 
 
 "I see there is no use trying to offer you anything 
 else. I will see Diester in Sacramento, and let you 
 know if your wish can possibly be fulfilled." 
 
 (50)
 
 SAM COULTERS PLAYS POLITICS 
 
 "That will never do, never in the world. I want 
 that legislation, not a lot of explanations and kind 
 regrets. You and I have worked together and been 
 friends for a long time, but this is bigger than friend 
 ship. If I can t get what I want through you, I m 
 going where I can. Honestly now, you aren t going 
 to force me to go to Buddy Haynes?" 
 
 "No ! I told you I would do all I could." 
 
 "Let us put our hands on the table. Diester will 
 do this for you if you trade him enough. You have 
 so much asked of you that your trading stock won t 
 go round, and you figure you can only afford a cer 
 tain amount to keep Rosario in line. Ordinarily 
 you could try to barter with me, but just now you 
 can t. Haynes has given you the fight of your life 
 and while you have him beaten, yet you are counting 
 on my vote and on Clark and Redding. I know 
 what your majority in the county central committee 
 is; it is just four. And you know why Clark and 
 Redding will vote as I tell them. Come now, don t 
 make me threaten you, do I get my law?" 
 
 "You win, but you ll have to come to Sacramento 
 to help." 
 
 The weeks of inaction waiting for the legislature 
 to meet were a trial to Coulters. For he was a 
 fighter rather than a strategist. Three more farms 
 were bought in Hanba s name during that period, 
 in spite of Sam s almost frantic efforts to keep his 
 people together. There was the little Frenchman, 
 Delaque. He had been unable to get an extension 
 on his mortgage, and he blamed this failure on in- 
 
 (51)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 terference by Hanba. Whatever the truth of the 
 matter might be, the fact was that one of the latter s 
 emissaries offered Delaque a few hundred dollars 
 for his equity. And as the tender was carefully 
 timed so as to catch the owner in a fit of despond 
 ency, and so skilfully handled as to exaggerate his 
 fear that he might get nothing, the deal was closed 
 without much ado. Hancock, still protesting that 
 Kraemer had been a renegade, inconsistently sold 
 his own place to Hanba, and left the valley over 
 night. 
 
 Then there was Packhard s farm. The peculiar 
 conditions attending its purchase were at once puz 
 zling and menacing. It lay almost across the valley 
 from the Warner homestead. Though of only 
 twenty acres, it was the show place of Rosario, and 
 was surrounded by carefully kept orchards. The one 
 striking, outstanding fact was that Ralph Packhard 
 had demanded and obtained its fair market value. 
 Could all this mean anything except a deep strategic 
 move? If that were the case, then there must be an 
 organized effort to drive every white man from 
 Eden Valley. 
 
 It seemed to Coulters as though the days had 
 never dragged as they did the week before the legis 
 lature met. But the time finally did come for him 
 to go to Sacramento. More anxious was he than 
 when he had last seen White. Indeed, he had no 
 settled plan beyond this law that he had been prom 
 ised. White and Coulters together called on Diester. 
 White had been true to his pledge; everything was 
 
 (52)
 
 SAM COULTERS PLAYS POLITICS 
 
 arranged with the big state boss and neither politi 
 cian anticipated any difficulties. They discussed the 
 wording of the bill, they discussed the arguments 
 to be used in its favor, and all the time Diester, who 
 had asked to meet Coulters, studied the rancher with 
 interest. So this was the man who was strong enough 
 to make the great state machine obey his mandate ! 
 Such a personality was worth knowing, for there was 
 no telling when it might be useful. 
 
 Coulters had reached Sacramento charged with 
 enthusiasm for the fight on his bill. He had ex 
 pected to work incessantly, to meet legislators and 
 senators, to plead with the country members, and to 
 argue with the committeemen. He was prepared to 
 overcome opposition, to conquer lethargy, to lobby 
 with heart and soul. He had told himself that he 
 must not overestimate Diester s influence, that while 
 the latter s aid was absolutely necessary, it was him 
 self and no other who would force the lawmakers 
 to save Rosario. 
 
 He was by instinct an organizer. He had been 
 on the inside of many a factional fight in his district, 
 and in his county. So he considered himself pretty 
 well posted on how business would be done at the 
 capital. Yet he was astonished at the progress of 
 his bill, once Diester had ordered it passed. 
 
 It was introduced simultaneously in the upper and 
 lower house, and turned over to the committees with 
 out comment. By them it was reported favorably 
 and without delay, and without discussion as far as 
 Coulters knew. When in due time it was called up 
 
 (53)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 no opposition appeared. A labor member from San 
 Francisco seized the opportunity to attack the Jap 
 anese all along the line. A rancher from the Oro- 
 ville country spoke feelingly of some local experi 
 ences. The question was put to a vote; a few per 
 functory ayes, no noes, and it was done. 
 
 Diester, White, and Coulters called on the gover 
 nor. The chief executive looked ostentatiously at 
 his watch, as he began to question Coulters. The 
 first few answers brought an end to the effort to rush 
 the interview. The head of the state was interested 
 interested in the man no less than in the measure. 
 Here was a lobbyist who was unselfishly pleading 
 for others; a crusader in practical politics. It was 
 so refreshing, such a contrast to the sordid routine 
 of his office, that when a secretary tried to interrupt 
 him he waved the man aside and told Coulters to 
 continue. 
 
 And Sam poured out his heart to a man who really 
 cared, the first he had met since leaving home. When 
 he had finished the governor formally shook his 
 hand. 
 
 "I will sign your bill, Mr. Coulters, and I am 
 proud to do so. If you gentlemen," he added, turn 
 ing to the others, "would come to me oftener with 
 laws like this, and a man like this, my life would 
 not be quite so much of a grind." 
 
 The mountaineer returned to his hotel, tired but 
 happy. After all, five farms held by the aliens was 
 not a very serious matter. Besides, it was now only a 
 question of time until the titles would revert to the 
 
 (54)
 
 SAM COULTERS PLAYS POLITICS 
 
 whites. It was characteristic that he did not specu 
 late on what the results of a possible failure might 
 have been. Nor did he flood Rosario with self- 
 laudatory telegrams. In fact he sent only one. It 
 was to his wife, and said simply that he would start 
 home the following day. And the faithful spouse, 
 reading between the lines, and having had a quarter 
 century of experience, knew that her strong mate 
 had once more put his shoulder to a task and had 
 done so with success. 
 
 At twelve o clock noon there was to take place the 
 formal signing of the now famous Japanese land 
 owners bill. Coulters had remained in Sacramento 
 one extra day in order to attend the ceremony. But 
 at nine o clock a uniformed messenger arrived from 
 the executive mansion, demanding Sam s immediate 
 presence. 
 
 He was admitted, without delay, to the governor s 
 study. 
 
 "I sent for you to tell you some very disagreeable 
 news, Mr. Coulters. Your enemies have a long 
 reach. The matter we discussed yesterday was taken 
 up in Washington between our secretary of state and 
 the Japanese ambassador. An hour ago I received 
 a telegram from the president himself; a telegram 1 
 could not disregard." 
 
 "Then you mean you are undecided about that 
 bill?" 
 
 "I am very sorry, Mr. Coulters, and very much 
 ashamed of our national diplomacy. But I cannot 
 plunge the country into war, so I have already ex 
 ercised my veto." ( 55 )
 
 CHAPTER V 
 LOVE AT SUNRISE 
 
 T> ILLY EVANS was giving a house party, a party 
 -*-* of twelve that taxed the capacity of the mine 
 superintendent s quarters. His sister was ostensibly 
 hostess. So, of course, Arthur Hancock was there, 
 quiet, hardworking, serious Arthur Hancock, whose 
 devotion to Evangeline Evans was the romance of 
 the valley. For two years he had paid her court in 
 his own way, which was to keep himself in the back 
 ground and to try to forestall her every wish. He 
 was always unselfishly considerate of others, and 
 with her he carried this quality to a climax. And 
 she, well, who can read a woman s heart? All that 
 Rosario knew, and if the truth be told, probably all 
 the principals themselves knew, was that he had 
 never quite been able to persuade her to leave her 
 brother and keep house in Eden Valley. 
 
 Of course, Frances Coulters was there. If every 
 thing must have a motif, she was the motif of this 
 gathering. A mass of golden hair, the brightest blue 
 eyes that ever smiled a welcome, a determined little 
 mouth and chin determined when in repose but 
 forever on the verge of laughter, such she was to 
 Billy. Her other attributes must have been nearly 
 enough perfect not to have spoiled the picture, for 
 the impression she had made on his susceptible heart 
 was the kind that comes to such a man but once in a 
 
 (56)
 
 LOVE AT SUNRISE 
 
 lifetime. He simply wouldn t take no for an an 
 swer; he begged so hard for friendship and com 
 panionship where he had failed to win love that she 
 hadn t had the heart to refuse him that solace. And 
 she liked him and gave him a friendship so sweet 
 and noble that it made his fate so much the harder 
 to bear. Through it all he had to appear cheerful 
 and happy. He well knew that if he ever broke in 
 her presence, if she ever really saw and understood 
 the suffering that lay back of his jests and light love 
 making, she would end the situation forever. 
 
 With Frances came her father and mother, the 
 official chaperones, and her sister. Dr. Hollington 
 was invited with the Coulters. Had he not been 
 generally regarded as the host s rival he would cer 
 tainly have been included and Billy Evans was far 
 too true a sport to have thought of leaving him out 
 through any feeling of jealousy. 
 
 The Sanfords and the Whites were there, young 
 married couples of whom Billy and Evangeline were 
 fond. They were comparatively newcomers; the 
 Sanfords had lived in Rosario less than a year, while 
 the Whites had come in during the last few months, 
 straight from their honeymoon. 
 
 Saturday afternoon was given over to an inspec 
 tion of the mine. Once the guests were assembled 
 they were taken deep into the earth, where miners 
 with pick and shovel, with air compressors and dyna 
 mite, were following the easily distinguishable veins. 
 The visitors were shown the endless chains that 
 brought the rock to the surface, the conveyors that 
 
 (57)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 put it under the powerful stamps. They saw the 
 resultant powder thrown into tanks, and had ex 
 plained to them how cyanide of potassium is able to 
 dissolve metallic gold. They wandered through the 
 reduction plant, thrilled at the sight of virgin gold, 
 watched some assays made for their benefit, and 
 generally absorbed knowledge on the art of working 
 low grade ore. 
 
 And they felt, more or less consciously, that at 
 the heart of all this there was a real man. Fifty 
 primates working underground, their bodies devel 
 oped, their brains but little used, disclosed that 
 Evans was more than their employer he was their 
 leader. On the surface as well everything showed 
 the effects of a strong hand, sparingly used. Such a 
 smooth running machine as the Mountain Lion Mine 
 was a monument to the efficiency of Billy Evans. 
 
 An informal supper was served on the front 
 porch. Cold meats and salads were on the side 
 board, and everyone helped himself or was waited 
 on by her escort. The mine inspection had been 
 hard work which had sharpened appetites at the 
 expense of conversation. So it was a quiet meal, or 
 would have been but for the host. He was as ever 
 the life of the party. 
 
 When the sunset came, conversation lagged under 
 the influence of the golden clouds and purpling hills. 
 Not even a rustle of air could be heard as little by 
 little there stole in the sounds of the mountains. A 
 few minutes more and the stars were shining, for 
 southwestern twilights are momentary. Then the 
 
 (58)
 
 LOVE AT SUNRISE 
 
 Evanses led their guests into the living room, to a 
 blazing fire and a cheerful warmth. 
 
 But the spell of the sunset, the call of the moun 
 tains, was upon them still. It developed that at less 
 than an hour s ride lay a wonderful spot, a spot over 
 looking the Salton sea and the desert and the rocky 
 hills. And the talk grew of getting up early and 
 going there to see the sun rise out of the Colorado. 
 Some would go ; those who would not or could not 
 urged the hesitating ones. The party finally ar 
 ranged was Frances and Ruth Coulters and Evange- 
 line Evans, Billy Evans, Dr. Hollington and Arthur 
 Hancock. That disposed of, Sam Coulters became 
 the target of attack. 
 
 "I hear your friends in Sacramento had an ace 
 in the hole," said Evans. 
 
 "And the case ace at that," answered Coulters, 
 with a grin. 
 
 "So, of course, you have quit. What is the next 
 play, Sam?" 
 
 "I don t know." 
 
 "Which means you won t tell. All right. But 
 one of these days I may find time hanging heavy 
 on my hands, and bring down a bunch of my huskies 
 to run all those Japanese out of Rosario." 
 
 "Could you keep them out after doing so?" 
 
 "Might, unless I thought of some other form of 
 amusement. Perhaps I would change my mind when 
 I got all those men down in the valley, and run off 
 with Frances instead. She looks as though she 
 needed a little mountain air." 
 
 (59)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 "But no mountaineer," from Frances. 
 
 Then I will take Ruth." 
 
 "Nothing doing. I will never, never be second 
 choice." 
 
 "Correct; it will have to be Frances. Would not 
 life be lovely if I didn t have to make a date every 
 time I wanted to see you? And we could have a real 
 fight, too. The doctor would have a battery of bac 
 teria tubes to defend you. How about it?" 
 
 But Robert did not respond. He wanted to but 
 could not. His mind was on the morning s ride, 
 although he was talking to Mrs. White about some 
 recent New York plays. He was shocked, too, just 
 a little, that anything so sacred should be treated as 
 a joke. And if not ashamed, he was at least a bit 
 disappointed in himself that he couldn t join in the 
 spirit in which it was all meant. He knew that he d 
 always been more or less popular at home, that he 
 usually had something interesting and appropriate 
 to say. Yet here often, as tonight, his failure to 
 take the cue had brought frivolity to an end. And 
 he was big enough to assume the blame, instead of 
 holding it against these Californians. 
 
 In the morning with the stars still shining and 
 darkness out of doors the riders assembled. Evange- 
 line and Frances wore their farm riding clothes, 
 baggy, loose-fitting suits of khaki. Arthur and 
 Robert had borrowed some trousers and leggings 
 at the mine. Evans was dressed as he was the 
 evening before. He made his apologies, while the 
 girls brought in coffee and hot rolls. Some obscure 
 
 (60)
 
 LOVE AT SUNRISE 
 
 trouble, which demanded his personal and immediate 
 attention, had developed in one of his conveyors. 
 Neither was Ruth going, either because she really 
 had the headache she pleaded, or because she was 
 too proud to be an odd member. 
 
 The expedition was not long in starting. Arthur, 
 acting as guide, took the lead. There was little op 
 portunity for conversation, the trail was too narrow 
 and too steep. The riders had to trust everything 
 to the superior eyesight of their mounts, as these 
 picked their way among the boulders. 
 
 In order to avoid the brush, for awhile the trail 
 followed the bottom of a dry ravine. It was a steep 
 little canon and very rough, for it had been cut by 
 water which came only at intervals, but came then 
 furiously determined to get down from the moun 
 tains. After half a mile the trail turned abruptly 
 up one of the banks, from which with a short, steep, 
 gasping ascent, the easier traveling of the mesa was 
 reached. Here, except for desperate plunges in and 
 out of washes, the contour of the canon head was 
 followed to the fork of the ridge. The side of this 
 ridge was a mass of loose rocks, varying in size 
 from pebble to house. Soft, rotten, weather-beaten, 
 it was piled as steep as it could lie without slipping. 
 Up this the horses toiled in long zig-zags. Often 
 they would have to test a spot with their front feet; 
 then would come an indescribable lurch, while the 
 weight was being shifted so the hind legs could be 
 brought to the same level. But they were all wise 
 old animals, well used to every phase of mountain 
 
 (61)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 life. So it was that finally, after much hard work, 
 though without danger or excitement, they all 
 reached the top. 
 
 It was still dark. There was little the eye could 
 see save the bare outlines of the surrounding hills. 
 It was cold, with the still, dry cold of the summit 
 that sucks the body s warmth. How clear were the 
 stars, and how near they seemed, shining through 
 the dustless air ! The sky must be cloudless, for the 
 little iridescent pin pricks were everywhere every 
 where except in the east. There was a stretch of sky 
 against the horizon which was brighter than one 
 would have thought, for all the stars within it were 
 extinguished. 
 
 The dawn was coming, and as the minutes passed 
 the stars became less distinct. The eye could not 
 see the changing. In fact, in this whole wonderful 
 panorama that was about to be unfolded, in the pro 
 gression from stygian darkness to the most brilliant 
 of natural lights there was not as much as a varia 
 tion in shading or in color that could be detected at 
 the time, that could be detected at all except by mem 
 ory. A bright star shone in the east well above the 
 sky line. A few moments later it was dimmed; the 
 next time one looked for it it was gone, absorbed by 
 the fast growing semicircle that held no stars. 
 
 The silhouettes of the surrounding hills began to 
 show a bit of detail a stray chapparel, perhaps, or 
 a jagged pile of granite. To the west were the 
 twinkling lights of Rosario, and of other and fur- 
 
 (62)
 
 LOVE AT SUNRISE 
 
 ther settlements, separated from the watchers by 
 great, black masses of hills. To the east, the far 
 off mountains began to appear as mist, as the coming 
 of the day added to the faint light of the stars. 
 Now the general nature of the country could be dis 
 tinguished; rough, rolling, intermittently descending 
 hills to the west, to the east a precipitous broken 
 decline of thousands upon thousands of feet to the 
 level flow of the desert itself. 
 
 Something flat stretched away to the horizon, 
 something that might have been the ocean, or a sea 
 of fog, or a misty chaos; something that engulfed 
 the great jagged fingers that ran out from the moun 
 tainous rock-pile. Something that exerted the spell 
 of Circe upon the watchers on the ridge. But be 
 tween lay the very gates of hell, an inverted pyra 
 mid, perhaps half a mile across, that even in this 
 half light made one shudder at its frightfulness. 
 And ever as more details were revealed the horror 
 grew, the while there came to the horizon a long, 
 thin line of wondrous pink. 
 
 With no warning there came the sunburst, bril 
 liant rays of color shooting to the zenith. Range 
 after range of rock hills were coming into view, the 
 nearer ones in white and black, without intermediate 
 shades; those farther away dimmer and dimmer un 
 til they merged into the horizon s clouds. One long, 
 ragged shoulder ran across the eastern heavens, its 
 skyline marking in glorious contrast the night and 
 the day. By now the hell hole stood revealed, a 
 
 (63)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 circle of spurs dropping to abysmal depths. Some 
 of these ribs were of huge brown rocks, devoid of 
 earth or of life, for all the world as though poured 
 out of a magic basket. Some were covered with the 
 chips that had come from the disintegration of the 
 granite, looking at a distance almost like sand, and 
 offering refuge to an occasional stunted bush. 
 
 By this time, it might almost be said that daylight 
 had come. There remained but to make what could 
 be seen a little clearer and brighter. To the left 
 five ranges of mountains, one above another, ran 
 into the desert. The farthest was a blurred blue, 
 the next a soft pink, while the centre one was sap 
 phire. The nearest range was dull grey, the re 
 maining one a brown. On the right new hills were 
 coming up in the distance, soft, greyish-blue masses 
 were resolving themselves either into hills or into 
 clouds. The hell hole just below was more hideous 
 than ever, and stronger grew the impression that 
 beyond it lay others, in tiers and terraces to the foot 
 of the hills. In spots, growing and merging, the 
 level stretches became the brown, barren valley floor. 
 
 An incandescent line shows over the sand hills by 
 the Colorado, it turns to a segment, to a great cop 
 per ball of fire. The pink band above the sun turns 
 yellow; another day has begun. At first the change 
 was slight. On all sides great rocky ridges, running 
 here and there, oppressed with a feeling of nearness. 
 In that wonderful air and light the eye had no con 
 ception of distance, the immediate hills gave no sug- 
 
 (64)
 
 LOVE AT SUNRISE 
 
 gestion of having thickness, nor of being widely sep 
 arated; they were like the painted scenes of the stage, 
 rising one behind another. This impression spread 
 rapidly as the sun rose to several times its own diam 
 eter, spread until immense mountains miles in length 
 and thousands of feet in height looked like gigantic 
 cardboards standing on edge. 
 
 Color came slowly to this scene, but came gor 
 geously and lavishly. Nothing could be added to 
 the horrible grey of the valley just below, but the 
 walls, especially the farther ones, turned to a glor 
 ious purple, a promise of beauty beyond. A kaleido 
 scope of color ran riot; the hill that at one moment 
 was pink would turn red or yellow or blue with the 
 changing moods of the heavens. The deep saffron 
 of the distant Salton sea alone was constant, while 
 the rocks, the hills, the mountains, the sky and all 
 outdoors took on a boldness of outline and a bril 
 liancy of tone no human artist would dare adopt. 
 
 Hollington finally broke the silence. "I suppose 
 you have seen all of this before?" he said to Frances. 
 The others had moved to a boulder a few hundred 
 feet away. 
 
 "I ve been here a number of times," replied 
 Frances, "but one could never see it all." 
 
 "To me it s a symbol of life. There is a parallel 
 between the trail we came up this morning and the 
 years I have spent in training and study. The top 
 of that ridge represents attainment. I had become 
 a fairly successful doctor, but I was still in the dark. 
 
 (65)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 Ignorantly so, too, for I thought the light of the 
 stars was the light of life. And then I met you. 
 What is that but the faint light that dimmed the 
 stars, the light that showed what a greater thing 
 there is in life than mere success? I could no more 
 tell you, Frances, when I began to love you, than I 
 could point to that marvelous scene below us, and 
 tell you at what moment in the past hour it ceased to 
 be dark and became light. My love for you has 
 changed me no less than the sun has changed this 
 picture. Frances, I want to live for you. I want to 
 have you with me always. Not even such a wonder 
 as we have just seen could mean anything to me un 
 less you stood beside me to share it. Nothing I 
 could accomplish would be worth while unless it were 
 being done for you. What a dream it would be to 
 have a home, the home that you could make for me; 
 to spend all my time in doing things for you, in 
 trying to make you happy and perhaps when every 
 thing went wrong, to go to you for just the touch of 
 sympathy that would make all bright and cheerful 
 once more. I love you. Is there any chance, Fran 
 ces, that you that you that you could ever care 
 enough for me to make this dream come true?" 
 
 "Robert, I do care for you more than for any 
 one more than I have ever cared for anyone. But 
 I have never thought of such things as this. Give 
 me a little time Robert. Just as soon as I know, 
 it cannot be long, I will tell you." 
 
 "Here come Evangeline and Arthur. Will you 
 look at their faces? We do not seem to be the only 
 
 (66)
 
 LOVE AT SUNRISE 
 
 ones who were carried away by the glories of this 
 sunrise. Well, we are to congratulate you?" she 
 continued, as the others came into earshot. 
 
 "You certainly are," replied Arthur. 
 
 There was a suspicious degree of warmth in the 
 kiss that Frances gave Evangeline, in the handclasp 
 that Robert gave them both. 
 
 (67)
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 THE ROSARIO SCHOOL 
 
 "pHERE are almost as many kinds of teachers as 
 -*- there are kinds of people, so it would open too 
 wide a field of philosophy to trace the chain of events 
 that placed Miss Tibbetts in the Rosario school. 
 Perhaps the seed might be found in the good old 
 days when the ambition of every big boy was to 
 whip the schoolmaster, an ambition that was most, 
 effectively checked by the appointment of some nice 
 young lady, to whom he made love instead. Per 
 haps it lay in the passing of the big boys and the 
 fights, or in the custom of normal graduates to begin 
 their careers in the country. In any event, there 
 was a building in Eden Valley dedicated to educa 
 tion, so of course there had to be a teacher. 
 
 Miss Tibbetts was a product of the modern sys 
 tem. She was fairly well educated herself, and 
 trained in the most scientific way of imparting knowl 
 edge. She owned a highly ornate certificate setting 
 forth her qualifications as her teachers saw them, 
 but saying nothing of her knowledge of human 
 nature nor of her ability to meet conditions not dealt 
 with in the text books. 
 
 In the first place she was unsophisticated. That 
 is a dangerous word, for we are all unsophisticated, 
 from the convent girl to him who imagines himself 
 a man of the world. The average young girl of 
 
 (68)
 
 THE ROSARIO SCHOOL 
 
 today knows so much more than did grandmothers 
 when of the same age that she regards her ancestors 
 as decidedly unsophisticated. And her married sis 
 ter, having listened to many excuses and tales of high 
 life, similarly regards the younger woman. Beyond 
 them is the good, honest, every-day man, next the 
 man who tries to distinguish between sport and real 
 vice. Further we need not go. But the answer 
 could be found only in the worst person in the world, 
 and his brain would be so befuddled that his opinions 
 would be of no value. 
 
 Whatever you may think of the others, and what 
 ever standard you may adopt, you will have to grant 
 that Miss Tibbetts was not sophisticated. The eld 
 est child of a widow, her life as far back as she could 
 remember had meant work. Congenial and not too 
 hard, it had demanded her time without checking 
 her development. Household duties in a home of 
 refinement, and study in high school and normal, left 
 little time for leisure. The years that in other girls 
 developed the instinct for mating she had devoted 
 with a singleness of purpose to preparing herself 
 for her profession. 
 
 The flux from this crucible was an altogether 
 charming little virgin, beloved by the grown ups for 
 her personality and by the children for her unfailing 
 sweetness. She couldn t control her classes, she 
 didn t pretend to. She followed the precepts of her 
 training doggedly, almost mechanically. The while, 
 she won her scholars with tact and real affection, 
 
 (69)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 and accomplished more than the sternest of disciplin 
 arians could have done. 
 
 Into the school, when the first rush of the winter 
 work was over, came three Japanese. Half men 
 and half boys they were, ambitious to learn the west 
 ern ways, yet purely oriental in every habit of 
 thought. It s not so many years since our own for 
 bears went to school after they were almost grown. 
 But the system, which at that time was fitted to cope 
 with them, has undergone a process of evolution. 
 So have the scholars, as well as the ideals and the 
 methods. If such an anachronism as the big boy of 
 old were to enter a graded grammar school today 
 he would throw the entire machinery out of tune, 
 though undoubtedly he would be cared for and 
 taught. 
 
 Miss Tibbets at first found a delight in her new 
 pupils. They were industrious and eager to learn 
 beyond any previous experience of hers. In short 
 they were her disciples. The progress made by the 
 fully matured brain under these circumstances com 
 pletely overshadowed that of even the brightest of 
 the normal, fun loving children. In that side of 
 their nature these aliens reflected her own struggles 
 and successes, and so found a ready sympathy. And 
 there was her satisfaction, too, for her professional 
 side was flattered by their proficiency. So it was 
 that with growing mutual esteem they learned and 
 taught. 
 
 But all males are vicious, except perhaps at those 
 two extremes of life when weakness makes a neces- 
 
 (70)
 
 THE ROSARIO SCHOOL 
 
 sity of virtue. Of the viciousness of the small boy 
 Miss Tibbetts had had much experience, theoreti 
 cally. She had encountered this trait frequently un 
 der many names in her text books and in her lectures. 
 If she could not always subdue it, and there were 
 tears on her pillow to witness occasional failures, 
 at least it was something of which she had an under 
 standing. If she couldn t fathom the mental process 
 that made small boys fight, and fidget, and do one 
 naughty thing after another, she did accept it as a 
 fact that their actions followed their impulses with 
 out a conscious break, and she also accepted the fact 
 that their impulses were not always of the highest 
 order. 
 
 The viciousness of the big boys of the days of the 
 pedagogues she would have learned to accept in much 
 the same way, had it come into her life. After all, 
 it s a long cry from the days of seigniory, or of the 
 Italian nobles. And the restraints of civilization, 
 which is essentially recognition of the rights of the 
 weaker, have so permeated the human race that the 
 roughest lumber-jack or unskilled laborer has come 
 within its influence to a degree that would astonish 
 him if it were brought to his notice. 
 
 While there are many things these big boys would 
 have done which you and I, with greater advantages, 
 would avoid, yet there are things they would not do. 
 We all have a limit beyond which we will not trans 
 gress, a limit which varies far more with epochs 
 of history than with individual consciences. The 
 big boy has a good deal of the small boy left in him, 
 
 (71)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 and a good deal of the man is there, and, however 
 high or low his standard may be, he is almost cer 
 tainly a militant idealist. Miss Tibbetts would have 
 handled him with tact, with an appeal to his chivalry, 
 with an instinctive recognition of his weaknesses and 
 of his strength, and she would have been successful 
 because he represented the same state of race de 
 velopment that she herself did. 
 
 Hogo and Watsa and Nanga came to the Ro- 
 sario school with traditions older by centuries than 
 those of the other scholars. They came to learn, 
 and were prepared to and did accept countless of the 
 western ways because of their wish to become Amer 
 icanized. But without disloyalty to their old ideals. 
 Up to a certain point the workings of the human 
 mind are mechanical and can no more be changed 
 than the color of the skin, the slant of the eyes, or 
 the shape of the skull. 
 
 Little Miss Tibbetts first troubles came when her 
 three Asiatics tried to take part in the school games. 
 They knew nothing of baseball, which, at the time, 
 was undergoing one of its popular revivals among 
 the small boys of Rosario. But Hogo s older 
 brother, who was working on the old Warner place, 
 had once been a professional baseball player. He 
 explained the sport to his three compatriots and 
 practiced throwing, catching and batting with them, 
 until one day they presented themselves ready to 
 join in the great national game. Their desire for 
 knowledge went far beyond books, it included every 
 phase of American life. 
 
 (72)
 
 THE ROSARIO SCHOOL 
 
 "Red," alias Ralph Watson, and "Slats," whose 
 fond parents had expected him to be called Stephen 
 Ruggles, were the two who usually chose sides. With 
 officious ceremonies Red would toss a bat to Slats, 
 who with his right hand would catch it somewhere 
 near the centre. Then Red s little fist would close 
 just above the other s, which in turn would slip above 
 his. And so on, the winner being the one who last 
 held the bat securely enough to swing it over his 
 head. After that the choosing of sides began. In 
 their imagination the game was not played between 
 teams of half a dozen small boys to a side, on an old 
 school lot, while waiting for the bell to ring. On 
 the contrary the players were all grown men and 
 famous experts, a vast concourse of people watched 
 them, people who expected and received all the 
 pomp and circumstance due to the king of sports. 
 The little dreamers did the best they could, where 
 the proper swagger was more important than the 
 proper play. 
 
 Miss Tibbetts was pleased one morning to find 
 Hogo and his friends playing in this game. She 
 was surprised the next day that the children had 
 given up their baseball and were playing prisoner s 
 base. She called Red into the school house to find 
 out what lay behind it all. But the interview was not 
 very satisfactory. The facts were that the Japanese 
 had been as serious about the game as about every 
 thing else. Red would never have admitted that he 
 and his fellows were afraid to play because the new 
 comers hit too hard and threw too fast, and he never 
 
 (73)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 could have explained how reality had shattered the 
 make-believe. 
 
 Prisoner s base, or at least the California variety, 
 consists of a number of players divided into two 
 sides. Two parallel lines some twenty yards apart 
 represent the bases. And rough circles drawn in the 
 sand are prison walls. The player who leaves his 
 base becomes the prey of any opposing player who 
 has left his own subsequently. If captured, a pris 
 oner may be released by being tagged by any one of 
 his own team. Of course, the game demands an um 
 pire. And equally, of course, in a small school it is 
 habitually played without one. 
 
 The first day after baseball was abandoned the 
 Japanese watched the children, the second day they 
 said they would play. Hogo and Nanga were ac 
 cepted, Watsa was in the schoolhouse studying. As 
 had happened before, the small tots were outclassed. 
 The two big boys, though on opposite sides, made 
 no effort to catch each other, but filled the prison 
 with the little children, who had no chance against 
 them. 
 
 Red Watson decided that since Nanga would not 
 catch Hogo, he must do so himself. So he made it 
 a point to always leave his base just after Hogo 
 came out, and always to run home as soon as Hogo 
 did. Using Nanga for a stalking horse, Red waited 
 his opportunity, and when it came he darted out and 
 tagged Hogo fairly and squarely. What a shout 
 went up, what clapping of hands and dancing! How 
 they did tease Hogo. Ridicule is the one thing that 
 
 (74)
 
 THE ROSARIO SCHOOL 
 
 the Japanese cannot endure. So he lied, claiming 
 and insisting that he had left the base after Red, 
 and refusing point blank to go to prison. Nanga 
 sustained him, whereupon the game broke up in a 
 fierce quarrel. 
 
 The Anglo-Saxon has been taught that truth is a 
 virtue, the Oriental that it is a folly. Ralph Wat 
 son, half sobbing with anger, half blind with hatred, 
 revolving in his mind wild schemes for getting even, 
 could not have been persuaded that he was not the 
 victim of an injustice. Child-like, he exaggerated 
 the importance of it all. But the principle involved 1 
 was as firm in his twelve-year-old mind as a thousand 
 years of breeding and thinking and living could plant 
 it. A little self-conscious, perhaps, but behind him 
 twice several thousand years to justify himself, 
 Hogo could not any more easily understand Red s 
 feelings than Red could justify Hogo s actions. 
 
 Miss Tibbetts smoothed over the matter. She 
 liked Red, admired him for his sturdy courage, his 
 devotion to principle, and his native honesty. More 
 over, he was right. Her every instinct told her that 
 lying was wrong. Neither her breeding nor her 
 profession made it possible for her to admit of any 
 other philosophy, or to see that the whole trouble 
 was really the contact of two world-old and irrecon 
 cilable developments. She persuaded the Japanese 
 to give up trying to take part in the school games, 
 and coaxed Red and his associates to resume friendly 
 relations. 
 
 So Watson and Nanga once more took up their 
 (75)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 dicker for the wild pigeon eggs. Red had been an 
 ardent collector for years. His eggs were properly 
 drilled and carefully blown. His orderly care of 
 them was in such contrast to his regular habits that 
 it was at once his mother s pride and her despair. 
 For Red was a very human youngster. Nanga had 
 a pair of wild pigeon eggs, something which young 
 Watson had long wanted, as almost the only native 
 bird not on his list. He had prepared these eggs for 
 Nanga, then offered their equivalent and more from 
 his trading stock. Nanga was not a collector, so 
 Red had to unearth some of his other treasures. 
 Proposals and counter offers followed, negotiations 
 worthy of a larger business deal. When at last an 
 agreement was reached, Red gave up his pocket 
 knife, seven glass marbles and his agate; his cher 
 ished agate that had won for him the reputation of 
 being the school s best player. Nanga put all these 
 things in his pocket and promised to bring the eggs 
 with him in the morning. 
 
 But he did not do so. He gave back the seven 
 marbles and the knife and told how he had lost 
 the agate before he had reached home. There he 
 had found a letter offering him money, real money, 
 for those pigeon eggs, and so, of course, he had sold 
 them. 
 
 Red went at once to Miss Tibbetts, but what could 
 she do? He told his father about it in the evening. 
 Mr. Watson could not think of anything better to 
 advise his son than to have nothing more to do with 
 Nanga and his friends. And this advice Red fol- 
 
 (76)
 
 THE ROSARIO SCHOOL 
 
 lowed, literally and vindictively. He was so popular 
 among his fellows, and made such a strong appeal 
 when he preached his feud, that not a boy over ten 
 would speak to one of those Japanese or recognize 
 his existence. 
 
 Red thoroughly enjoyed it, and felt repaid for the 
 lost stone. Nanga was hurt. He could not reason 
 against his own traditions, nor could his fellow 
 countrymen help him when he laid his troubles be 
 fore them. Their theory of life did not include the 
 western doctrine that a promise once given must 
 be carried out, a contract once entered into must 
 be fulfilled. If this ideal were universally lived up 
 to in the western world the Japanese would have ac 
 cepted it. But the distinction between an ideal that 
 is so disregarded and the more material scheme of 
 life which does not include such an ideal is a very fine 
 one. Too much so, in fact, for Nanga and his 
 friends, who could see in the incident itself and in 
 its consequences nothing but race prejudice. And 
 being proud and sensitive they resented it, and more 
 bitterly because of their impotence. 
 
 Miss Tibbetts did not try to smooth over this 
 disagreement. She remained friendly with both 
 sides, while recognizing their hostility to each other. 
 The school discipline she succeeded in maintaining 
 to the extent that there were no outbreaks during 
 study or recitation hours. Her one concession was 
 to remove the Japanese to the extreme rear, not far 
 from the larger girls. 
 
 Then came the trouble that involved the parents, 
 (77)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 the trustees, and the whole valley. Again it was not 
 a question of wrong on one side or of right on the 
 other. Logic was entirely on the side of the Jap 
 anese, race prejudice and instinct against them. 
 
 Here were three boys, not especially congenial 
 among themselves. They were cut off from inter 
 course with the other boys of the school through a 
 series of incidents regarding which they held them 
 selves blameless. Miss Tibbetts was kind to them, 
 but she was their teacher and could not meet them 
 on any other basis. The boys own position in life 
 was on a parity with the other people in this valley, 
 where social caste was unknown. There were peo 
 ple in Rosario, people like the Packhards and the 
 Coulters, who might be above recognizing them. On 
 the other hand, knowing as they did their own posi 
 tions at home, and the respect generally accorded to 
 their families, they considered themselves at least 
 the equals of nearly all the Rosarians and the supe 
 riors of most of them. And as to race, why, they 
 were proud of the blood that was in them. They 
 had always been taught in their isolation that the 
 Japanese were by far the greatest of humanity, and 
 they could point to many facts to prove it. They 
 did not believe that the question of blood superiority 
 was involved at all, or if it were it was all in their 
 favor. 
 
 They knew that these Americans held ideas on the 
 subject of womankind very different from their own. 
 They had no sympathy with these strange notions; 
 reason and hygiene were both against them. Never- 
 
 (78)
 
 THE ROSARIO SCHOOL 
 
 theless, they understood them perfectly and willingly 
 accepted them. On that statement of facts, craving 
 society and companionship, it was only natural that 
 they should mix a little with the older girls in the 
 school, and endeavor in a pleasant way to become 
 acquainted with them. 
 
 But when little Jennie Graham came in one eve 
 ning and told incidentally how Watsa had walked 
 home with her, carrying her books, her parents froze 
 stiff in their chairs. She prattled on about how sur 
 prisingly nice Watsa was; she had never believed 
 that those Japanese were nice at all, from what the 
 other boys had told her. Fulton Graham caught his 
 wife s eye; nothing was said to Jennie at the time, 
 but as soon as she left the room the mother s eyes 
 filled with tears. 
 
 We all flatter ourselves that we are children of 
 reason, but let reason and instinct conflict! Perhaps 
 a keen logician could prove to Sarah Graham that 
 there was no reason why Watsa should not be atten 
 tive to her daughter, just as children are to each 
 other. Perhaps he might prove it, but never could 
 he persuade her to let Jennie continue the acquaint 
 ance. Her first words showed how her mother s 
 mind went to the kernel of the situation. 
 
 "Fulton, what is the quickest way to stop this?" 
 
 "I think we had best go to Miss Tibbetts and talk 
 it over with her." 
 
 They found the teacher at the home of the Scotts, 
 where she boarded. Mrs. Scott answered their ring, 
 and ushered them into the sitting room. Donald 
 
 (79)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 was smoking his old pipe and reading the paper. 
 Six days a week, from sun up till dark, he worked, 
 and worked hard. In fact, everything he did, he 
 did hard. Still he found time to keep up with what 
 went on in the world, to be the leading supporter of 
 his church, and to serve as chairman of the school 
 trustees. Miss Tibbetts rose from the papers she 
 was marking, to join Scott in shaking hands with 
 the Grahams and finding seats for them. 
 
 "We ve come to see you about Jennie," said Gra 
 ham. "We learned tonight that one of your Jap 
 anese students has become acquainted with her, and 
 we want it stopped." 
 
 "Why, what has he done? I m so sorry, for I 
 was just thinking how nice it was for those poor boys 
 to know some of the older girls." 
 
 "Then you re to blame for this," broke in Bessie. 
 
 "To blame? Tell me what is the trouble?" Miss 
 Tibbetts asked. 
 
 "The trouble?" Bessie Graham could hardly con 
 tain herself. "Why, I told you, Watsa as you call 
 him, walked home with Jennie, and has tried to make 
 friends with her at school." 
 
 "Do you object to that?" 
 
 Fulton Graham was on his feet, but Donald Scott 
 forestalled him, and by sheer quiet strength took 
 control of the situation. 
 
 "Everybody is right, so let s not quarrel. Dorothy 
 is the schoolteacher. You must see that all who 
 go to her school are equals there, that it would be 
 wrong for her to treat them any other way. She 
 
 (80)
 
 THE ROSARIO SCHOOL 
 
 has told me a great many times of her troubles with 
 the Japanese, and I think that she deserves the high 
 est praise for her efforts to help them. You Gra 
 hams are right, of course. No one will question a 
 parent s privilege to choose the daughter s asso 
 ciates. As to telling you why they object, Dorothy, 
 I don t believe they can. But I understand, and so 
 would you, if you were thinking entirely of Jennie, 
 and not of the school as a whole." 
 
 "Mrs. Graham, I can t go to those boys and tell 
 them they must not speak to any of the girls, I just 
 cannot do it." 
 
 "You ll have to stop it some way, Dorothy," said 
 Mrs. Scott. "All the mothers will feel the same 
 way. I m enough of a mother to you to know how 
 I d feel if Watsa should bring you home. Can t you 
 attend to this for her, Donald? It s really some 
 thing for the trustees to handle." 
 
 "I ve given the matter a good deal of thought," 
 said Donald. "I ll call a special meeting of the 
 board. If the others agree, which I m sure they 
 will, we ll pass a resolution excluding Japanese from 
 the school. I dislike doing this for many reasons. 
 But we had one of the best schools in the country 
 before these Japs came. It s wholly against our 
 feelings and our interests that they are forced upon 
 us and I see no sense or justice in it. If this is un 
 fair to them I m sorry. Under the circumstances 
 nothing better can be done." 
 
 (81)
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 ROBERT HOLLINGTON S IDEALS 
 
 TTOLLINGTON was becoming very fond of 
 -*--* shooting. He had taken to the sport at first 
 because it offered the exercise and relaxation which 
 he needed. Clem Harding was guide and teacher 
 until the doctor became proficient. At least once 
 every week during the season these two drove to the 
 foothills for quail, to the open fields for dove, or to 
 the lake if they were out for duck. In the summer 
 they found rabbits among the cactus, or bass in the 
 reservoir. And in the spring they often spent a night 
 camping in the mountains, trapping or studying bird 
 life, or just being out of doors for its own sake. 
 These expeditions were subject to many interrup 
 tions and cancellations, for a doctor s call to duty is 
 paramount. Nevertheless, they went on over a long 
 period of time with somewhat surprising regularity. 
 And this because the doctor, having decided that his 
 health required them, had endowed them with the 
 same importance as any other work. 
 
 Quail is king in southern California. Given cover 
 not quite waist high and birds that know what shoot 
 ing means, the man who brings home a fair bag has 
 outguessed a little clever brain controlling a big 
 fighting heart. "The smartest and gamiest birds 
 alive," Clem Harding used to say. Their home is 
 in the sage and the cactus, on canon side and on 
 
 (82)
 
 ROBERT HOLLINGTON S IDEALS 
 
 mesa. From the normally dry, sand-covered river 
 beds the walls rise to the level of the table-land, the 
 land that was there aeons ago, before the water had 
 cut the immense furrows. On one side, perhaps the 
 rise is abrupt, on the other, the shifting of the river 
 bed may have left a gradual slope even miles in 
 width. The quail is not fond of flying. So it s on 
 the gentle slopes, on those which he can travel afoot, 
 that he makes his home. He likes the hills, too, 
 where the yellow grass is soft underfoot, where he 
 can hide in the chapparal, or rest in the sumach, or 
 seek refuge in the chollas. He likes to hunt his 
 water holes early in the morning, to work his way 
 upwards leisurely, scratching and feeding on the 
 way, to spend the warm hours in the cooling breeze 
 near the top. 
 
 Hollington found several qualities were necessary 
 to a successful quail hunter. First of all was ability 
 to find the birds. Over wide areas of sage hills, ap 
 parently all more or less alike, the novice might 
 stumble unsuccessfully for hours, might not see a 
 bird all day. And once the flock was flushed and a 
 few shots fired into it, it would be lost to a beginner. 
 But the old quail hunter would follow so fast on the 
 heels of the frightened birds, would mark so care 
 fully when they lit, and would know so well what 
 they were going to do, that he would have them at 
 his mercy, often for an hour or more at a time. 
 
 Dr. Hollington learned that he must pick indi 
 vidual birds when the barren hillside, with an angry, 
 vicious, nerve-racking burr, began to vomit little blue 
 
 (83)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 streaks. He learned to be steady when a single 
 bird noisily broke cover at his very feet; he learned 
 to lead his target properly, to shoot to kill the quail, 
 not merely to drop it, and above all to mark care 
 fully where it fell so that he could find it. He be 
 came familiar with the marvelous hiding qualities 
 of his quarry, whether wounded or not, of the cour 
 age and patience with which it could lie still until he 
 almost stepped on it, often to make a dash for safety 
 just after he had passed. He learned the intimate 
 habits of the bird, why for instance it liked to keep 
 a ditch between itself and him, why it maneuvered 
 to prevent him from getting up wind, why it was 
 that it usually ran up the hills and flew down them. 
 Clem Harding was a master of the more obscure 
 traits of the quail. He taught Hollington to read 
 meaning into tracks and scratches on the hillside, 
 and even to imitate the penetrating whistle. Or if 
 they found signs about a water hole, the old west 
 erner taught him how to tell the age of those signs, 
 and the probable direction which the birds had 
 taken. 
 
 So passed many a day. Hollington, thoroughly 
 interested, absorbed the hunter s lore. There was 
 more than sport and recreation to be had out of this, 
 more than a growing skill and an increasing bag. 
 There was contact with the spirit of the great south 
 west. It is hardly to be expected that even by in 
 timate association such as this could a man of Clem 
 Harding s type affect a character such as Holling- 
 ton s. But it is natural to suppose, and as a matter 
 
 (84)
 
 ROBERT HOLLINGTON S IDEALS 
 
 of fact it really did happen that the easterner grew 
 better to understand the western point of view, to 
 sympathize with it, and to admire it. 
 
 Except for these outdoor sports, and except too 
 for frequent visits to the Coulters, Hollington s time 
 was taken up by his profession. Of course, he was a 
 social favorite in a general way. But that phase of 
 life was of minor importance in this valley of farm 
 ers. A dance once a month, perhaps, and an invita 
 tion to supper about as often, was the limit of their 
 gaiety. There was one other recreation in which 
 Hollington did indulge himself, and that was his as 
 sociation with the new Japanese settlers. 
 
 They first won his doctor s heart by fortitude 
 when in pain, and by their care in following instruc 
 tions. They were model patients, and flattering ones 
 as well. When they found that he alone of all the 
 white men in the valley took an interest in them, and 
 that they could bring their troubles to him, they dis 
 played affection and appreciation. 
 
 Saishoto took the lead in this. He had been in 
 the ambulance corps with the forces that drove the 
 Germans out of China. He was an observant per 
 son, with an insatiable curiosity to understand the 
 reasons that lay back of what he saw. His com 
 mand of English was sufficient to enable him to make 
 himself understood, so an intimacy began, based on 
 discussions of the Japanese military methods of han 
 dling medical problems. 
 
 From there it was not long before Saishoto spoke 
 of his home in Japan, of the many pretty little cus- 
 
 (85)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 toms of his people, of the intimate details of their 
 lives. Told sympathetically and listened to in the 
 same way, these were wonderfully interesting 
 stories. 
 
 There were the sisters, Satsuko and Kotingo, 
 daughters of a small village merchant. Satsuko was 
 the elder, a shy, timid little thing. Her marriage to 
 Saishoto had been arranged between her father and 
 his at a series of meetings in the mountains back of 
 Nakimura. Saishoto told Hollington of the nego 
 tiations, of the outcome when the long drawn out 
 subtleties of Oriental trading had at last been satis 
 fied. Saishoto read a sweet little letter from Sat 
 suko, telling him just when she was coming down to 
 the coast and all her plans. Then came the word 
 that she had reached Tokio, and had been so fright 
 ened that she had gone straight back to her home, 
 from which neither entreaties nor threats could 
 make her stir again. 
 
 It was a hard blow to Saishoto. Hollington 
 cheered him as best he could, devoting more time to 
 the task than he could really afford. He was sorry 
 for this poor lonely boy, thrown among unsym 
 pathetic countrymen and hostile strangers. In no 
 way was any blame to be attached to him for condi 
 tions in Rosario. When Saishoto left the army he 
 had been ordered to emigrate and to report to 
 Hanba in San Diego. The reasons for such orders 
 were not imparted to him. His discipline and his 
 patriotism had been so highly developed that he 
 obeyed these instructions without question, without 
 
 (86)
 
 ROBERT HOLLINGTON S IDEALS 
 
 ever knowing or really trying to learn from what 
 source they had emanated. So when Hanba told 
 him to proceed to Eden Valley, and to take charge 
 of the work on the Kraemer place, he did so as a 
 matter of course. Perhaps it was by accident, per 
 haps through design, that he was there thrown in 
 with men from Nagasaki. In either event, it was 
 not long before Hollington was the best if not the 
 only friend Saishoto had in this foreign land to 
 which he had come. 
 
 There were others, too, who turned to Holling 
 ton. It was he who explained the intricacies of the 
 water distribution, and compelled the yellow men 
 to shut down when their allotment was exhausted. 
 It was he to whom a merchant would apply when a. 
 bill was disputed, or a tax collector when some 
 charge could not or would not be understood, or a 
 tree inspector who was authorized to compel every 
 one to join in community spraying. 
 
 It was an anomaly, a man with such a bringing 
 up as Hollington had had, doing work of this kind. 
 He would have rebelled at the idea had it ever been 
 presented to him in its entity. But the situation had 
 evolved easily and naturally from those two never 
 to be forgotten days spent with Dr. Ailing. 
 
 One of the first experiences that came as a result 
 of the task Hollington had assumed was his en 
 counter with Alfred Carroll. Hollington had 
 dropped into the parsonage for a little chat with 
 Irving Stanwood, in the course of which he outlined 
 to the minister something of the plans he had made 
 
 (87)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 for himself. The latter was tolerant, as age is apt 
 to be tolerant of the enthusiasm of youth. 
 
 "It s all very pretty and does you credit. I once 
 had ambitions myself to be a power for good. I 
 hope you ll never find, as I have done, that the world 
 is too big, too settled in its ways, to be much affected 
 by any one person. It s so unresponsive that I 
 gradually began to drift as time ran on. Now I 
 try to do my duty as it comes to me, no matter how 
 hard or distasteful it may be, but I have long ceased 
 to emulate Don Quixote, which is about what you 
 are doing." 
 
 "I wonder if Dr. Ailing did?" 
 
 "Dr. Ailing, my dear sir, was an exceptional man, 
 occupying an exceptional position. I don t believe 
 that he ever consciously planned his life to be what 
 it is; he, too, drifted. I wonder what he would have 
 done with Carroll s case." 
 
 "Who s Carroll?" 
 
 "He lives in a little shack on the edge of the set 
 tlement next to Baker. I always had supposed he 
 lived alone. I had been in to see him several times 
 before I learned that there were two small children 
 in the house, a boy less than two years old and a 
 girl of about four. As far as anyone knows these 
 babies never leave the house. 
 
 "Carroll s history is not well known. His wife 
 left him a few months ago, ran off with another 
 man. From all accounts it has affected Carroll s 
 mind to a certain extent; not enough, however, to 
 warrant taking the children from him. In fact it s 
 
 (88)
 
 ROBERT HOLLINGTON S IDEALS 
 
 on that subject that he is morbid. He is possessed 
 of a horror that sometime his wife will steal them. 
 So all day long, while he is working, he keeps them 
 under lock and key. At other times he is with them, 
 but never out of doors. 
 
 "He came into Rosario after he had been de 
 serted, slipped in quietly without a word to anyone. 
 He has not made a single friend here, for he rebuffs 
 everyone who tries to speak to him. My own effort 
 to remonstrate with him was too unpleasant for 
 words. It happened only yesterday, so you see I m 
 rather full of the subject." 
 
 "I m going to see that man the first thing tomor 
 row," said Hollington. 
 
 True to his word, he went over to Carroll s. 
 There he found a man plowing a hayfield. The 
 driver stopped his team at Hollington s approach. 
 
 "Is your name Carroll?" asked the latter. 
 
 "What is it to you?" Suspicion lurked behind 
 two very pale blue eyes, hostility showed in every 
 feature of a wan, gaunt face, and obstinacy in a 
 mouth whose lips were so small as to be shapeless. 
 
 "I want to see your children." 
 
 "Well, you are not going to. Get up!" 
 
 "Wait a moment." Something was there that 
 made Carroll stop in spite of himself. "You ve no 
 right to bring them up the way you are doing " 
 
 "Say," Carroll climbed down from his seat and 
 walked quite close to Robert. "Do you think I am 
 going to let a kid like you, a dressed up dude with 
 
 (89)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 a doll face, come here and tell me what to do? You 
 run on back to the road and go home." 
 
 "Do you know what will happen to children who 
 are brought up without fresh air and sunshine?" 
 
 "I don t know and I- 
 
 "I do know because I have seen. You have never 
 been through the Ghetto or seen the baby ward of a 
 New York hospital. I have. If you do not treat 
 yours differently " 
 
 "They re mine, aren t they? You can t tell me 
 how to treat them." 
 
 "Perhaps not, but I can and will tell you what 
 will happen to them. They will not develop, either 
 in body or mind 
 
 "How did you learn so much?" 
 
 "By ten years of hard work." 
 
 "You go back to my wife 
 
 "I ve never even heard of her." 
 
 "Of course not. Tell her- 
 
 "You re afraid you will lose those children, and 
 you re very apt to do so, but not in the way you 
 think. I m a doctor. Robert Hollington is my 
 name. I ve come into this valley to live. I couldn t 
 possibly be an emissary from your wife. She has 
 nothing to offer that is worth as much to me as my 
 home and practice here. It isn t as though I came 
 from out of town." 
 
 "What do you want?" Hollington s steady insis 
 tence was putting Carroll on the defensive. 
 
 "I want to see your children, with you, find out 
 what is ahead of them, and tell you; that is all." 
 
 (90)
 
 ROBERT HOLLINGTON S IDEALS 
 
 Carroll gave in, and the upshot of another half 
 hour of argument was a flagpole by Mrs. McClure s 
 home. If any hostile movement was suspected, she 
 was to pull up a piece of red bunting. Every morn 
 ing Carroll took the two youngsters to her, every 
 evening he brought them back. All day long he 
 worked, his eyes seldom off from that pole, while 
 two children played in the sunshine, taking on health 
 and color. Mrs. McClure collected a few dollars 
 a month, but her real reward for the love she gave 
 was to see the rosy cheeks and the happy, smiling 
 faces of her wards. 
 
 When Hollington reported his cuccess to Irving 
 Stanwood, the latter was somewhat astonished. He 
 threw up his hands, half in earnest: 
 
 "Young man, you re lost. With so signal a tri 
 umph behind you, you ll be neither afraid of nor 
 discouraged by anything. I kept to myself what 
 Carroll said to me when I tried to persuade him that 
 he was doing a wicked thing. I did so because I 
 thought you might as well learn now as any time that 
 there have been no crusaders for seven hundred 
 years. I am going right on keeping it to myself, too, 
 for it is one of the things we of the cloth have to 
 listen to, but do not like to remember." 
 
 Hollington found people usually more than glad 
 of his advice, for he gave it sparingly, only when 
 conditions were so bad that he knew that unless they 
 were altered there were apt to be serious conse 
 quences. For instance, there was Teresa Martinez. 
 She had married at seventeen and started house- 
 
 (91)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 keeping in the old adobe. That was an abandoned 
 relic of the days before the Americans came. 
 
 Pablo Martinez was not a good provider, so 
 poor little Teresa had had many trials. She had 
 once been pretty, with the dark coppery beauty of 
 the half breed. Ten years of a married life like 
 hers, and eight children, had taken all but a shadow 
 of her good looks. 
 
 Hollington had answered a call to her house. He 
 found her cleaning away the noon meal which had 
 been served on a home-made table covered with 
 linoleum. 
 
 Robert watched her empty the dishes upon the 
 table, scraping from them whatever food had been 
 left. She then took a damp cloth, with which she 
 wiped the top of the table, scraping everything upon 
 the earthen floor. The last step in this remarkable 
 housekeeping was to open the door to a flock of 
 chickens that rushed in, accompanied by three or 
 four half grown pigs. With more amusement than 
 he could well conceal, he introduced the lady of the 
 house to the advantages of a garbage pail. Then, 
 because there was sickness in the house he preached 
 cleanliness to a willing listener, who never before 
 had known that such a thing existed, and so strong 
 an appeal did he make that it was fully a week be 
 fore this daughter of the south relapsed into her 
 easy-going habits. 
 
 Episodes of this sort, half humorous and half 
 pathetic, while rare, were sprinkled through his days 
 
 (92)
 
 ROBERT HOLLINGTON S IDEALS 
 
 with far greater frequency than such strenuous con 
 tests as the one with Carroll. 
 
 One of the pleasantest of all these extra-medical 
 experiences was the climax of Saishoto s marital 
 plans. One day the doctor was in his office alone, 
 when an excited native of Japan was ushered in to 
 him. Saishoto was so bubbling over to tell the good 
 news that it was some little time before he could 
 make himself understood. He produced a picture, 
 and finally succeeded in explaining that it was of 
 Kotingo, that her father and his had finally reached 
 an agreement, that she had started for America, and 
 by this time must actually be on the broad Pacific. 
 He was to meet her in San Francisco in less than 
 two weeks, where they were to be married before 
 the authorities would allow her to land. 
 
 The doctor was greatly interested. There were 
 a number of other women in the camps, but Kotingo 
 was the first of the famous picture brides. His 
 vanity was touched, too, when he learned that Sai 
 shoto had brought the news to him before telling it 
 to anyone, even to his compatriots. 
 
 In spite of his relaxations and outside interests, 
 Robert s life consisted principally of hard work. 
 About this time he felt that his growing practice 
 required the purchase of a small automobile. Its 
 possession merely extended the area over which he 
 was subject to call, leaving him busier than ever. 
 His income was not large, for money was scarce in 
 the days after the freeze. But he was happy and 
 contented in his work, in his play, and in his associa 
 tion with Frances. ( 93 )
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 GOSSIP AND COURTSHIP 
 
 MRS. CLARK, Mrs. Bates, and Mrs. Hastings 
 sat in the parlor of the Clark cottage. In their 
 laps were bundles of sewing, of stockings to be 
 darned and shirts to be mended. The houses of the 
 three were not far apart, so they often spent an 
 afternoon in each other s company. 
 
 Their conversation was largely personal, present 
 company carefully excluded. Since their minds did 
 not run to such things as crops, or baseball, or poli 
 tics, or war, or like matters of general interest, there 
 was not much else they could discuss. And as all 
 were inveterate talkers, they gossiped; what else 
 could they do ? 
 
 Mrs. Bates had just seen Miss Giddings. Miss 
 Giddings had received a letter from Mrs. Outcalt in 
 San Diego, a letter that told among other things 
 about the Kraemers and the Warners. Jeanette was 
 selling ribbons in a dry goods store, working long 
 hours for six dollars a week. Her father was con 
 ductor on a street car, her brother Deland was driv 
 ing a delivery wagon for a wholesale grocer and 
 studying nights to fit himself for a position in the 
 office. They had a little bungalow up on the hill, 
 with the Kraemers still as neighbors. As a tem 
 porary condition the situation was not one of great 
 hardship, for by close management they fed and 
 
 (94)
 
 GOSSIP AND COURTSHIP 
 
 clothed and sheltered themselves. But if sickness 
 came, or any misfortune ! And Harry Warner was 
 getting along in years, and could make no provision 
 for the future. 
 
 "I always did know that Harry was too weak," 
 said Mrs. Clark. "He s so nice that no one likes to 
 criticize him, and yet he s really to blame for all this 
 trouble we re having. How do you think he could 
 ever have believed or trusted Butler?" 
 
 "He s paying for it now, he and that poor little 
 wife," said Mrs. Bates. "Yes, and all the rest of us, 
 too. Did you know that they have dropped those 
 Japanese boys from the school?" 
 
 "Dorothy Tibbetts never did handle them right. 
 She made friends with them, and actually forced the 
 other children to play with them, just as long as she 
 could." 
 
 "She s too weak to be a teacher," said Mrs. Hast 
 ings. "Why, do you remember how she let Sadie 
 McClure talk back to her? It was the scandal of 
 the valley. If any child had acted like that toward 
 me well, she would not have done so twice." 
 
 "It s wonderful how Sadie has improved. Once 
 she was the worst little devil I ve ever known. Now 
 she s getting marks at school that make her mother 
 proud, and is even cultivating manners manners, 
 think of that. What in the world did come over that 
 child?" 
 
 "She filled Mr. Hastings rain gauge with water," 
 said his wife. "He never will forgive her for it. 
 That same day she stretched a string across the walk 
 
 (95)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 and twice knocked off the minister s silk hat, threw a 
 heated coin to some gypsies, and sprained her ankle 
 sliding down from the roof of the shed." 
 
 "Miss Tibbetts is too easy-going with everyone. 
 When I was a child teachers knew how to make us 
 do the things we should. She tries to be such a 
 dainty little thing, and to give herself such an air of 
 being a perfect lady." 
 
 "I know exactly what you mean," said Mrs. Clark. 
 "And yet I can t help liking the girl. She ll probably 
 marry one of these days and make someone a good 
 wife, but she ll never make a teacher." 
 
 "Have Evangeline and Arthur told when they are 
 to be married?" asked Mrs. Bates. "Was nt his 
 patience marvelous? There s something thoroughly 
 nice about Arthur, but I suppose he ll never get any 
 where in the world. And even that kindness of dis 
 position might grow colorless if you had it around 
 all the time." 
 
 "By the way," she continued, "I drove across the 
 valley yesterday to take some wine jelly to little Jen 
 nie Graham. Do you know, that poor child is really 
 sick; she has the worst case of grippe I ve ever seen. 
 That visit to her and the drive itself depressed me. 
 I just can t get used to seeing Rosario without its 
 large orange trees. Nothing but stumps for miles 
 and miles. Have you noticed how nicely ours are 
 being covered with leaves? They look so much like 
 young trees that I often find myself thinking of the 
 days when I first came here." 
 
 "They say," Mrs. Hastings remarked, "that Mr. 
 (96)
 
 GOSSIP AND COURTSHIP 
 
 Graham has let his place run down so that even the 
 weeds have not been plowed in." 
 
 "That s partly true. When I was there yesterday 
 he was trying to work them under. That black adobe 
 of his turned hard before he had gone over half the 
 grove. Clark says that Mr. Graham s land is the 
 most difficult in Rosario to work. It s so mushy and 
 sticky after a rain that it is sometimes a week before 
 he can put a team into the orchard. Then it turns 
 over beautifully for three or fours days; after that it 
 becomes like stone. You know the old saying, three 
 days from mud to brick. That is particularly true 
 with Mr. Graham." 
 
 "What are they doing for Jennie?" asked Mrs. 
 Bates. 
 
 "Oh, Dr. Hollington is taking care of her; he s 
 splendid with children." 
 
 "He s a remarkably fine doctor," added Mrs. 
 Hastings. "We have been unusually fortunate, both 
 in him and in Dr. Ailing. It s curious how much 
 alike they are under the surface, those two men who 
 apparently have not a trait in common. Think what 
 a jollier Ailing was, and what a good mixer." 
 
 "In his heart Hollington is just as much interested 
 in us," Mrs. Clark was perhaps unconscious of the 
 fact that ability to take a real interest in the affairs 
 of others is the basis of personal popularity. "No 
 one seems to like him the less because he s so bash 
 ful." 
 
 "I used to imagine that he thought himself a little 
 better than the rest of us," said Mrs. Bates, "and 
 
 (97)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 that he wanted to show it. But it really isn t that at 
 all. It s only that he was brought up differently." 
 
 "There s something about him," said Mrs. Hast 
 ings, "that makes you glad to have him around. It 
 may be his face; he is the best looking man I ve ever 
 seen. Or it may be his clothes; they re so neat and. 
 surely seem to belong to him. But what I really 
 think it is, is the feeling of security you have when 
 you are with him. You know that he is not going 
 to do or say anything that will make you uncom 
 fortable." 
 
 "What I like best about him," continued Mrs. 
 Bates, "is that he is such an easy person to talk to, 
 for he always understands what you are trying to 
 say. If he doesn t agree with you he s not going to 
 pretend to; at the same time you feel that he has 
 given your ideas full consideration." 
 
 "He s clever," was Mrs. Clark s opinion. "He 
 came here, a stranger to our conditions, and yet has 
 been able to show us where they might be improved. 
 His judgment is not infallible, of course, for so many 
 of our problems have been worked out in bitter 
 practice, not just thought out theoretically. He s 
 always willing to give help, too, and that help isn t 
 limited to advice. It seems as though every day or 
 two comes to me some new story of his kindhearted- 
 ness." 
 
 "Did you ever hear what Clem Harding said of 
 him?" asked Mrs. Bates. 
 
 "No, tell us. Every once in a while Clem says 
 such bright things." 
 
 (98)
 
 GOSSIP AND COURTSHIP 
 
 "I wish I could remember the words he used. It 
 was to the effect that deep down under all this sur 
 face we ve been discussing is a layer of bed rock. 
 You can reach it easily enough; it apparently rep 
 resents the man s real character. But neither steam 
 drill nor dynamite can ever as much as make a 
 scratch. I think that what he was trying to say is 
 that once Hollington s real principles are involved, 
 no amount of outside pressure can make him yield in 
 the slightest particular, let alone abandon his posi 
 tion. And I believe Clem is right." 
 
 "What an awful man Dr. Hollington would be 
 had he no imagination or sense of humor," added 
 Mrs. Bates. 
 
 "Our paragon is human after all," continued Mrs. 
 Clark. "No farmer s boy in the valley ever fell 
 more hopelessly in love." 
 
 "Do you really think so?" 
 
 "Frances is the only girl he was ever known to 
 take anywhere, the only one he seems to have eyes 
 for at a party, the only one " 
 
 "I know," objected Mrs. Hastings, "yet when you 
 do see them together he acts so impersonally toward 
 her, treats her just as he would you or me " 
 
 "That s the English influence on his upbringing." 
 
 "I wonder," mused Mrs. Hastings, "if Frances 
 will string him along as she has done with Billy 
 Evans." 
 
 "It must be immensely flattering to her to have at 
 her feet two such men, men who have always gone 
 with the best girls in the large cities." 
 
 (99)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 "Two? Why leave out Edward Winfield?" 
 
 "The man of mystery," ejaculated Mrs. Bates. 
 
 "Oh, I don t know." Mrs. Clark was on the de 
 fensive. "He s so much older, and such an invalid, 
 that I d never have thought of him in that way." 
 
 "Why, it is written all over him. I think he s the 
 one she cares for, too, though of course they could 
 never marry." 
 
 "What do you know about him?" demanded Mrs. 
 Bates. 
 
 "I ve fallen into the habit of going to his house 
 every Wednesday morning, to take him something 
 I ve cooked. But I know nothing more about him 
 than you. He s never said a word about himself, his 
 family, or where he came from; yet he s so polite 
 and appreciative that what was at first an act of 
 charity has become a source of pleasure." 
 
 "Do you really think he has money?" asked Mrs. 
 Bates. 
 
 "He seems to have; he keeps a Filipino cook, a 
 male nurse, and two men the year round to work his 
 farm. I suspect that he s helping more than one of 
 his neighbors through these hard times." 
 
 "Does he ever leave his house?" 
 
 "Never, except to be wheeled to that little obser 
 vatory he has had built on the knoll. He tells me 
 there are a great many days when he can t even do 
 that." 
 
 "Does Frances visit him often?" 
 
 "No, not too often. It s just an impression that 
 comes to me when I see them together." 
 
 (100)
 
 GOSSIP AND COURTSHIP 
 
 "I think you re wrong," said Mrs. Clark. "She s 
 just being nice to him in the same way that you are." 
 
 "Perhaps. I can t describe what I saw, but I ve 
 my opinion. Goodness, it s after four o clock. I 
 must hurry home to put on my roast." 
 
 "Do you think she really saw anything?" Mrs. 
 Bates waited until Mrs. Hastings was gone. 
 
 "No. Jealousy. Winfield is probably so glad to 
 have someone around who is not trying to pry into 
 his affairs that she thinks he s in love. No, if it s 
 anyone with Frances, it s Hollington." 
 
 "Do you think she s going to marry him?" 
 
 "She ll have to care a great deal for him to do 
 that. There are plenty of persons here who think 
 it would be a fine match for her. Did you ever stop 
 to consider what it means to a woman to be the wife 
 of a general practitioner? Her home life is the 
 maintaining of headquarters for a man who drops in 
 occasionally, irregularly, who never can be counted 
 upon, and who seldom stays long. She is robbed of 
 the happiest time in a woman s life, the early mar 
 ried years before the babies come. In a city it s not 
 so bad, for there s always someone who can step in 
 and make it frequently possible to plan things with 
 some certainty. I have heard people express sym 
 pathy for girls who married men in the navy; the 
 idea is more or less the same, but there s no compari 
 son in degree. I don t pretend to know whether 
 Frances will marry Dr. Hollington or not. But 
 there s one thing of which you may be sure, and 
 which the gossips might do well to remember when 
 
 (101)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 they accuse her of setting her cap for him. If she 
 marries him it will be in spite of, not because of, his 
 position here." 
 
 So long a speech was unusual, and an unusual 
 silence followed it. A psychologist could scarcely 
 have followed the working of the lady s brain dur 
 ing the interval preceding her next question. 
 
 "I wonder what kind of a man a Filipino is. Have 
 I ever seen one?" 
 
 Then the conversation drifted on, from race types 
 to the merits of Chinamen as cooks. It hopelessly 
 lost tangible sequence among the domestic difficulties 
 and disappointments of country life. 
 
 In the meantime, the two principal subjects of 
 discussion, Frances and Robert, had stolen a rare 
 hour late in the afternoon, and were out for a stroll. 
 They stopped by a group of some half dozen trees 
 that had escaped the fury of the freeze. 
 
 "Let s go into the heart of the clump." Frances 
 sensitive mouth was almost wistful. "We might live 
 for a moment in the memory of the old Eden Val 
 ley." 
 
 "Yes, or dream of the one to come." 
 
 "Why, Robert, your voice sounds almost senti 
 mental." She laughed, and care-free as a colt ran 
 among the trees. 
 
 The sun was slipping toward the horizon, throw 
 ing into harmonious contrast the golden fruit and 
 the rich dark leaves. The dying sea-breeze, stealing 
 in and out among the orange blossoms, turned all 
 outdoors into a fairyland. Happiness took posses- 
 
 (102)
 
 GOSSIP AND COURTSHIP 
 
 sion of the girl; then came seriousness like a shadow 
 over the sun. 
 
 "Once it was all like this, Robert, and it will be 
 so again if everyone does his part." 
 
 "If everyone does his part as well as you are 
 doing " 
 
 "I? What help do I give?" 
 
 "The men in Rosario are working splendidly, too 
 hard perhaps. If the time ever comes, through over 
 strain or some new misfortune, when they become 
 discouraged, it will be only the women who can save 
 us. Your part is to furnish incentive, and to help 
 the men through the dark days. Is anyone better 
 able to do that than you?" 
 
 "So the part you assign me, in case of trouble, is 
 to put on a fresh frock and look as pretty as I can." 
 
 "No, it s to do just as you are doing now. I have 
 learned many things about you, Frances, that you ve 
 never told me. Do you know, except for being with 
 you, my happiest moments come when I hear of your 
 influence, of how a talk with you, or a visit from 
 you, has often brought much needed sunshine into 
 some home. You may not realize it, but you are 
 doing more than any dozen men to put Rosario once 
 more on its feet." 
 
 "I m disappointed in you, Robert. I didn t expect 
 you to descend to flattery." 
 
 "That s not flattery, it s the truth. I am seri 
 ous" 
 
 "Yes, you generally are," and again the old be 
 witching smile was on her face. 
 
 (103)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 The pair left the oasis. Back on the country road, 
 through the shadows of the giant gum trees, under 
 the drooping peppers, they walked in silence. Robert 
 was content in having her near. Tired from a stren 
 uous day, this was a rest. And since he would not 
 speak of the matter nearest his heart, he did not 
 feel inclined to trivial conversation. 
 
 On and on they went. She appeared to be wrapped 
 in the glories of the evening. If a break in the trees 
 showed a vista of the hills, they would stop and 
 watch together the play of the delicate purple that 
 threw its soft glamour over sage-brush and rock. 
 Or perhaps a stray cloud, catching the rays of the 
 sun thrown back from the distant ocean, would turn 
 to a crimson ingot, an augury of better days. 
 
 "I hope I shall never have to leave Rosario." 
 Robert s quiet tone was surcharged with sincerity. 
 "Where else is there such contentment, or such in 
 spiration for a life work? Do you ever share Ruth s 
 wanderlust?" 
 
 "Oh, at times. Not that I should want to leave 
 permanently, but every woman likes to see people 
 and do what others are doing, to go to dances, and 
 dinners, and theatres, to be one of the crowd on the 
 streets, not a mere spectator from the windows. Not 
 just now, while we are all in trouble. But some time, 
 after I have done my bit, as they say. I want the 
 knowledge and experience that comes from wider 
 associations. And the pleasures, too, I suppose." 
 
 Robert made no reply. His slow, accurate imag 
 ination was picturing what his life would be without 
 
 (104)
 
 GOSSIP AND COURTSHIP 
 
 her. He well knew that with her would go the 
 beauties of the softest days, the charm of the tinted 
 mountains, the fascination of the most wonderful 
 skies. He knew and he feared, yet he hoped, al 
 ways mutely, that this great love of his would en 
 velop her also, to keep her forever with him, as she 
 was today. And on her part as she watched the 
 shadows come and go on that impressionable face, 
 she, too, fell to picturing the future. Somehow the 
 gay life of her day-dreams didn t seem so alluring if 
 Robert were to be away, fighting and working in 
 Rosario. 
 
 If a word was spoken during the last half mile, 
 neither could ever recall it. Perfect quiet, happi 
 ness, the serentity of the lotus-eaters was theirs, as 
 they yielded to the age-old fascination which was 
 binding them together against all the world. 
 
 But all ecstasy must end when the realities of life 
 intervene. 
 
 "Goodbye, Robert," she was saying, as he held 
 her hand and looked at her with moist, appealing 
 eyes. "Today you have earned an answer, and you 
 shall have it very soon." 
 
 (105)
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 AN ANGRY FATHER 
 
 T~*\ INNER was over. A full moon and a cool still 
 - * air were the summons to come out into the 
 night The mocking-bird and the rabbit answered, 
 men and women answered. On the old Warner 
 place, in and out of the dying garden, the moon 
 beams played; around the unpainted shed they fell, 
 even prying into the stuffy, crowded house. Sango 
 looked up from a paper he was reading. He saw a 
 bare pear tree near the window, saw the dew glisten 
 ing on the grass, saw snow and a cherry tree and 
 old Japan. He went outside, the illusion gone, only 
 to be replaced with a wave of home-sickness. He 
 did not return, but walked on and on. Why? 
 Ask the swallows why they come home in the spring. 
 Loneliness does not greatly affect the man who 
 prospects by himself, the fisherman who works week 
 after week with no companion. It comes in public 
 places, it comes when no one else is alone. It came 
 to Sango when he passed the white men and women 
 walking arm in arm, their eyes, their thoughts only 
 for each other. It came stronger when Arthur Han 
 cock drove by, with Miss Evans sitting cosily beside 
 him. It came irresistably when Charles Essing met 
 Dorothy Tibbetts, quite by accident, when they 
 stopped to speak to each other, when they walked off 
 together. 
 
 (106)
 
 AN ANGRY FATHER 
 
 Ruth came out of the shadows on an errand 
 bound. 
 
 "Good evening, Sango," she said to him kindly. 
 
 He tried to say something to her, and grew em 
 barrassed. Both his manner and his embarrassment 
 frightened the girl. As she hurried to pass him, he 
 turned quickly toward her. Whereupon, Ruth lost 
 her head. She ran, ran as never before, to the farm 
 gates and into the house. Sango turned after her a 
 step or two, surprised. He watched the fleeing fig 
 ure for a moment with an indifference that was 
 mostly assumed. He was puzzled and a little wor 
 ried. The strange emotions that had impelled him 
 were dissipated by the time he started for home. 
 
 Ruth flung herself into her mother s arms, weep 
 ing hysterically. Mary Coulters comforted her as 
 well as she could, trying all the while to learn the 
 cause of the trouble. Sam and Frances followed 
 closely, saying nothing. They knew that this was a 
 situation to be handled by no one but the mother. 
 The first intelligible word that came from Ruth was 
 "Sango." 
 
 The child had not been touched; her appearance 
 was proof of that. As she quieted down and be 
 came coherent, she tried to explain herself. Sango 
 had frightened her; that was all she could say. Just 
 what he had done or said she didn t pretend to re 
 member. 
 
 "I spoke to him, and the way he acted when he 
 answered didn t seem right. I tried to pass him, 
 and he came toward me. I started to run and he 
 
 (107)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 followed me. And then oh, mother, I am so glad 
 you were home!" 
 
 By this time Frances was helping with her sister. 
 Mary said she was going to put Ruth to bed, so Sam 
 put his arms about the child and kissed her good 
 night. Left alone, he paced the floor, stopping only 
 to take his revolver from the desk drawer. After 
 an interval, whether of minutes or hours Sam could 
 not have told, Frances came down to him. 
 
 "How is she now?" he asked. 
 
 "Asleep," Frances replied. 
 
 "How do you feel? And your mother? Do you 
 think I might leave the house for a while?" 
 
 "As far as we are concerned. I was afraid you 
 might have left, and I wanted to speak to you first. 
 Father, what are you going to do?" 
 
 "Do? Punish Sango and make Rosario a safe 
 place for young girls." 
 
 "Yes, I know. But how?" 
 
 "Never mind how, Frances. It ll be done, you 
 may be sure." 
 
 "You aren t yourself tonight, father. I ve seen 
 you do many things. You ve always planned them 
 deliberately, with calculating forethought. I know 
 you are going to plunge in blindly now, and it wor 
 ries me more than I can tell. Try to control your 
 self before you begin." 
 
 "Control myself? With that picture burned into 
 my brain, that picture of Ruth crying on her mother s 
 breast! Every girl has to learn some time that she 
 is a woman. The beast that shocked Ruth into that 
 
 (108)
 
 AN ANGRY FATHER 
 
 knowledge has to settle a little account with me, and 
 the conditions that made it possible are to be brought 
 to an end. I m not worrying over who gets hurt 
 in the process." 
 
 "I am, father, for it might be you. I m not giving 
 you any advice. I m not trying to persuade you to 
 do or not to do anything. We ve always prided our 
 selves that you could think a little farther ahead than 
 anyone else; all I m asking you is to try to do that 
 now. Take this kiss with you, and remember that 
 you must be careful for our sakes, too." 
 
 "You are a good girl, Frances, and I ll try be-^ 
 cause you wish it. But it s not at all what I want 
 to do. I m wild to get at them, to fight with my 
 hands, not with my head." 
 
 But it s doubtful if he followed Frances advice 
 as she would have had him do. With nothing in 
 his mind but wild anger he hurried over to the War 
 ner place. Walking around the house he found one 
 room still lighted; it was the kitchen. Without paus 
 ing to knock, he flung open the door, and stepping in, 
 demanded to see Sango. Saishoto took it upon him 
 self to act as spokesman for the small group that 
 was seated at the table. 
 
 "Why you want see him?" 
 
 "Never mind why; where is he?" 
 
 "He not here." It was the age-long suspicion of 
 the submerged man. Coulters bore every evidence 
 that his demands were not for Sango s benefit, so 
 Saishoto instinctively sheltered his compatriot. 
 
 (109)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 "I believe he is here, and I m going to look 
 through the house." 
 
 "No can do. This our house, not you." 
 
 With the words the Japanese were covered by an 
 imposing looking revolver. Sam was a fighter, and 
 no novice at gun play. 
 
 "I want to see Sango," he reiterated. 
 
 "He not here." 
 
 Paying no further attention to the little unarmed 
 men, and still holding his weapon in his hand, Sam 
 pushed through the doorway into the dark hall be 
 yond. As he crossed the threshold he was attacked. 
 A sharp pain tore down his right arm from shoulder 
 to wrist; the revolver fell from his hand. Before he 
 could shake loose from his assailant a dozen were 
 upon him and pinned him to the floor. With his 
 wounded arm Sam s struggles resulted only in more 
 pain, and soon he gave up and lay still. 
 
 With much apprehension Frances had watched 
 her father s departure. He was not to be trusted 
 tonight, she was sure. She followed him to the 
 county road so closely as to see that he made his 
 way toward the Warner place. Then she hurried 
 to the village. 
 
 Meeting Billy Evans, he saw that something was 
 wrong. He had her story in a moment. 
 
 "Come with me to the pool room" he said. "Some 
 of my men are there. Quite a few of them are in 
 town with me tonight. The first thing to do is to 
 get them together." 
 
 "I want to find Dr. Hollington, too. He has 
 (110)
 
 AN ANGRY FATHER 
 
 made such friends with the Japanese that he has 
 influence with them. I hope Clem Harding is here; 
 he will know what to do." 
 
 "I know what to do. Do you mind waiting here a 
 minute, while I step inside?" 
 
 When Evans came out two men were with him. 
 
 "Here is a giant to act as your body guard," he 
 said to Frances. "You must be careful with him; 
 handle him as you would a piece of machinery. I 
 have told him to do as you say, and he will. Clem 
 is in the livery stable. Now I will leave you, and 
 get some men together to back up whatever play 
 your father is making." 
 
 Saishoto didn t know what to do with Coulters. 
 The Japanese talked the matter over excitedly, de 
 ciding finally to keep him with them while they sent 
 for Hollington. At a loss to understand the situa 
 tion, they sent word to the other colonies to gather 
 at Warners . Those of them that owned rifles or 
 shotguns brought them along. Sam, meanwhile, had 
 been released upon his promise to remain quietly 
 seated until Hollington should arrive. 
 
 Some little difficulty was experienced in finding the 
 doctor, for he was not in his office, but Watsa finally 
 caught up with him, and told how Coulters had been 
 made prisoner. Hollington hurried over without 
 delay. Relief came to every one as he walked into 
 the kitchen. 
 
 "Hello, Sam! I have heard a wild story about 
 your having tried to shoot up this place and your 
 being held here." 
 
 (Ill)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 "I came for Sango, and I am going to get him." 
 
 "What has he done?" 
 
 "He stopped Ruth on the road tonight, tried to 
 talk to her, and followed when she ran from him. 
 She is in bed now, sick from the shock." 
 
 "That is pretty serious. I will run over to see 
 her in a few minutes. Saishoto, where is Sango?" 
 
 "What you do to him?" 
 
 "I don t know. He will have to tell us his side of 
 the story first." 
 
 "What you mean by that, by his side of the 
 story?" Sam was on his feet, his whole frame shak 
 ing with anger. The strain of what had gone before 
 was finding an outlet now. 
 
 "You surely are not going to decide on the pun 
 ishment until Sango has had an opportunity to be 
 heard?" 
 
 Coulters hot retort was interrupted by the noise 
 of many feet, as the yard filled with the men that 
 Evans and Harding had collected. Sam turned to 
 wards the doorway, obviously intending to go out to 
 them. Saishoto sprang in front of him. 
 
 "You no go now." 
 
 "Let him pass, Saishoto. I will help you all I can, 
 but I cannot help you if you put yourself in the 
 wrong. You have no right to keep him here against 
 his will." 
 
 So Sam sullenly left, not even thanking the doctor, 
 who was close behind. Coulters felt that Holling- 
 ton was not on his side in this quarrel. 
 
 (112)
 
 AN ANGRY FATHER 
 
 Billy Evans was all for action. "Have you caught 
 Sango yet?" 
 
 "I think he s in that house, but there is no way I 
 can tell." 
 
 "Shall we shoot them out, or burn them out?" 
 
 "For heaven s sake, men, be sensible. There are 
 more of them than there are of you, they have ten or 
 twelve guns, and all the law is on their side." Hol- 
 lington was talking earnestly to Evans and Coulters, 
 blind to the fact that the latter was growing more 
 and more hostile. All about them quiet men were 
 crowding in to hear, while from the house came the 
 sound of furniture being moved and of darkened 
 windows being opened. 
 
 "What is your plan?" Hollington alone failed to 
 catch the cold sarcasm behind the words. 
 
 "Swear out a warrant, have it served regularly. 
 I know I can persuade those boys to respect it." 
 
 "And have Sango fined five dollars for disturbing 
 the peace." Hollington noticed it now, and was 
 shocked at the tone. "Advertise it that any damned 
 Jap can insult our girls, that the amusement will cost 
 him only five dollars. It s cheap at the price. Per 
 haps I can get half for being informer, can sell 
 Ruth s misery for two dollars and a half, real money. 
 Dr. Hollington, such ideas may prevail in your set 
 in New York, but in Rosario we have more respect 
 for our women. You will have to think of some 
 thing better than that to protect your friends in 
 there." 
 
 "Will you give me time to talk to them?" 
 (113)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 Coulters knew that those about him recognized 
 the justice of this request, that it would not do to 
 allow bloodshed to come to either side until every 
 other resource had been exhausted. So he nodded 
 his head in assent. 
 
 Hollington was gone fifteen or twenty minutes. 
 
 "Sango is in that house; I have been with him. 
 His story is that he saw a number of other young 
 men with girls, that when he met Ruth he was only 
 trying to ask her, in the nicest possible way, to go 
 for a drive with him." 
 
 While he had been listening to Sango, Hollington 
 had had to fight a strong feeling of disgust that 
 there should even be discussed anything so unthink 
 able in these two spending an evening together in a 
 buggy. And of all persons to have her name so 
 dragged in, it was his friend s daughter, Frances 
 sister, dainty, lovable Ruth. Still, if he were to be 
 true to his ideals, that feeling must be disregarded, 
 he must judge Sango from Sango s own point of 
 view. No such considerations, however, governed 
 the group to whom he was now speaking, while the 
 feeling of race prejudice was far stronger with them. 
 There was, too, another vital difference between the 
 doctor and themselves. He had listened to Sango s 
 story and was firmly convinced that nothing even 
 disrespectful was intended, while they were equally 
 certain that Sango s real motives were purely lust. 
 
 So Robert s report was not well received. Hard 
 ing came to the front, ostentatiously swinging a rope. 
 Angry mutterings filled the air, all eyes were ex- 
 
 (114)
 
 AN ANGRY FATHER 
 
 pectantly turned on Coulters to see what orders he 
 would give. 
 
 "You surely don t intend to let the boy be 
 hanged?" Hollington s voice betrayed his feelings. 
 
 "What else can we do?" said Evans. "Is there 
 anything between that and your five dollar fine?" 
 
 "They ll kill so many of you." 
 
 "We re not afraid." 
 
 "Try to think of something else, of something 
 reasonable, and I ll save a number of your lives, for 
 the men in that house will do just what I tell them 
 to do." 
 
 "Then tell them to send Sango out to us. Be true 
 to your blood." 
 
 "It wouldn t be right to kill that boy for this of 
 fense. If I led him out to go to his death, I wouldn t 
 be true to their trust in me. And I won t betray that 
 trust." 
 
 "All right, then get out of the way," growled 
 Coulters, "unless you want to be in that house when 
 the shooting commences. Boys, " he turned to 
 give an order which would have added a red chapter 
 to Rosario s history, when the men about him were 
 pushed apart. Her giant was opening a way 
 through the crowd for Frances. 
 
 "You re wrong, Robert. It s horrible to think of 
 Sango s being lynched, whether he deserves it or not. 
 But neither you nor I can judge the justice of it all; 
 we ve no right to pit our opinions against a whole 
 group of our neighbors. And further, Robert, are 
 you going to let father risk his life, let some of 
 
 (115)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 these people who have extended you their friendship 
 be killed because they don t accept your definition of 
 what is wrong? Even if you re right, their lives are 
 worth more than his, your duty is first of all to them. 
 
 "I am all woman, Robert, I cannot bear to think 
 of what will happen to Sango. Yet that does not 
 weigh against father s life with me, and it must not 
 with you." There was a veiled threat behind the 
 words, a threat clearly understood by both. 
 
 Robert looked into the eyes he loved, his soul 
 yearning to do something, to do anything for this 
 girl. And all the time he knew that he could not. 
 
 "Can t you see that we must have that boy?" 
 Evans had waited for the doctor to make some reply 
 before he asked the question. "If we go home now, 
 as you seem to wish, no woman in this valley will be 
 safe from insult. If we tell those Asiatics that such 
 an act as Sango s may be done with impunity, are 
 they more than human that they will not accept our 
 invitation? We are where we simply have to go 
 on." 
 
 "Look at these people, Robert," continued Fran 
 ces. "They are not a mob. It s the vigilance com 
 mittee again protecting California. You bring 
 Sango to them, Robert, and I know we can persuade 
 them to do what is right." 
 
 "Frances, neither for you nor for anyone else will 
 I lure that boy to his death. If there is any per 
 suading to be done the proper time is now." 
 
 "There are possible punishments other than hang 
 ing," the quiet voice of Donald Scott broke the dead- 
 
 (116)
 
 AN ANGRY FATHER 
 
 lock. "I read that the whipping post had been re 
 vived somewhere on the eastern coast. We might 
 use that or think of something else. Suppose, young 
 man, that we promise not to kill Sango, will you try 
 to bring him peaceably to us?" 
 
 u Yes!" 
 
 "Well, Sam, can we make that promise?" 
 
 Coulters turned leisurely to look at Scott, then 
 let his eyes wander over the group. He saw Billy 
 Evans, a terrier on leash. He saw Clem Harding, 
 his arms freed by coiling the rope over one shoulder 
 and under the other. He caught Frances glance, 
 and the two smiled at each other. For the old, grey 
 fox was himself again, weighing, discarding, playing 
 for the future. He saw Bates and Hastings, and 
 Towers, Graham, Watson, and Hancock, every 
 where the faces of neighbors and friends who were 
 trusting their lives to his judgment. He saw a knot 
 of strangers from the mines, grouped behind their 
 chief, who in turn awaited but a word to throw them 
 into action. 
 
 He saw Hollington, the man who had so recently 
 been, perhaps, his closest friend, and possible son- 
 in-law. He tried not to judge harshly, tried to per 
 suade himself that this slight, quiet boy, the young 
 est of them all, who had been unmoved by fifty men 
 under the sway of passion, who had had his way 
 against them, was to be praised rather than blamed. 
 But stronger than his own will and his reason was 
 a feeling he could not down, that came from the 
 
 (117)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 knowledge that Hollington had been against him, 
 against Ruth and Frances, had taken the part of the 
 Japanese. Sensitive to a fault on any question of 
 loyalty, he could not control the tone of his voice 
 when at last he spoke : 
 
 "We promise. See what you can do." 
 
 (118)
 
 CHAPTER X 
 THE BREACH 
 
 "IT 7" ITHOUT a word Hollington turned, and once 
 more entered the cottage. He went direct to 
 Sango. 
 
 "You must come with me. Your fault was great, 
 speaking to that girl as you did; you will have to be 
 punished so that no other white woman will be 
 frightened like that." 
 
 Sango grasped the meaning, though he did not 
 understand the words as Saishoto did. 
 
 "What they do to him?" asked the latter. 
 
 "No one knows. They will decide when they have 
 Sango." 
 
 "I see guns and rope. They kill him?" 
 
 "They ll not kill him, Saishoto." 
 
 "I hear him say " 
 
 "They meant to at first, but they have promised 
 me not to, and they will keep that promise if you 
 send Sango out to them." 
 
 "I no go! I no go!" cried the terrified boy. 
 
 Saishoto, disregarding him, began to talk to the 
 others in their native language. His argument was 
 that if the boy was not to be killed, they owed him 
 no further duty. If they gave in to the white men 
 on this occasion, they would not be waiving any of 
 their rights, nor would they stultify themselves. 
 And the doctor wanted them to; he had always been 
 
 (119)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 their friend, he wouldn t ask this of them were it 
 not for the best. 
 
 It was agreed. Sango, like a trapped animal seek 
 ing escape, made a wild dash for the hall. But a 
 dozen hands seized him. Struggling, biting, kicking, 
 he was carried out to the waiting whites. The rope 
 was requisitioned; he was triced in an instance. Two 
 of Evans huskies picked up the slight frame, and the 
 crowd, led by Coulters, started for some quiet place 
 where they might hold a council of war. 
 
 They did not all go, however. The Japanese 
 were consumed with curiosity to know what would 
 become of Sango. But they had been too nearly in 
 battle to consider satisfying that curiosity. They 
 trooped back to their house talking excitedly in low 
 tones. 
 
 Frances remained, because a woman s presence 
 was no longer needed. Her shadow stood beside 
 her, since no one had thought to change his orders. 
 And Hollington stayed. 
 
 "Frances, what is it that has come between us?" 
 
 "I don t know, Robert; you wouldn t lie, even for 
 me. I ought to honor you for that. You were right 
 the entire time, you accomplished single-handed what 
 all those men couldn t have done without a heavy 
 loss of life, if even then. I ought to be proud of 
 you. If what you did had been done for us, you 
 would be the hero of Rosario. What were your 
 motives, Robert?" 
 
 "Motives? I had none; I did what I knew was 
 (120)
 
 THE BREACH 
 
 right. I suppose you are going home. May I walk 
 over with you?" 
 
 Frances hesitated. "I m so unstrung by what has 
 happened tonight that I hardly know what I m say 
 ing or doing. I want to get to bed, to cry myself to 
 sleep. I want to be alone. You don t mind, do 
 you?" 
 
 Of course, Hollington said no; there are some lies 
 he was not above telling. He walked slowly toward 
 his office, passing the groves he had learned to love, 
 through the valley that had become his home. He 
 wondered how seriously Frances was offended; what 
 Coulters feelings towards him were going to be; if 
 the people as a whole would condemn him as Sam 
 had done. Had he really been a renegade? If so, 
 would Frances ever forgive him? Yes, he told him 
 self, if she really loved him she would forgive him 
 anything that was not dishonorable. What he did 
 could not have been dishonorable, because it was 
 right. But if she did not love him? Had the an 
 swer come to her tonight, to her and to him? 
 
 He reached his office in a depressed frame of 
 mind. Sitting idly in his chair, his eyes rested on a 
 row of books that he had scarcely touched. In the 
 other room he remembered there were some boxes 
 of unpacked laboratory paraphernalia. Always 
 there remained to him that research work. 
 
 Frances dismissed her guard before she reached 
 the house. Ruth and the mother were asleep, so 
 instead of going in at once, she lay down on the 
 porch hammock, pulled a robe over her, and fell 
 
 (121)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 to watching the landscape with unseeing eyes. Hours 
 later, Evans and Coulters found here there, asleep. 
 
 "I m glad you are up," said her father, wakening 
 her. "Billy is to spend the night here, for it s too 
 late to go back to the mine. Besides, we re both 
 rather tired." 
 
 "Is it all over and settled, father?" 
 
 "Yes, in a way." Frances shuddered. 
 
 "It was the famous story over again, of putting 
 the bell on the cat," said Billy. "We talked over a 
 lot of ideas, and nothing offered that seemed any 
 better than old Donald s plan. We argued about 
 how it was to be done, and settled all the gruesome 
 details. But we couldn t find anyone who would do 
 it. So we took the boy to the edge of the town, 
 pointed his face to the coast, and told him never to 
 come back. That incident is closed." 
 
 Frances stole up to her father, slipping her arm 
 through his. 
 
 "It might have been such a different ending." 
 
 By tacit consent, out of a delicate respect for each 
 other s position, no one followed up that last re 
 mark. 
 
 Worry is a poor bedfellow. Hollington did nt 
 sleep well that night, and the feeling of depression 
 was still with him in the morning. He started his 
 round of calls with a good deal of trepidation. If 
 his conduct of the night before had so affected the 
 Coulters it was reasonable to expect that less close 
 friends would be even more estranged. Yet call 
 after call showed no apparent difference. Of 
 
 (122)
 
 THE BREACH 
 
 course, the story was all over the valley. It was 
 generally believed that the doctor, exercising his 
 well-known influence with the Japanese, had per 
 suaded them to surrender Sango to be run out of the 
 settlement. Such conduct was so entirely natural as 
 hardly to warrant comment. 
 
 The wild stories that there had been plans to 
 lynch the boy were not generally accepted. One 
 could hardly believe that men would seriously con 
 template hanging a boy for such an offense, unless 
 one had happened to be present and under the spell 
 of mob violence. Most of those who were there 
 belittled the matter, through a feeling of shame. 
 The situation had worked out well, and it was only 
 human nature that those who had participated 
 should like to give out the impression that the final 
 outcome was what had really been intended from 
 the first. 
 
 While the doctor was making his morning calls, 
 Coulters had drifted over to see Edward Winfield. 
 Sam was so nervous and restless this morning that 
 it fretted him not to be able to speak in his own 
 house either of his bitterness toward the Japanese 
 or of his disappointment in Robert Hollington. The 
 old pioneer was not of the breed to waste daylight 
 in any such frivolous way as the relieving of his feel 
 ings by talk. He had some business to transact with 
 Winfield, which he believed to be the sole reason 
 for his visit. When the work was completed, con 
 versation turned to general topics. Under the cir 
 cumstances, some mention of the Japanese was 
 
 (123)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 bound to occur sooner or later, and with the first 
 allusion to them came the story of the night before. 
 
 Sam was not very voluble, but Edward was in 
 terested enough to draw out the story. Of course, 
 Winfield heard it as Coulters had seen it, especially 
 regarding Sango s motives, and it was also so plaus 
 ible that there seemed to be no doubt of its accuracy. 
 The invalid made few comments, but he listened 
 sympathetically and asked many questions.. 
 
 When that stirring evening had been exhausted, 
 the conversation began to lag. Edward s restless 
 mind wandered to recollections of the Japanese in 
 their native country. 
 
 "You have never been to Japan, have you?" he 
 asked. "I used to be an inveterate globe trotter, 
 and was forever stopping over there on one jaunt 
 or another. The last trip I was able to make was to 
 Tokio and the mountains of the east coast. The 
 natives have some customs that are curious, per 
 haps it would be fairer to say that are different from 
 ours. For instance, one comes to me which not only 
 illustrates this idea but shows after all what a small 
 world is ours. Have you ever seen Kotingo?" 
 
 "Kotingo? Oh, Saishoto s picture-bride." 
 
 "She passed me a day or so ago when I was out 
 in my chair. She remembered me, for tourists are 
 not frequent in her old home, and when she spoke, 
 I, too, remembered her. You never could guess 
 where I saw her last; it was in Sendai, where she 
 was a professional prostitute." 
 
 Sam s surprise was ludicrous. 
 (124)
 
 THE BREACH 
 
 "If she were a white girl, and I knew such a fact 
 in her history, every decent instinct in a man would 
 demand that I should keep this information to my 
 self." Edward was defending himself from the 
 imfutation of Sam s manner. "But suppose I knew 
 a girl who was married to someone in this valley, 
 and at the time I had been acquainted with her she 
 was a working girl, do you think there would be any 
 indelicacy in recalling the fact? There is a loss of 
 caste among us for the girl who works, to be sure, 
 and there is a loss of caste in Japan for the girl who 
 does what Kotingo did. You know how insignifi 
 cant a matter the first case is, the other is even more 
 trivial. It is a strangely consistent working out of 
 national ideas on the subject of morality." 
 
 To Edward Winfield, broadened by travel and 
 sickness, the recital was as impersonal as though he 
 had been describing a picturesque costume or a re 
 ligious ritual. Like so many persons, he too readily 
 ascribed to others little characteristics of his own, 
 so he must not be judged harshly because his own 
 tolerance in this case was shared by no one in Ro- 
 sario. 
 
 To Sam Coulters the story was one to be seized 
 with delight. He was growing bitter towards these 
 yellow men who were frustrating and threatening 
 him, his family, and the community he was trying 
 to guard. That one of their leaders, one of his arch 
 enemies was married to a lewd woman brought a 
 feeling of repose to this vindictive old fighter. 
 
 The story made Mrs. Coulters uncomfortable. 
 (125)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 Of course, she knew that such things existed, but, 
 idealist and dreamer that she was, she kept all 
 thoughts of them as much as possible in the back 
 ground. When a case as flagrant as this was 
 brought out and flaunted in her face, was made al 
 most a part of her own life, her feelings well, 
 they might be compared to those of an ardent col 
 lector who finds that one of his choicest treasures is 
 but a spurious imitation. 
 
 It was on a Friday evening that Ruth had had her 
 unpleasant experience, and now Sunday afternoon 
 had come, the afternoon that Frances and Robert 
 had long ago become accustomed to save for each 
 other. Hollington was puzzled to know what was 
 expected of him today. He thought of a pretext 
 for calling Frances on the telephone, trusting that 
 a conversation with her would clear the situation. 
 But the operator reported the Coulters line out of 
 order. 
 
 A trifle upset, too nervous for inaction, he took 
 his motor from its shed and started for the post 
 office. On the way he met Frances afoot. Of 
 course, he asked her to take a seat in his car, and 
 learning that her mission was to leave a book with 
 Mrs. Clark, he drove to Montemar, the Clark 
 home. That done, the force of habit took hold of 
 both, and they found themselves idly travelling the 
 old familiar trail towards the mountains. 
 
 Little was said, for each felt a certain amount of 
 restraint, while uncertain of the attitude of the 
 
 (126)
 
 THE BREACH 
 
 other. They came to the Kraemer tract, Saishoto s 
 home. 
 
 "Do you mind if I run in there a moment?" 
 Robert asked. "I ve been experimenting on some 
 guinea pigs that Saishoto is taking care of for me. 
 I m wondering how they look today; you might 
 find them interesting yourself." 
 
 "Do you have to see them right away?" 
 
 "No." 
 
 "Then please drive on." And Robert, sensitive 
 to every fleeting change in her humor, did so un 
 hesitatingly. 
 
 Just off the floor of the valley, shading a knoll 
 which commanded a view of nearly all Rosario, 
 stood an immense oak. One great branch pointed 
 at the heart of the settlement. About ten feet above 
 the ground it ran, almost horizontally, carrying 
 wide spread foliage impervious alike to rain and 
 to sun. Underneath it Robert steered his car, and 
 once again Frances and he were in a spot sur 
 charged with memories. Very quietly they sat today, 
 dreamily contemplating the baking plain, idly watch 
 ing the coming and going of the little whirlwinds. 
 
 "I can almost see my guinea pigs from here," 
 Robert remarked. He was but making conversa 
 tion, for once entirely out of tune with her thoughts 
 and feelings. 
 
 "Do you go to Saishoto s home very often?" she 
 asked. 
 
 "Every day while this experiment is running." 
 
 "How soon do you expect to finish?" 
 (127)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 "It will be all over in a few days." 
 
 "After that I suppose you will not go there any 
 more?" 
 
 "Certainly I shall. Saishoto is Hanba s repre 
 sentative here, the natural and official leader of the 
 Japanese. They bring all their troubles and dis 
 putes to him. He settles those that are simple, but 
 there are many knotty ones, dealing with all the 
 ramifications of American life, on which he needs my 
 help." 
 
 "Oh!" sighed Frances; relief was patent. "Then 
 he could call at your office instead of your going to 
 him." 
 
 "It couldn t be done in that way, for my relations 
 with them are not as formal as that would imply. 
 You know these people better than to suppose that 
 they would admit not being able to handle the little 
 affairs of life without outside aid. If there happen 
 to be several of the boys around when I drop in, 
 my views are asked merely as a matter of general 
 interest. Or I can be told of some discussion if 
 Saishoto and his wife are alone. It really doesn t 
 take any more of my time to go to them, and in 
 that way I can make it better suit my convenience." 
 
 "I wasn t thinking so much of your time and 
 convenience." Frances spoke in a low, soft voice, 
 without a trace of feeling behind the words. She 
 clearly was trying to say more, but found it difficult. 
 
 "You re making me talk in the dark, Frances. 
 Please tell me of what you re thinking." 
 
 "I must. Father saw Edward Winfield this morn- 
 (128)
 
 THE BREACH 
 
 ing, and in some way learned that the woman Sais- 
 hoto married it is so hard to tell you what I mean." 
 
 "Perhaps, you re referring to the life she led be 
 fore she left Japan?" 
 
 "Do you know about it?" 
 
 "I know what Saishoto told me." 
 
 "What her husband told you ! I wonder if we re 
 both referring to the same thing." 
 
 "We are." 
 
 "And you have gone to her house regularly, 
 knowing all about her?" 
 
 "She doesn t appear to have been coarsened; she 
 is quiet and friendly." 
 
 "Why, Robert, you surely haven t made friends 
 with her." 
 
 "Oh, yes, I have." 
 
 "How could you?" 
 
 "Because I ve taken over a trust left me by Dr. 
 Ailing, which necessitates my doing so." 
 
 "You can fulfill your duty without seeing this 
 woman or going to her home." 
 
 "Frances, you are unreasonable. You know I 
 haven t the slightest interest in her " 
 
 "That remark was unnecessary." She showed 
 she was hurt. 
 
 "Please be frank with me. I know something is 
 wrong. Am I not entitled to be told?" 
 
 "You are, if I can do so, but I scarcely under 
 stand it myself. Something in me cries out at the 
 thought of your talking to such a woman on a 
 friendly basis, and then coming to see me. If I 
 
 (129)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 could give my reasons for feeling this way I would. 
 But I haven t reasoned it out and come to the con 
 clusion that what you re doing is wrong; I feel that 
 way because every instinct in me is repelled at the 
 thought. If I tried to argue it with you, you would 
 still feel that I was unreasonable, for no matter how 
 badly I might be worsted in the discussion, never 
 theless I would be sure I was right. Tell me that 
 I am a prudish, simple-minded country girl, that the 
 world accepts such things, that it means nothing to 
 the Japanese, that I am uncharitable, that there is no 
 similarity between your friendship for her and for 
 me, that that phase of her life is past, so that you 
 can carry no pollution, and I will answer that it 
 makes no difference, that women react to impulses 
 finer than those of men, impulses that vary widely 
 among women themselves. It so happens that my 
 life, my bringing up, my character, has made it im 
 possible for me to tolerate your having that woman 
 for a friend while you are calling regularly on me. 
 I don t want to be narrow, I don t want to feel that 
 way, there is nothing voluntary about it. It s some 
 thing I can t help." 
 
 "Is the feeling as strong as that?" 
 
 "It s more than a feeling, Robert, it s part of 
 me." 
 
 "You tell me that there is no use in my trying to 
 persuade you that you are wrong. But if I could 
 show you that in this particular case the conditions 
 do not hold which primarily would make your con 
 duct not only justifiable but commendable, if I could 
 
 (130)
 
 THE BREACH 
 
 show you that what I m doing is both proper and 
 necessary, would you still remain so determined?" 
 
 "I am afraid so." 
 
 "Will you grant that my conception of my duty as 
 Dr. Alling s successor is correct? Will you concede 
 that unless I keep my relations with those Japanese 
 just what they are I shall be unable to fulfill my 
 obligation as far as they are concerned? You re as 
 familiar with the circumstances as I am myself; it 
 ought not to be necessary for me to argue these 
 points with you." 
 
 "It isn t. I know what you mean, and undoubt 
 edly you re right." 
 
 "Then it follows that no matter how terrific be 
 comes the outside pressure, no matter how much I 
 may desire to please you, I must go on, be the con 
 sequences what they may." 
 
 "Be the consequences what they may?" 
 
 "Yes, for to do otherwise would be to do a great 
 wrong." 
 
 "There is another way of looking at it, Robert." 
 
 "What is that other way?" 
 
 "You took up this task voluntarily." 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "So you have the right to abandon it whenever 
 you choose." 
 
 "If I only could believe so ! I would give any 
 thing to be able to put it all aside, but I cannot." 
 
 "You ll never be repaid, hardly even thanked, for 
 what you are doing for these Japanese." 
 
 (131)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 "It s not for them, it s because I must do what s 
 right" 
 
 "We appear to have reached an impasse." 
 
 They sat in silence. Then minute after minute 
 went by, each waiting for the other to give in, each 
 without heat or feeling knowing that he could not be 
 the one to do so. Frances it was who ended the un 
 pleasant situation. 
 
 "I think you d best take me home now," she said, 
 "for I m tired. I m so little used to excitement that 
 I have not even yet recovered from Friday night." 
 
 "Perhaps the fault lies with me," she murmured, 
 as the car slowly turned toward Rosario. 
 
 He did not answer at once. The conversation 
 was becoming punctuated with intervals during 
 which neither spoke, intervals which were growing 
 longer and increasingly difficult to break. And the 
 words, when they did come, were slow, deliberate, 
 carefully chosen. 
 
 "If you cared for me as I want you to, I can t 
 help feeling that you would accept my necessity, 
 close your eyes to the unpleasant features of the situ 
 ation, and trust me." 
 
 "Trusting you is not an issue. If I loved a man, 
 it would be with an overpowering passion which 
 would take complete possession of me, which would 
 govern my every thought and feeling, and which 
 would demand so much in return that it couldn t tol 
 erate a loyalty higher than the one due me, nor an 
 association with anything that was not absolutely 
 clean. I have always known that I was an idealist, 
 
 (132)
 
 THE BREACH 
 
 but never before did I realize to what an extent. 
 Robert, it s everything or nothing with me." 
 
 "Then, if I remain true to my ideals, if I refuse 
 to stultify myself, if I believe that no true happiness 
 can ever be founded on wrong-doing, and act ac 
 cording to that belief, am I am I," he paused 
 again, hesitatingly, then turned to her with sad, un 
 flinching eyes, "am I receiving my answer?" 
 
 They were almost home. She did not reply while 
 the car was turning from the county road, nor while 
 it was on the driveway. But when they had circled 
 the house and stopped opposite the front steps and 
 he had turned off his engine, she knew that she must 
 say something before she left her seat. 
 
 "I am sorry, more so than you will ever know. 
 I wish I could explain it to you better, for you are 
 entitled to more explanation. I wish I could under 
 stand it better myself. It hurts me to see you 
 aligned with those people who have shown them 
 selves, on every occasion, to be the implacable 
 enemies of the people I love." 
 
 She was on the ground now, offering her hand. 
 She betrayed emotion and suffering which belied 
 her carefully chosen words, and which encouraged 
 Hollington to ask. 
 
 "May I come over, to discuss this with you 
 again?" 
 
 "It would only give pain to us both." She was 
 speaking very deliberately with an apparent struggle 
 for self-possession. If there had been a trace of 
 
 (133)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 heat or of anger, if there were anything that could 
 be changed, it would be different. 
 
 "Then," for the first time since his childhood he 
 lost control of himself. Even such self-possession 
 as his could not stand this strain, as with tears on 
 his cheeks and breaking voice, he asked, "Is this 
 good-bye?" 
 
 "Good-bye, Robert May God reward you, if I 
 cannot, for being the big, strong man that you are." 
 
 (134)
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 COULTERS STUMPS THE STATE 
 
 Apolitical boss is a man who is able to exact the 
 fulfillment of his wishes by the makers and 
 executives of local laws. How he acquires this 
 power is one of the mysteries of our civic life. Ac 
 cident and personality, combined with work, per 
 severance and foresight are concomitants. Once 
 established he holds his position as the virtual clear 
 ance house of all who have something to gain or 
 something to fear from the established authorities. 
 For those who walk in the shadow of the law, the 
 denizens of the brothels and the dives, he trades pro- 
 tection for support, for votes at election time. 
 
 Naturally, if when some poor devil is in trouble 
 mysterious powers from above take interest enough 
 in his existence either to clear him if his offense be 
 trivial, or to mitigate the punishment if deserved, 
 there is produced a supporter of the organization 
 which offered more friendship than had ever before 
 been extended to him. Of a surety he will vote as 
 that organization wishes; he may be called upon 
 for any small services. More valuable still, when 
 men are seated about a table or grouped in some 
 idle knot, and discussion turns to any man or meas 
 ure in which the organization is interested, there is 
 consistently added one more loyal voice. 
 
 Unless born reformers, men do not care to antag- 
 (135)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 onize public opinion. If there are five together, 
 three of whom believe in the truth of some subject 
 under discussion on which the other two have no 
 decided views, it is human nature for those others to 
 keep silent, and more often than not, still following 
 the lines of least resistance, to accept the opinion of 
 the majority. So is public sentiment created. 
 
 If some quasi-public corporation is asked for 
 funds, it expects and receives in return deference to 
 its wishes whenever laws affecting itself are under 
 discussion. If one holds office by virtue of the or 
 ganization s consent or help, he is expected to make 
 such return as he can through influencing his friends 
 and his family. In fact, his ability so to do is usually 
 a condition precedent to his employment. All 
 through the intimate affairs of life run the wires. 
 The same hand that protects one woman in the re 
 stricted district may open to another the doors of 
 some exclusive reception; the man who gratifies his 
 vanity by holding office in some prominent club may 
 thank the same power that helps a down and outer 
 secure his daily stipend of morphine. It is all one 
 vast trade, with some central figure, known at large, 
 who is in a position to exact the best of every bar 
 gain. 
 
 Such was Rutherford White. It was the satisfy 
 ing of his ambition, the love of power, that ap 
 pealed to him, rather than the emoluments, for 
 these latter had to be divided among a large number 
 of associates. There was the thrill and exhilaration 
 of a perpetual fight and a perpetual uncertainty. 
 
 (136)
 
 COULTERS STUMPS THE STATE 
 
 No one knew better than himself that his tenure was 
 founded on the fact that ninety-five men in a hundred 
 may be disregarded on normal occasions; they stay 
 at home, or vote blindly, or wastefully, or neutral 
 ize each other. No one knew better than himself 
 that what he could demand or give was not fixed by 
 precedent or custom, but was a wide open scramble 
 for the quickest brain. No one knew better than 
 himself how at any moment an error in decision 
 might wreck him, how many apparently friendly 
 hands were really reaching for his throat, how 
 much hatred, jealousy, and revenge lay in the foun 
 dation of his superstructure. 
 
 Sam Coulters made a rather secret call upon him, 
 
 "It s the same business that brought me here be 
 fore," he said. "We must have a law to prevent 
 the Japanese from owning land in California." 
 
 "You tried it once, Sam. Stop butting your head 
 against a stone wall. I can find something better 
 for you to do ; how would you like to make the race 
 for county recorder? The back-country is entitled 
 to more than it has been receiving." 
 
 "Thanks, but I m working on a different line. 
 I m going to put through that land law and you re 
 going to help." 
 
 "I can t afford to be behind schemes that fail. 
 You know I was not born chairman of the central 
 committee, and that it s not a life job. In fact you 
 once particularly called my attention to the fact that 
 I could easily be unseated. Suppose the gang begins 
 to say, He s working for that Japanese land law, 
 
 (137)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 but he can never put it over; old White is losing his 
 grip. How long do you think I d last?" 
 
 "I m not going to run you out into the open this 
 time." Sam spoke as one who gives orders rather 
 than asks favors. "You are to help crystallize pub 
 lic sentiment. We can put the affair in such shape 
 that if it falls through again your connection with it 
 will not become known, while if it carries you will 
 be credited with having retrieved your most conspic 
 uous failure. And this time it s not going to be 
 blocked." 
 
 "I m willing to listen, for you usually talk sense. 
 But you can t do anything more than we did last 
 spring. The facts haven t changed, at least not for 
 the better. Suppose you do work it through the 
 legislature, it ll be killed on orders from Washing 
 ton." 
 
 "We ll succeed in spite of Washington!" 
 
 "You re foolish, Sam. Even if you could pass 
 your law, the supreme court would nullify it for 
 conflicting with federal treaties." 
 
 "We must frame a law that will not do so. That 
 brings me to one of the things I want you to do. 
 Send word to the attorney general to give me the 
 legal advice I require." 
 
 "That I m glad to do. But can t you see that no 
 matter what you do Diester will be told to drop it, 
 and it ll end there?" 
 
 "Would it worry you very much if he were unable 
 to carry out such orders?" 
 
 "You old fox!" laughed White, for he thoroughly 
 (138)
 
 COULTERS STUMPS THE STATE 
 
 enjoyed this turn in the conversation. "I refuse to 
 answer on advice of counsel." 
 
 "Without risking anything at all, wouldn t it be 
 possible for you to persuade Diester to keep his 
 hands off? Say until he receives direct orders to 
 interfere." 
 
 "Easy as falling off a log. But you surely are not 
 planning to buck Diester, too?" 
 
 "He proved once that he can take orders as 
 readily as he can give them. He probably was right 
 in refusing to over-ride the governor s veto, but his 
 motive in so doing was simple obedience to those 
 above. I m not exactly going to buck Diester, I m 
 merely trying to fix things so that he ll hear a louder 
 noise from the west side of the mountains than from 
 the east." 
 
 "Why not persuade him to put it through again?" 
 
 "Simply because it can t be done that way. We ve 
 already had it proven to us that Diester can t dis 
 obey Washington, and that legislators who vote for 
 a measure when he tells them to will just as readily 
 vote against it on his orders." 
 
 "I see there s no use trying to talk you out of this. 
 I would try hard, too, if I thought there was the 
 least use. Some things are difficult to do, some are 
 impossible. I have seen few difficult things put 
 over; once in a while one gets by. But of the others, 
 never a one. Take the advice of a man who knows, 
 Sam, drop it." 
 
 "You may be mistaken." 
 
 "I wouldn t be where I am if I made mistakes of 
 (139)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 this kind. You know when to pick oranges and 
 when to plow. You aren t guessing at what you do, 
 you know your business. Credit me with knowing 
 mine." 
 
 "All right, I will. You re going to cooperate with 
 me to the best of your ability, but always in the dark. 
 You re going to help organize the public demand. 
 When we re through you will have Diester in a hole. 
 He will lose favor either with the federal bunch or 
 with the people of this state. In which case there 
 is a chance that Rutherford White may step into his 
 shoes." 
 
 "Such an idea has never entered my head." 
 "Oh yes it has, for I just put it there." 
 Next to White the most important name on Coul 
 ters list was Chandler Young, the attorney general. 
 So Sam caught a train for the state capital. White s 
 letters, both the formal one he gave Coulters and 
 the confidential one he forwarded himself, opened 
 Young s office to the Rosarian. 
 
 "The difficulty in this case, Mr. Coulters," Chan 
 dler Young had been listening with the greatest in 
 terest to the plans of his caller, "is that we can t pass 
 a law which prohibits all aliens from owning land 
 in California, because the state needs outsiders for 
 its development. Nor can we have a law which 
 discriminates, as you well know." 
 
 "There is one discrimination, Mr. Young, estab 
 lished many years ago, which was accepted by Japan 
 before she became so militantly sensitive about equal 
 rights. I mean the fact that her people are not 
 
 (140)
 
 COULTERS STUMPS THE STATE 
 
 eligible to citizenship here. This oversight can t be 
 remedied now, for Californians will tolerate voting 
 by Japanese no more than intermarriage with them. 
 Some things are sacred to us. I am going to ham 
 mer away at that one weak spot, and I want you to 
 help me with the first blow. Can you frame a law 
 which will prohibit the buying or leasing of land by 
 foreigners, except such as have a right to become 
 naturalized?" 
 
 "Certainly I can draft such a law." 
 
 "In such a way that it will comply with all existing 
 treaties and constitutional provisions?" 
 
 "I wouldn t want to say yes off hand, but it surely 
 seems to me that I could. Suppose you come around 
 at this time tomorrow. I will look up the law and 
 can then answer you definitely." 
 
 When Sam returned the following day he was 
 handed a lengthy typewritten document. It was the 
 new anti-alien land law, approved and sanctioned by 
 Chandler Young. He requested Sam to regard the 
 participation of the attorney general s office as a 
 purely confidential matter, for there might be a good 
 deal of criticism aroused if the facts became gener 
 ally known. Sam promised, then he devoted his 
 attention to the written words. The interview closed 
 with felicitations on both sides, on one for the per 
 fect manner in which the law had been drawn, on 
 the other for the clever way in which it had been con 
 ceived. 
 
 "Now to get it passed," said Sam. 
 
 "I have drawn it just as carefully as though I 
 (141)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 were to go before the supreme court tomorrow, to 
 defend it. But it can never become a law. If you 
 were on the inside you would understand how im 
 possible it is for state politicians to disobey the big 
 federal patronage givers, and you know as well as 
 I that the Japanese government will persuade the 
 United States government to suppress this." 
 
 "It has to be backed by men who are more afraid 
 to let go than to hold on. You and White have 
 done well. Now I m going to do something that 
 neither of you could do." 
 
 "What is that?" 
 
 "Talk to the farmers. I m going to travel 
 around a bit, see some rural editors, some state 
 senators and assemblymen w T ho live in the country, 
 and some people who have been having the same 
 troubles that we have had in Eden Valley." 
 
 So for a month Sam was missing from his accus 
 tomed haunts. A great many people can be seen in 
 thirty days, and if they re talked to convincingly on 
 a subject in which they are vitally interested, more 
 than a few will turn crusaders themselves. Sam 
 Coulters was big enough to have dominated such 
 men as White, Young, Diester, one might almost 
 include the governor of the state. He was clever 
 enough to know whom to see; his honesty of pur 
 pose fairly radiated; his enthusiasm was contagious. 
 So he left in his wake hundreds of stirring articles 
 in papers, and crusaders and disciples of all degrees 
 of zeal, who in turn collected followers of their own. 
 
 If he had been preaching a new doctrine, if he 
 (142)
 
 COULTERS STUMPS THE STATE 
 
 had had to educate or overcome scepticism, his suc 
 cess could not have been so great. But he only 
 asked people to act; their beliefs were already estab 
 lished. He did not have to persuade the editor that 
 the Japanese were a menace, he merely had to sug 
 gest to him the importance of the matter appearing 
 more drastically in his paper. There was no miracle 
 in the aroused public sentiment that followed him 
 through the state. The only credit he was willing 
 to accept was that he had seen the opportunity, and 
 had had the ability to start the movement. Once 
 there had been furnished a definite objective upon 
 which to concentrate, support came from every 
 where. 
 
 California is a large state with many interests. 
 If the rural districts only were aroused while the 
 cities were lethargic there would not be the universal 
 sentiment behind this legislation which would be 
 necessary to enable it to weather the troubles ahead. 
 The cities are notoriously indifferent to the suffer 
 ings of the country, for they have become satiated 
 with complaints and tales of disasters. So Sam cast 
 about to find some means of interesting the urban 
 people. 
 
 His first work was among the labor unions. 
 These are composed of men who have learned from 
 experience more than from study, the basic economic 
 truth that the wages of the unskilled man are the 
 smallest that will keep body and soul together. That 
 the laws of the theorists may be perverted is illus 
 trated by the fact that for years the hod-carriers of 
 
 (143)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 San Francisco were paid six dollars for an eight 
 hour day. To accomplish such a result in the face 
 of Adam Smith and John Stuart Mill meant an ag 
 gressive insistence upon and a jealous guarding of 
 every claimed prerogative. The extent to which 
 this was carried is illustrated by the fact that for 
 a long time concrete construction was not allowed in 
 San Francisco, for the simple reason that building 
 in that way eliminated both hod-carrier and brick 
 layer. 
 
 Unions and free and untrammelled competition in 
 the labor markets cannot exist side by side. There 
 is a constant menace to the artificial conditions estab 
 lished by the trade combinations in the existence in 
 the community of a body of unorganized men. The 
 Japanese could not be absorbed, their starvation 
 point was far below that of the white men, and they 
 were efficient. 
 
 But for that last characteristic they might have 
 been over-ridden. The great golden state harbors 
 many races of workers within its borders. The 
 Indian and the Mexican are indigenous, but their 
 shiftlessness and low mental development have pre 
 vented them from being dangerous competitors in 
 the labor market. So with the Hindus and many 
 emigrants from the southern parts of Europe. The 
 man in the ditch is not a menace until he turns ambi 
 tious eyes towards the man on the scaffold. 
 
 Coulters decided to have missionary work done 
 among the councils. In this he was no pioneer, for 
 one of the commonest tricks in politics is to exploit 
 
 (144)
 
 COULTERS STUMPS THE STATE 
 
 the fears and ambitions of the body of working men. 
 Sam did not essay this task himself. He knew 
 where his weaknesses lay, as well as his talents. It 
 was one thing to meet men of his own stamp, of the 
 class with which he had been reared and which he 
 so well understood, and to impress them through 
 his greater knowledge of their own interests. It 
 was another to fence with the sharp wits and special 
 ized training that had brought the cleverest mechan 
 ics out of the ranks and into positions of trust. So 
 Sam fell back on his ally. 
 
 Rutherford White s reception was in the nature 
 of an ovation. 
 
 "I ve not done anything remarkable," protested 
 Sam. 
 
 "Well, at least you out-guessed us all. You are 
 doing great work for me. Diester dare not openly 
 oppose you, and hasn t been able to hit on any in 
 direct way to stop you. He s so badly worried that 
 he has even called on me for help. In the east 
 they re taking the matter calmly, for they know 
 they ve but to give the word at the proper time for 
 this agitation to die out. They know their own 
 powers, Sam. You ve done a great deal more than 
 we insiders had dreamed was possible, you have 
 done so well that it hurts me to see you go on to a 
 certain cropper. You re getting to be a big man in 
 the state, Sam. Cash in your popularity while you 
 have it. It s always negotiable for some good office, 
 which would pay a salary that would keep the Jap 
 anese question from ever worrying you." 
 
 (145)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 "Thanks, but I m not here for office. I ve not 
 finished this fight by any means. I want you to send 
 some right smart men to the trades councils of the 
 state, to work them up as I ve worked up the 
 farmers. Send some one with imagination enough 
 to frighten union labor, and it will fall in line just 
 as enthusiastically as agriculture has done." 
 
 "I will do that much for you. I mean for you. 
 Diester is in so deep now that this will not do any 
 particular good to me. Lord, but I admire your 
 spirit! Man alive, you are going down with your 
 flags flying, you make me want to climb aboard. 
 All that keeps me from doing so is a life long train 
 ing in looking after myself. The legislature meets 
 before long now." White was abruptly steering 
 away from his dangerous enthusiasm. "What are 
 you going to do in the meantime?" 
 
 "Mill around to see what opposition there is in 
 side the state." 
 
 "You ll not find much. They say that large em 
 ployers of labor want Japanese in California, but 
 I have not found that true. No one seems more 
 thoroughly to dislike the Japanese than the man 
 who employs them in numbers." 
 
 "How about those who feel sorry for them? 
 People who think they are oppressed, treated with 
 prejudice and unfairly, who want them to have every 
 opportunity to develop themselves?" 
 
 "I know what you mean. There may be some 
 such, but in view of the facts they cannot be numer 
 ous nor can they hold to their beliefs with much 
 
 (146)
 
 COULTERS STUMPS THE STATE 
 
 determination. Disregard them, and stay in the 
 back country." 
 
 "My work there is done. The more I can make 
 the leaders believe that this awakening is spontane 
 ous in themselves the more enthusiastically will they 
 proclaim the new doctrine. If I go back to them 
 again I ll weaken the whole effect." 
 
 "You re right, man, you always seem to be right. 
 Are you going to your farm in Rosario?" 
 
 "I have the hardest work of all ahead of me. It s 
 with the big papers in the city." 
 
 "Why, Sam, you re news. They will print any 
 thing you say." 
 
 "While I m trying to make them preach. But 
 they ll listen to me now, I have progressed that far." 
 
 "I wonder how it is that Diester lets this slide 
 along so quietly. I would have expected him either 
 to scare you out or to buy you off." 
 
 "He has tried both." 
 
 (147)
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 HOLLINGTON VISITS THE INDIANS 
 
 TT was when Dr. Hollington assumed the medical 
 -*- supervision of the Cuyamaca tribe that he first 
 became interested in the Indians. He had known 
 in a vague way that there were several thousand 
 of them in the county, practically all of whom lived 
 on reservations where they were housed and clothed 
 and fed by the government. He had seen them at 
 intervals in the streets of the village, had frequently 
 come across them in his reading, and had time and 
 again heard them discussed by the Rosarians. The 
 printed descriptions were so at variance with the 
 spoken opinions that Robert came to the conclusion 
 that only those who idealized them wrote of the 
 aborigines, while those who talked about them at all 
 were impregnated with dislike. 
 
 As neither from his own casual observation, nor 
 from excessive praise or prejudiced condemnation 
 could the doctor secure the scientific accuracy which 
 he felt necessary to an intelligent understanding of 
 the Indian, he decided to make a study at first 
 hand. The southwestern tribes had been so long in 
 contact with civilization, with the Spanish padre or 
 the American settler, that the evolution through 
 which they were now passing would undoubtedly be 
 revealed by history. So he delved into books. 
 
 He learned about their primeval religion and cus- 
 (148)
 
 HOLLINGTON VISITS THE INDIANS 
 
 toms, but as their god, Chinigchinick, had carried 
 into oblivion all of one and most of the other, 
 neither of those things could have much influence on 
 living representatives. Once a great factor had 
 been war, cruel, treacherous war for plunder, but 
 that, too, had disappeared generations ago. He 
 learned how their houses had been built of limbs of 
 trees interwoven with oak leaves, a method of 
 construction which, strange as it may seem, is the 
 greatest cause of the dying out of the race. The 
 food had included every living thing upon which 
 they could lay their hands, save only the rattlesnake 
 and the bear. Their clothes and their morals had 
 been so changed by contact with civilization and the 
 church that ancient history and tribal traditions were 
 now without weight. One great truth history did 
 reveal, that of all the native races of the two Amer 
 icas, none were much lower in the scale of civiliza 
 tion than the immediate ancestors of the Cuyamacas. 
 
 Armed with the knowledge he had gleaned from 
 the printed volumes, Hollington drove to the reser 
 vation. It consisted of some thirty homes, scattered 
 over several miles of a narrow valley. These were 
 a pastoral people in a country where bottom land 
 was scarce and poor, where mountains were huge 
 and barren. So they built at some distance from 
 each other, according to the size and shape of the 
 fields they tilled. 
 
 Only the ancient river bed was worthy of cultiva 
 tion. On one side it was flanked by a long, inhospit 
 able ridge, whose steep sides, covered from foot to 
 
 (149)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 crest with dark, impenetrable scrub oak and chap- 
 paral, were awash when the water was high. From 
 the other bank the land rose as a great, sloping 
 shelf, smooth and brown and dry. It seemed to be 
 covered with nothing but dusty, thirsty sage. But 
 a closer scrutiny revealed great beds of chollas, hid 
 den among the brush, while close to the stony 
 ground, and with little help from nature, countless 
 small shrubs, grasses, miniature cacti and aloes 
 struggled for existence. Bordering the edge of this 
 rise were the sides of the mountain, a rangy struc 
 ture so gracefully proportioned that the pines on its 
 summit were almost a paradox. 
 
 Here and there were breaks in the true sweep 
 from stream bed to hill. Perhaps it was a ditch cut 
 by water coming from springs among the timber, 
 perhaps a ridge running out from the mountain, or 
 even a butte rising without excuse near the edge of 
 the dry creek. It was on these elevations that the 
 Indians had settled, their inherited habit of watching 
 enemies taking them to points from which they could 
 survey the valley, rather than establishing them near 
 the scenes of their work. All the houses faced the 
 valley and ran parallel with it; no digger Indian 
 ever willingly built with more depth than length, or 
 erected an addition in the rear when it was prac 
 ticable to build on the side. 
 
 The typical house consisted of either one room 
 or two. The walls were of adobe, a sun baked 
 native clay. So poor a material was this, and so 
 primitive the means of cementing it, that even a 
 
 (150)
 
 HOLLINGTON VISITS THE INDIANS 
 
 single story required construction three or four feet 
 thick. The roofs were of tule, fastened into bun 
 dles and laid across rough rafters cut from the 
 branches of trees. There was allowed to every 
 room one door and one window, both facing the 
 road. The doors consisted of a few boards crudely 
 fastened together, the windows of small panes of 
 glass seldom intact. Three walls were blank and 
 there was no provision for ventilation, even the win 
 dow and the door being opened only when necessary. 
 Before the Spaniards had introduced adobe bricks 
 the Indians had formed their walls of interwoven 
 oak twigs, through which the wind passed freely. 
 At that time the problem had been to protect them 
 selves from the weather, so through the centuries 
 there had become ingrained the habit of closing 
 everything as nearly tight as possible. This habit 
 persisting after walls and roofs, under Spanish in 
 fluence, had become impervious to air, was the 
 reason why tuberculosis spread so rapidly and took 
 such a terrible toll among the natives. 
 
 To Robert, as he drove through, the character 
 istics of the valley seemed to be heat and thirst, its 
 appropriate inhabitants coyotes and horned toads 
 slinking through the brush or sunning in the sand. 
 Not that it was in reality too warm, not but that 
 there was moisture and a liberal allotment of flora 
 and fauna. It was the coloring and the season s 
 accumulation of dust and the chameleonlike effort 
 of every plant and animal to render itself inconspic 
 uous by blending with the surroundings, that gave 
 
 (151)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 the young doctor this depressing impression, one 
 that was possibly exaggerated by his mood at the 
 moment. The habitations of the Cuyamacas were 
 in harmony with nature. The walls were a dirty 
 grey, the roofs a lifeless, greyish brown, the wood 
 work, whether casements or primitive farm imple 
 ments, was destitute of any color save that produced 
 by the merciless California sun, and the ground 
 about was utterly bare, for it was soaked with dish 
 water and trampled with use until no vestige of 
 grass, not so much as a clod of earth remained. 
 Even the dried oak leaves of the ramada were the 
 color of death; not a flower or a garden plant was 
 there to bring relief. 
 
 There was little to offset this monotonous lack of 
 color, and the only break in architectural regularity 
 was the ramada. This was made with a light frame 
 cut from comparatively straight limbs, and covered 
 with oak leaves or willow branches. It was of the 
 most flimsy construction possible, intended only to 
 give protection from the sun. It was used in the 
 summer as a covered porch would have been, and as 
 an outdoor kitchen. It formed a cool retreat in the 
 heat of the day, a fact appreciated no more by man 
 than by the hordes of flies that were propagated in 
 the filth surrounding the house. The first of the 
 winter storms was expected to carry away the 
 ramada when it cleaned the yard. 
 
 Of outside ornaments there were often none be 
 yond a rattle trap buggy with an old set of harness 
 
 (152)
 
 HOLLINGTON VISITS THE INDIANS 
 
 thrown across the dash, a tiny makeshift chicken 
 coop, and an olla or two holding water or meal. 
 
 Within the house there was an insufferable feeling 
 of crowding. For five people to occupy one room 
 means not only congestion at night but also a stuffi 
 ness lasting through the day. Not more than one 
 bed could be accommodated. Where five slept could 
 only be conjectured, unless Billy Evans surmise 
 were accepted. He maintained that those who went 
 to sleep first were carefully moved to the floor, one 
 after another, until there came the last of the relay 
 who kept the couch to himself. The bedstead was 
 of iron only occasionally; usually it consisted of a 
 wooden frame with twine or rawhide lacings to hold 
 the blankets. The pieces of furniture were old 
 boxes, used as tables, chairs or cupboards as size and 
 shape determined. The stove and extra bedding 
 were somehow crowded in, except in those rare cases 
 where the camp fire was built on the floor, without 
 chimney or fireplace. If any ornamenting or decor 
 ating was attempted at all, it would consist of some 
 pictures cut from a magazine and pinned on the 
 wall. The earthen floor, though regularly sprink 
 led, was so seldom cleaned that the accumulated 
 filth had rendered it a paradise for vermin. In 
 fact, everything about the dark interior was dis 
 gusting, from the dirty, ragged comforters to the 
 smells that betrayed the total lack of sunshine. 
 
 It was to such homes as these that Dr. Holling- 
 ton had undertaken to bring the latest principles of 
 hygiene. The first Indian whom he went to see was 
 
 (153)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 Florenzino, policeman of the tribe. As Robert ap 
 proached the hut to which he had been directed, the 
 sight of a group of eight or ten Indians sheltered 
 by their ramada or stretched out under neighboring 
 trees gave him his first understanding of one essen 
 tial difference between the minds of the white man 
 and the red. To us a house is both home and shelter, 
 to them it is but shelter, for they are still undomesti- 
 cated and their real home is out of doors. So what 
 would be intolerable crowding to one race is space 
 abundant to the other. 
 
 A closer view showed four adults within the 
 ramada. A young woman was peeling and slicing 
 some native gourd, throwing the pieces into an iron 
 pot; two other women and a man, all advanced in 
 years, were seated facing her and each other. In 
 the shadow of an old blue gum a mattress had been 
 flung, on which lay a man not far past thirty. Sev 
 eral children from two to ten years of age flitted 
 about at play. Excepting two nondescript dogs 
 snapping at the flies and a thin old horse browsing 
 to the very walls of the hut, theirs was the only mo 
 tion in the picture, and that was slow, quiet and 
 subdued. 
 
 When Hollington s approach was observed, the 
 older children crowded within the group, and the 
 younger ones disappeared into the hut. No other 
 recognition was given him, not a word was spoken, 
 not as much as a face was turned toward him, except 
 by the children who stared stolidly. He advanced 
 to the younger woman and spoke to her. She 
 
 (154)
 
 HOLLINGTON VISITS THE INDIANS 
 
 paused in her work long enough to watch him while 
 he asked for Florenzino, then slowly picked out 
 another gourd and began to cut off the rind. Robert 
 studied her for a moment, not knowing exactly how 
 to construe her conduct nor what was next expected 
 of him. Her hair was coarse and straight, the black 
 braids were twisted across her forehead and fas 
 tened behind her head. Her complexion was so 
 dark as to be between the African and the typical 
 copper colored Indian; her features were coarse and 
 heavy. Her nose was large, as broad as a negro s, 
 but not flattened. Her eyes were jet black, soft and 
 appealing, but neither in them nor on her face lay 
 any expression whatsoever. Her mouth and chin 
 were massive, as were the irregular teeth that 
 showed through her parted lips. The table by 
 which she was working obstructed the view of her 
 figure; all that could be seen was a cumbersome 
 blouse, spotted and faded but apparently clean. 
 
 Robert spoke to her again, and a second time 
 she laid aside her work while he was talking. He 
 patiently repeated his expression, explaining that he 
 had come from Rosario especially to see Florenzino. 
 When he had finished, the girl looked at him intently 
 for a moment, then there flittered across her a face 
 a smile that was almost a laugh, an expression that 
 combined helplessness with superiority. 
 
 "No sabe," she said. 
 
 Robert, in desperation, turned toward the others, 
 but they apparently were not even aware of his 
 presence. There was nothing in the general atmos- 
 
 (155)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 phere to suggest hostility or studied rudeness, nor 
 was there any reason to suspect a concerted effort 
 to force him to leave; it was more as though he 
 were struggling to accomplish something while those 
 near by were scarcely watching him, were indifferent 
 as to whether he should succeed or not. Then the 
 persistent young man remembered the Indian 
 schools, so he turned abruptly to the oldest child. 
 
 "Can you tell these people that the Great White 
 Father sent me here to be their doctor, and that I 
 want to see Florenzino?" 
 
 The little girl was too shy to answer, even if she 
 understood. She turned to her mother, who was 
 pouring water in the pot of sliced gourds, and the 
 latter after perhaps half a minute of apparent con 
 templation, asked: 
 
 "You are the doctor?" 
 
 Her question was almost a monotone, what slight 
 accent there was being on the verb. The voice was 
 soft and far away, more in keeping with forests and 
 running water than with her present sordid sur 
 roundings. She evinced no embarrassment over be 
 traying a knowledge of English, for to her it was 
 only natural and proper to show no interest unless 
 there were some prospective benefit to herself. Un 
 like most primitive people she seemed to have no 
 curiosity. 
 
 "Where is Florenzino?" Hollington was begin 
 ning to feel encouraged. 
 
 She pointed across the valley to something mov- 
 (156)
 
 HOLLINGTON VISITS THE INDIANS 
 
 ing, which the easterner could barely distinguish as 
 a small cloud of dust. 
 
 "He is coming," she said in the same level way. 
 
 Robert made no effort to continue the conversa 
 tion while he was waiting. His attention wandered 
 to the cooking and eating accessories, as far as he 
 could see them from where he stood. The pots and 
 pans, the china and the knives and forks and spoons 
 were all the white man s products. They were piti 
 fully few in number and of the coarsest and cheapest 
 make. Then at his shoulder came the slow, deliber 
 ate voice that he was growing to like. 
 
 "I have a baby," it said. 
 
 "Where is it?" 
 
 Again came a pause that could be measured by 
 fractions of a minute. "In the house." 
 
 "May I see it?" 
 
 Always the interval of silence, and then: "The 
 baby is sick." 
 
 The doctor did not wait for persuasion, but 
 walked into the hut, with the mother slowly follow 
 ing. On the bed lay a naked infant not more than 
 six weeks old, whose wasted body and pitiful ex 
 pression would have told anyone that it was dying. 
 Malnutrition! that was all. An older child was sent 
 to the store for condensed milk and other food, 
 while Robert labored with the mother to make her 
 understand just how to use the prescribed medicine. 
 He took the pills from his case and made her admin 
 ister them under his guidance. 
 
 Once he had occasion to step to the door to obtain 
 (157)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 a better light on the child s face. There sat the 
 three old people, as placid as ever. They had sur 
 prised him by not crowding into the room when he 
 first went to the baby, they shocked and angered him 
 by not questioning the mother who stood by him on 
 the threshold, or even trying to read some message 
 on his face or hers. It was his first experience with 
 their animal-like patience, the first time it was 
 brought home to him that an hour or two makes no 
 difference to them under any ordinary circumstances. 
 
 When he had finished his work and had come out 
 of doors, Florenzirio was waiting. The policeman 
 was a splendid specimen of the physical Indian. Five 
 feet ten inches in height, a hundred and ninety 
 pounds in weight, with a massive head, immense 
 torso and shoulders, arms of unusual length, hips 
 so narrow that they hardly broke the straight line 
 from shoulder to ankle, small hands and feet, and 
 the poise of an athlete, such were Robert s first im 
 pressions. The four natives had been talking to 
 each other in voices which had carried the short dis 
 tance to where the baby lay. Their words were 
 softer far than English would have been in the same 
 mouths, for the Indian language seems to be an at 
 tempt to imitate the sounds of nature. If the wind 
 be mentioned, or a bird or a stream, there is an 
 effort to make the tones force the listener to visual 
 ize the picture. 
 
 Florenzino manifested none of the indifference 
 that the others had shown. He recognized the im 
 portance to the tribe of proper medical care, and 
 
 (158)
 
 HOLLINGTON VISITS THE INDIANS 
 
 he was perfectly willing to meet half way anything 
 that promised to be for his own advantage. Fur 
 thermore, he gloried in the proffered opportunity to 
 assume the parental role and to display his author 
 ity, for on him had fallen the mantle of the once 
 powerful but now departed chiefs. Undoubtedly 
 he had been interested in the conversation with his 
 compatriots and he had proven that he was pleased 
 to have Hollington present; yet his remarks, pithy 
 though they were, resembled in marked degree those 
 of his wife, for they were short, curt, and came only 
 at intervals. The results were satisfactory to both 
 men; the doctor told how he could be reached, what 
 hours were most convenient, and under what circum 
 stances he should be summoned, while Florenzino 
 conveyed the impression that all the other Indians 
 were his charges, that he was zealous in his care 
 of them, and was in a position to exact implicit 
 obedience. 
 
 One picture of the day left such a pleasant impres 
 sion that Robert was glad to store it in his memory. 
 It was of Carlotta, Florenzino s mother. She was 
 seated in an open field, without cover or shelter of 
 any kind, not even a shawl over her head. Before 
 her was spread a canvas, on which had been thrown 
 the freshly harvested beans. These had been 
 crushed free from the pods, but pods, stalks, leaves 
 and beans formed one pile together. The old lady 
 held in her hand a flat, saucershaped basket of her 
 own weave, which from time to time she half filled 
 with beans and chaff, and then by throwing the con- 
 
 (159)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 tents a foot or so in the air, and deftly catching them 
 again, she separated one from the other. Now and 
 then a few vigorous shakes were necessary to bring 
 to the surface the larger pieces of leaves or stems, 
 but practically all the cleaning was done by the mo 
 notonous process of toss and catch. Through the 
 long summer day she had worked incessantly, as was 
 shown by the pile of chaff on her right, and on her 
 left the large olla containing half a bushel or more 
 of clean frijoles. 
 
 Acting on impulse, Robert crossed the field and 
 spoke to her. Florenzino, following, explained the 
 purposes of the visitor, so she smiled a welcome. 
 Robert instinctively took off his hat, for he recog 
 nized the presence of an aristocrat. As old she was 
 at fifty as are our women at eighty, wrinkled in, 
 face and bloated in body, squatting cross-legged 
 with her knees touching her ankles and her stomach 
 resting on her thighs, draped in the oldest, cheapest, 
 most faded of cotton goods, yet there was in her 
 bright black eyes, her straight delicate nose, her 
 small shapely hands and the atmosphere with which 
 she surrounded herself, something that made her 
 personality superior to her environment. So 
 strongly did like speak to like across the gap of 
 breeding, language, and race that the whole Indian 
 people rose in the doctor s estimation, and his first 
 opinion that they were little better than beasts under 
 went a revision. 
 
 He mused on the situation as he went home, his 
 first impressions battling with his last. Another 
 
 (160)
 
 HOLLINGTON VISITS THE INDIANS 
 
 aspect obtruded itself, that while these people out 
 numbered the Japanese four or five to one, they 
 were not, and never could become, such factors in 
 the general economic life. And Hollington remem 
 bered stories he had heard from well informed 
 persons about the Indian s selfishness and complete 
 lack of gratitude. He knew these tales were true, 
 and that he had set himself a hard task in trying to 
 win from them a friendship that would be true. 
 
 (161)
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 FRANCES GOES TO SAN CLEMENTE 
 
 evening, when Sam came in for supper he 
 handed Frances a letter. The handwriting 
 was unknown to her, so she carefully looked it over 
 before opening an envelope that was addressed in a 
 decidedly feminine hand and bore a slight trace of 
 perfume. 
 
 "My Dear Miss Coulters:" she read. "You undoubtedly 
 will be surprised by receiving this note from a total stranger. 
 When I tell you however that Edward Winfield is my 
 brother, you will readily understand that I have learned to 
 regard you as an old friend, through hearing of the many 
 lovely things you have done for him. 
 
 "He is very close to me, far more so than are most broth 
 ers to their sisters. I am anxious to meet the young lady 
 who has more than once saved his life, he tells me, to meet 
 her and to see if I cannot give her a little pleasure in return. 
 
 "I am at the Hotel San Clemente for the season. Some 
 guests of mine are leaving the latter part of this month, so 
 any time after the first I should be delighted if you would 
 come down to visit me for three weeks. I live very quietly here, 
 but I have been coming for years, and so know a great many 
 people who will enjoy helping me give you a good time. 
 
 "Please do not disappoint me. If you are half as nice as 
 Edward says you are, and he is pretty critical, I will be the 
 one to derive most of the pleasure from your visit. 
 
 "I saw Edward in Denver. The doctors thought it best 
 for me not to stay more than a day or two. He seems to be 
 a little more than holding his own. I will tell you all about 
 him when I see you. 
 
 "With the pleasantest anticipations, 
 
 Helen M. Charleton. 
 
 P. S. Do not be foolish about anything. Come !" 
 (162)
 
 FRANCES GOES TO SAN CLEMENTE 
 
 "It s one of the loveliest letters I have ever had," 
 said Frances, handing it to her mother, who read it 
 aloud. 
 
 "This will be a splendid thing for you," said Mrs. 
 Coulters. 
 
 "Mother, I can t possibly go." 
 
 "Why not?" 
 
 "Clothes, for one thing. My duties here for 
 another." 
 
 "You haven t been a bit well, Frances. Your 
 health is the most important consideration. We can 
 make you the few simple dresses that are all that 
 will be expected of you." 
 
 "No, mother, I don t want to go." 
 
 "But you must." 
 
 "Must?" said the father. "You surely aren t go 
 ing to send the child against her will." 
 
 "Yes, I am. Her apathy is just an added reason. 
 Do you think it natural for a girl of her age, raised 
 as she has been, not to be wild with excitement over 
 an opportunity like this? She needs change to break 
 her lethargy and put red blood in her veins." 
 
 "I wash my hands of it; you two will have to 
 settle the matter." 
 
 "Of course, I will go if mother really wants me 
 to." 
 
 Mrs. Charleton, in her limousine, met the train 
 that had brought Frances in from the country. It 
 was a half hour s drive to the hotel, a half hour 
 spent by Mrs. Charleton in putting at ease the shy 
 est, sweetest bit of humanity she had ever known. 
 
 (163)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 Arriving at the hotel, they dressed for dinner. 
 Frances apologized for her evening gown which, 
 by the way, was the only one she had ever had. 
 
 "Never mind, my dear, your gown is simple, but 
 you can wear it. You will see women in the dining 
 room who would give anything on earth for a com 
 plexion like yours. Have you never used powder?" 
 
 "Shall I get some?" 
 
 "Heavens no, not with your skin. Let s go down 
 stairs now. I don t like to keep the Weymouths." 
 
 "Are they to have supper with us?" 
 
 "We dine with them tonight." 
 
 This was the first of the series of formal dinners 
 Frances attended. Their breakfasts were often 
 served in their rooms; at noon she and Mrs. Charle- 
 ton habitually sat alone, but not once did they do 
 so in the evening. 
 
 Frances frame was shaking with nervousness as 
 she left the elevator for the initial meal. In the 
 lobby she had to go through the ordeal of meeting 
 her hosts and such of the guests as had arrived. 
 She was glad that others joined them during the 
 introductions, for in the confusion she lost some of 
 her self-consciousness. 
 
 She had hardly had time to recuperate from the 
 first feeling of awe before she found herself walk 
 ing into the dining room, with Mr. Winslow on her 
 left. There were couples in front, couples behind, 
 as the file crossed the crowded room to a table under 
 the windows. Not knowing what was expected of 
 her Frances merely kept her place in the line. Look- 
 
 (164)
 
 FRANCES GOES TO SAN CLEMENTE 
 
 ing about she saw the arched ceiling of a room such 
 as her imagination had never conceived. It was as 
 high as any house in Rosario, as large as any farm 
 yard, decorated with a profusion of hanging lights 
 and draperies and potted plants. There were on 
 every table candelabra which served both to throw 
 into shadows myriads of white gowned waitresses, 
 and to illuminate the faces of the guests. The most 
 of these, so it seemed to her, were hard, tired faces, 
 the older critical, the younger supercilious. 
 
 "Why is it all are so solemn, Mrs. Winslow? 
 People come to a pleasure resort to have a good 
 time, yet I have scarcely seen a smile in all this 
 crowd." 
 
 Winslow repeated this remark after their seats 
 had been found and the party settled. Frances then 
 heard some of the laughter she had missed, but she 
 was not sorry, for there was no mistaking the good 
 nature that admitted that the joke was on them 
 selves. Still she felt that she must be careful, so 
 she avoided the more or less general efforts to draw 
 her out again. 
 
 She worked her way through the bewildering ar 
 ray of silver, and many other pitfalls, by the simple 
 process of holding back to watch others. She her 
 self spoke but seldom, yet she was a very easy per 
 son to talk to, as Winslow and Lieutenant Cutshaw, 
 who also sat beside her, were not slow to discover. 
 Everything was new to her, and she frankly showed 
 her interest in whatever was being told. 
 
 The episode that most embarrassed Frances came 
 (165)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 at the outset with the caviar and the cocktails. Mrs. 
 Charleton, covertly watching from across the table, 
 saw Frances imitatively raise the glass, and real 
 ized with something of a shock that this young girl 
 had never tasted liquor, perhaps had never seen 
 anyone drink it. Though the elder woman herself 
 was at a loss to know what to do, she did not shirk 
 her obligation to help Frances through this dilemma. 
 
 "I wouldn t drink anything if I were you," Mrs, 
 Charleton began blindly, trusting to tact and expe 
 rience to bring her through. "You don t need the 
 stimulant, so I will not allow you to lose any of 
 your freshness while you are under my care." Fran 
 ces put down her glass with a too transparent relief. 
 
 The long course dinner bewildered the country 
 girl. The wine and the cordials, she could readily 
 perceive, added to the gaiety of the party, and 
 the cigarette smoking by members of her own sex 
 was not at all confined to her own table. Such 
 things were not for her; she would neither indulge 
 in them nor pass criticism upon them. 
 
 After the demi-tasse they all went to the ball 
 room, and found comfortable seats behind the rail 
 that separated the dancing floor from the specta 
 tors gallery. Winslow at once took Frances out 
 to one-step, wondering what kind of a partner he 
 would have in this farmer s daughter. He did not 
 attempt to conceal from her his pleasure when he 
 found he was with one of the best natural dancers 
 he had ever known. She could not follow his lead 
 if he tried anything but the most conventional steps, 
 
 (166)
 
 FRANCES GOES TO SAN CLEMENTE 
 
 the ones that Robert Hollington had taught her. 
 But those she did exquisitely. Light as a feather 
 in his arms, she had an ease, a grace, an intuitive 
 knowledge of what he was about to do, that he 
 had never before encountered in an amateur. Na 
 tive ability coupled with an inborn love of the art 
 could offset instruction and practice when carried 
 to the point of satiety. Dragging tired feet through 
 the same routine night after night under artificial 
 stimulant stiffens muscles and collects a heavy tax 
 on suppleness. Nor must it be forgotten that in 
 Robert she had a teacher who had carried her far 
 in the past year. 
 
 Long before the midnight closing Frances fame 
 had spread through the room. Mrs. Weymouth, 
 proud of her guest, and Mrs. Charleton, who felt 
 it no small honor to be cicerone to one of the best 
 dancers the hotel had ever boasted, were besieged 
 with requests for introductions. When the soft 
 strains of "Home Sweet Home" echoed through the 
 room, and she saw that the gathering of wraps and 
 the preparations to leave had become general, Fran 
 ces felt that there had come to a close one of the 
 signal evenings of her life. 
 
 But a surprise lay in store for her. "We are 
 going downstairs to the grill for a little while," said 
 Mrs. Charleton. So down they went, to find them 
 selves once more seated about a table. The Wey- 
 mouths still were hosts, though the personnel of the 
 party had undergone no little change through addi 
 tions and deflections. 
 
 (167)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 A chance remark that Frances had overheard, 
 while they were waiting for the refreshments, had 
 thrown her into a brown study. Mrs. Weymouth 
 was speaking to the retired general across the board: 
 
 "Have you noticed what a thoroughly nice crowd 
 of young people there are at the San Clemente this 
 season? A ballroom often strikes me as having a 
 conglomerate face ; sometimes that face repels, as 
 do typical cabaret singers. More often it is hum 
 drum and common, like the people on the streets. 
 It is not often that it has appealed to me as strongly 
 as it does tonight, reflecting the best of our Ameri 
 can youth." 
 
 Winslow, who had not relinquished the rights 
 that came with the fortunate chance by which he had 
 first drawn her as a dinner partner, broke into her 
 reverie: 
 
 "Now what direction are your thoughts taking?" 
 he asked. 
 
 "If I tell you, you ll repeat it, and then you will 
 all laugh at me." 
 
 "On my honor, I ll not tell a soul." 
 
 "I was just amusing myself thinking how much 
 younger the people are getting as the evening grows 
 older. When we went into the dining-room it 
 seemed as though everyone were well on into middle 
 age; in the ballroom people were lots younger, and 
 now in the grill I don t feel like a child any more." 
 
 "There certainly is a different spirit here," said 
 Winslow. "As you say, the older people are drop 
 ping out. But it s not that alone; upstairs is a sort 
 
 (168)
 
 FRANCES GOES TO SAN CLEMENTE 
 
 of public place, downstairs we feel that it s all among 
 ourselves, more like a club. Besides, everyone has 
 been drinking all the evening, and naturally that 
 makes a difference." 
 
 Frances shuddered. 
 
 "You little prude!" laughed Winslow. "If night 
 after night you did any one thing, even your enthu 
 siasm would be dulled in time. There is hardly 
 anyone here who has had too much; a little to stir 
 up the circulation may be bad for the health, but it 
 is nothing to shock one. Here is that lieutenant 
 again; he is beginning to become a nuisance." 
 
 The space in the grill reserved for dancing was 
 limited. By the time a dozen tables had been put 
 in position, and places found for a piano and the 
 musicians, more than half of the room was gone. 
 This intimate crowding of music, spectators, and 
 dancers resulted in an informality which relieved 
 Frances of the features of the evening which had 
 oppressed her most, the style and hugeness of it all. 
 
 Every one of the hundred and more people in the 
 room seemed to know every one else. They formed 
 a cosmopolitan group, which owed its existence to 
 the ease with which it absorbed the new comers that 
 pleased it. Frances was well received on Mrs. 
 Charleton s account at first, but afterwards on her 
 own. The hours slipped by; it was after three when 
 the festivities were ended by the refusal of the or 
 chestra to be cajoled into playing any longer. 
 
 On the way to their rooms Mrs. Charleton slipped 
 her arm about her guest. 
 
 (169)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 "I m proud of you, little girl, proud of you in 
 every way. You ve made this an unusually pleasant 
 evening for me." 
 
 "Have I really? It required so much of your 
 attention to introduce me and watch over me that 
 I m afraid I ve kept you from having a good time." 
 
 "That is what gave one to me. Besides, all my 
 work was done when you met my friends ; was there 
 one of them who didn t come back for a second 
 dance? I notice that you didn t miss once; you 
 seemed to be engaged five or six deep most of the 
 night." 
 
 Frances slept late that morning. She had been 
 told that she was to breakfast alone, either in her 
 room or downstairs as she chose. She decided, after 
 some hesitation, that the dining room where she had 
 already been was less terrifying than the unknown 
 mysteries attending the summoning of a maid. 
 
 Her meal finished, she walked through the lobby, 
 deserted by all but clerks and call boys, and then 
 through the equally empty gardens. Everything 
 was so large, herself so insignificantly small. Out 
 into the ocean ran a pier; to the end of this she 
 went. Again the proportions had to be adjusted. 
 The Pacific was so immense, so unchanging and per 
 manent, while the hotel grounds, the San Clemente 
 itself with all it stood for and contained 
 
 "The sky dwarfs the ocean too," she mused. "I 
 won t moralize any more; I m going to have as 
 good a time as I can while I m here, without giving 
 another thought to what it all means." 
 
 (170)
 
 FRANCES GOES TO SAN CLEMENTE 
 
 She was presently seated on the beach, watching, 
 with the interest of an inland dweller, the huge 
 breakers lazily rolling in, the sea fowl maintaining 
 their vigilant patrol. 
 
 "Here s a great piece of luck." It was the cheer 
 ful voice of the lieutenant, who had so bothered 
 Winslow the evening before. "How would you like 
 to go up in the air?" 
 
 "What a dream!" Here eyes were on a gull that 
 was gracefully circling a suspected movement in the 
 water below. 
 
 "This is no dream. Did no one tell you that 
 I m an aviator?" Lieutenant Stone held out his 
 hand. "Come, I ll take you for a ride. I particu 
 larly wanted a passenger this morning." 
 
 Frances was easily persuaded. Soon she was 
 seated in the first aeroplane she had ever seen. 
 With a terrific roar the propeller started to drive 
 the plane; then suddenly the land began to fall away 
 from beneath her. The next half hour was the most 
 thrilling that she had ever spent. The sensation of 
 motion was replaced with the illusion that she was 
 suspended in space, while far beneath her a little 
 model of the world slipped by in panorama, a little 
 model that showed the roofs of houses, the tops 
 of trees, the white crests of breakers, the decks of 
 vessels. 
 
 On the way back from the hangars Stone talked 
 of tennis and golf. Frances barely knew what he 
 meant. She was still so excited from her ride that 
 she could not keep her mind on what he was saying. 
 
 (171)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 Nevertheless, a curious little pang shot through her, 
 a feeling that after all she was really not a part of 
 this life came to her, as they were passed time and 
 again by automobiles filled with men and women in 
 golfing clothes, bound for the Country Club. 
 
 By the time the pair reached the hotel, Stone had 
 extracted from Frances a promise to fly with him 
 frequently, if Mrs. Charleton approved. That lady, 
 when consulted, did object, but not so seriously as 
 to prevent the making of another engagement. 
 
 Lieutenant Stone took Frances to the Country 
 Club and explained some of the mysteries of golf. 
 When they wearied of that they strayed over to 
 the courts, where they watched the progress of a 
 tennis tournament until it was time to meet Mrs. 
 Charleton again. 
 
 At noon everyone was at the bath house. Frances 
 had learned to swim in the reservoirs of Rosario, 
 so she did not have to be a mere spectator here. 
 Her stroke was a very natural one, easy and grace 
 ful. She tried it in the plunge, in the bay and in 
 the ocean, and was delighted with the buoyancy of 
 salt water. Among those who had helped close the 
 grill in the early hours of the morning was Winslow, 
 now giving a pretty exhibition of fancy diving. He 
 took the girl in hand, initiated her into the mysteries 
 of the spring board, the rings, and the slide. It 
 was a curious commentary on human nature that she 
 who had faced, without a tremor, the unknown dan 
 gers and dizzy heights of aeroplaning, was white 
 
 (172)
 
 FRANCES GOES TO SAN CLEMENTE 
 
 with fear when first she looked down the slide and 
 realized that she must force herself to use it. 
 
 Luncheon followed the bath. Mrs. Charleton 
 and Frances were alone for the first time that day, 
 and what a series of experiences and impressions 
 the girl did have to relate. She easily allowed her 
 self to be drawn out, while Mrs. Charleton, revel 
 ling in the naivete of the recital, didn t check it by 
 disputing any point of view, or by showing amuse 
 ment at comparisons with Eden Valley. 
 
 A polo game was scheduled between the local 
 team and one from Riverside. So promptly at three 
 o clock these two, together with Mrs. Weymouth 
 and Mrs. General Harris as guests, took their 
 places in Mrs. Charleton s open car, and drove to 
 a space reserved for them by the side of the playing 
 field. On either side were other cars, filled with 
 faces that were rapidly becoming familiar. There 
 was a chattering back and forth, a promiscuous in 
 termingling among the various parties, while the 
 passing on foot of others added greatly to the con 
 fusion and the hilarity. 
 
 It was here that Fances conceived the idea which 
 later, in the club house, grew upon her, that these 
 people who had been so good to her, who were so 
 cordial and hospitable among themselves, did not 
 recognize any obligation to humanity in general. 
 After the first period, instead of giving her atten 
 tion to the game, for she saw little more in it than 
 eight mounted men striking or missing a wooden 
 ball, she fell to studying the people, amused to find 
 
 (173)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 that in less than twenty-four hours her awe of them 
 had disappeared. She noticed that she herself was 
 even becoming a little critical, wondering why cer 
 tain persons had been taken in while others had 
 been left out, trying to formulate in her mind some 
 standard which must be met before one could be 
 accepted. 
 
 Tea was served by the club immediately after the 
 game. Here it was that the players mixed with the 
 spectators, and with a few golf enthusiasts who 
 would not desert their own game to attend another s. 
 Frances watched the gorgeously gowned women 
 group themselves at tables, either in the main room 
 or on the veranda. She came to a conclusion, which 
 she later verified, that even within the charmed cir 
 cle of those who had passed, there were cliques and 
 rings and fringes; also that one s position became 
 more apparent in the tea room than elsewhere. 
 
 That evening Mrs. Charleton took her protege 
 to dinner on a battle-ship anchored in the harbor. 
 Once again the girl became a sightseer, as willing 
 guides took her the length and breadth of that great 
 iron hull, down winding stairs or into turrets, until 
 she had seen everything from the huge cannon to 
 the jackies mess. After dinner came dancing on 
 a covered after deck, to the music of the fleet s band. 
 The spell of the ocean was in the air, while on the 
 open water of the bay twinkled the lights of the city 
 and of passing ships. 
 
 Another day had passed, filled with pleasure, with 
 never an idle moment nor a chance to be bored. 
 
 (174)
 
 FRANCES GOES TO SAN CLEMENTE 
 
 So two crowded weeks slipped by, time enough in 
 that shifting medley to make Frances one of the 
 company. She had acquired the habit of sleeping 
 till nearly noon; she had even been prevailed upon 
 to use some of her hostess s clothes, which that 
 thoughtful lady had altered slightly to suit. There 
 had been moments of homesickness, and many times 
 Frances had to remind herself of the resolution 
 made that first morning on the pier. But she was 
 having a happy time; how could she have helped it, 
 who was rapidly becoming the belle of the San Cle- 
 mente colony? 
 
 It was at luncheon that she was made to realize 
 that after all life is a serious matter. She had been 
 watching the Pacific, the friend who never tired her, 
 while relating, in her fascinating way, details of the 
 morning play. She had been asking, too, about the 
 Pembertons, the great New York Pembertons, 
 whose dinner-dance that evening was to be the event 
 of the season. 
 
 Hardly aware that there had been a lull in her 
 prattle, she was recalled by the voice of her hostess. 
 
 "How would you like to live with me perma 
 nently?" 
 
 Frances was too startled to reply. 
 
 "We ll not discuss it now." Though Mrs. Charle- 
 ton, to protect herself, had risen from the table, she 
 still betrayed more feeling than Frances had ever 
 seen in her. "Tomorrow you and I will breakfast 
 in my room, and talk it over." 
 
 (175)
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 COULTERS GETS His LAND LAW 
 
 "TV TESTER had watched with grave concern the 
 -*" spread of Sam Coulters propaganda. At first 
 he had regarded the matter a good deal as had 
 Rutherford White and the other professional poli 
 ticians. The instinctive sensing of danger had been 
 lulled by the crafty machinations of the San Diego 
 boss, who had given assurance that Coulters was 
 merely a country dreamer, without friends or back 
 ing or influence. 
 
 Diester s first move, after wakening to the serious 
 ness of the situation, was to pass the word that this 
 anti-Japanese agitation was to be belittled. Noth 
 ing kills novelty as easily as ridicule, so the skir 
 mishers were thrown out to hold up Coulters and 
 his followers to contumely. Here the machine met 
 a stern rebuff, for it found the issue absolutely 
 impersonal. 
 
 It has long been known that the public mind will 
 not accept a new political or economic doctrine un 
 less it has confidence in both the personnel and the 
 motives of the men behind. If a candidate for office 
 can prove that his opponents are grossly incompe 
 tent, actuated by the lowest passions, it is a suffi 
 cient answer, as has often been shown, to say that 
 the accuser is bringing his charges because he is dis 
 gruntled or is the private enemy of the men he at- 
 
 (176)
 
 COULTERS GETS HIS LAND LAW 
 
 tacks. It sounds absurd, yet its truth was so well 
 known to Diester that he believed that a little per 
 sonal attack upon Sam Coulters would end the whole 
 agitation. 
 
 There was nothing to be gained in accusing Sam 
 of dishonesty, drunkenness, or immorality, no use 
 raking over his past life hoping to unearth a pos 
 sible skeleton. What was done was to paint him 
 as an ignorant rancher, presumptuously airing his 
 individual grievances, trying to secure followers to 
 right his private wrongs. They caricatured him as 
 of over-weening conceit, of attempting to become a 
 self-constituted leader, of whatever else their fancies 
 suggested; and woke to find that they were not fight 
 ing him at all, that to reach him now was but to ex 
 tinguish the match that had started the conflagration. 
 
 So Diester sent word down the line, to editor and 
 legislator and local boss, that the anti-alien bill was 
 undesirable. He knew better than to do this di 
 rectly, for no one was more acutely aware than him 
 self of the limitations of his position. When he 
 found that insistence on his part would imperil his 
 leadership he adroitly shifted his ground into the 
 legislature itself. He checked over the hundred and 
 twenty members of that body to find that he would 
 have a substantial minority, some fifty strong, who 
 would do his bidding. Some there were who were 
 indifferent, some who blindly accepted his wishes as 
 their laws, others who really believed that the hands 
 off policy was best for the state. The past master 
 in the gentle art of befuddling issues and dividing 
 
 (177)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 opposition could see no difficulty in the present situ 
 ation. 
 
 When the lawmakers met in session they spent 
 days in effecting organization, in the election of offi 
 cers, in the appointment of committees, and the dis 
 tribution of patronage. Bills were then introduced 
 by the hundreds. Among those that went to the 
 committees was the anti-alien land bill, introduced in 
 each house. Soon reports on other prospective laws 
 began to emerge from committee rooms., to be en 
 acted or killed, almost at Diester s dictation, amidst 
 drooling, almost interminable debate. There is a 
 great contrast between the leisure of the opening 
 days and the frantic scramble of the last week. 
 
 Gradually those measures upon which Diester 
 wished to have action taken were being brought up 
 for consideration. The ones that would not stand 
 the light of publicity were held back to be rushed 
 through in the closing days, when open debate and 
 careful scrutiny were not possible. At that time 
 there would be many which he would not desire to 
 have passed, and yet which would be if they were 
 voted upon. There were many others which would 
 hurt his party if acted upon either way; these he 
 habitually suppressed through parliamentary tricks 
 or subservient conferences. 
 
 Such were his plans with regard to the alien land 
 law, when he was visited by Tim Gilbert and How 
 ard Smith, state senator and assemblyman respec 
 tively, and chairmen of the two committees which 
 held Coulters bill. 
 
 (178)
 
 COULTERS GETS HIS LAND LAW 
 
 "Diester, Howard and I have got to report that 
 damned Japanese law, and report it without a word 
 being changed. We ve just had a talk with the 
 farmer who is lobbying for it, and promised." 
 
 "How did he bluff you into that?" 
 
 "It was no bluff. He told me that the papers of 
 Fresno county, all of them, would print in full every 
 step that was taken, that they would begin the day 
 after tomorrow to hound me for not reporting that 
 law, that if I twisted a single word that had been 
 approved by the Fresno chamber of commerce, they 
 would print in parallel the old and the new, and 
 give their version of my reasons for shifting things. 
 He told me all that, and proved it to me. Two 
 members of my committee are pledged to him 
 through thick and thin, so there is no way that I 
 can dodge. It is strictly up to me. Howard is in 
 bad enough, but as for me, why I could never go 
 home again if I didn t lie down on you here." 
 
 "All right, report. How about you, Smith?" 
 
 "My committee is going to take this over my 
 head anyway, and I want to be in the band-wagon. 
 Coulters was with three men from my district when 
 he looked me up; you know Charlie Steele and Bert 
 Fink and Fred Skinner, big bugs of union labor. 
 I hate to be a quitter, Diester, but what could I do?" 
 
 "So you promised, too?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "Has this man Coulters brains enough to have 
 worked this out by himself?" 
 
 "An awful smart man," commented Gilbert. 
 (179)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 "But it takes more than cleverness to do what 
 he has done," objected Diester. "Experience and 
 training are just as necessary to one of us as to a 
 mechanic. You know the brightest man in the world 
 couldn t pick up a saw and hammer for the first time 
 and turn out a perfect piece of work. I wonder who 
 is putting the workmanlike finish on everything 
 Coulters does?" 
 
 "He is with Rutherford White a good deal," 
 suggested Howard Smith. 
 
 "If I thought he was trying to double cross me, 
 I would bust him so quickly somehow," he said to 
 himself, "I don t altogether trust that man. I be 
 lieve I ll let Buddy Haynes have a try. Yes, I ll 
 put Buddy Haynes in White s place for the sake 
 of extra precaution." 
 
 The anti-Japanese agitation was a nuisance to 
 Diester, for he couldn t possibly profit by it, while 
 it might hurt him either way it turned out. In the 
 meantime, his attention and strength were being 
 deflected from matters which were of real impor 
 tance. The months during which the legislature 
 were in session were the busy ones of his existence. 
 Into them were crowded the trades, the appoint 
 ments, and the rewards that constituted his life 
 work. Besieged as he was by nearly every member 
 of either house, by the lobbyists and the reporters, 
 by visiting politicians and attorneys, he couldn t turn 
 individually to any one thing. 
 
 He had given to Coulters bill all the time he 
 could afford, and more. He had planned to have 
 
 (180)
 
 COULTERS GETS HIS LAND LAW 
 
 it pass each house, but to have it pass in different 
 forms. He had had prepared for the committee 
 amendments which he knew would be acceptable 
 to the sponsors of the alien land law, in fact, such 
 acceptance had already been arranged. The result 
 would have been that he would have had a house 
 bill and a senate bill, in which case diplomacy and 
 a conference committee of his own choosing would 
 have been able to keep the factions apart until 
 towards the close of the session. Then the whole 
 thing could have been buried under the avalanche 
 of last minute legislation. 
 
 Sam Coulters had defeated this plan by the sim 
 ple, straightforward attack of threatened publicity. 
 Diester had known better than to try to keep his 
 underlings in line when they had no opportunity to 
 evade direct responsibility, when their actions and 
 motives would be given prompt and general circu 
 lation among their constituents. Some new plan 
 might have been evolved in time, but time was an 
 unobtainable asset. So Diester decided to throw 
 the whole matter back on the federal managers. 
 He sent a wire to them stating that the bill would 
 be favorably reported within forty-eight hours, and 
 probably passed at once. 
 
 He received a very laconic answer : "We do not 
 care how you kill that measure." 
 
 His reply was to admit his inability to do so. He 
 begged them to accept it in its present form, or if 
 that couldn t be done, to see if some compromise 
 could not be arranged. Otherwise, all that they 
 
 (181)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 could do would be to use their power as they had 
 done before. There followed quite an extensive 
 interchange of telegrams, Washington ever demand 
 ing more and more details, even to the full text of 
 the bill and the probable vote if one were had. 
 
 It is a far cry from Eden Valley to Pennsylvania 
 Avenue, from the Rosario school to the White 
 House. So we will not try to follow too closely the 
 intricate manner in which the United States asked 
 Japan if there was any objection on the part of the 
 latter to this proposed California law, nor the word 
 ing of the prompt and forceful answer that there 
 was. Deaf was Japan to all argument, to all coun 
 ter proposals. "This is discrimination," she said, 
 "and discrimination we will not tolerate." 
 
 Why it should have been a matter of such vast 
 importance to our great republic that Japan should 
 not be displeased, history does not reveal. Perhaps 
 it was the fear of war, or perhaps because of pos 
 sible interference with one of the complicated Amer 
 ican diplomatic campaigns, which are pursued with 
 just as much hope as though there were a chance 
 of their bearing fruit, or possibly it was simply altru 
 istic idealism. 
 
 Out of the chaos there finally emerged a plan; no 
 less a personage than the secretary of state himself 
 should cross the thousands of miles of plain and 
 mountain that separated the golden state from the 
 seat of government. He should reason with the 
 California lawmakers, show them the error of their 
 ways, and so impress them with his importance that 
 
 (182)
 
 COULTERS GETS HIS LAND LAW 
 
 they would receive to their bosoms and lavish friend 
 ship upon their erstwhile enemies. This sacrifice of 
 time and comfort by such a personage, purely to 
 further the interests of and promote friendship 
 with the island kingdom could not fail to win favor 
 with the astute Japanese. 
 
 California was informed of the honor about to 
 be conferred upon her, but not of the circumstances 
 under which the plan was conceived, nor of the effect 
 that the spectacle was having on the Oriental mind. 
 There was to be no delay, the secretary was start 
 ing over night, so of course no decisive action was 
 taken in Sacramento. Common politeness and re 
 spect for his exalted office demanded that he should 
 be heard. 
 
 While the much heralded special was tearing 
 across the continent, Coulters and White held many 
 councils of war. So far their team play had been 
 admirable. One or the other had been able to meet 
 in brilliant fashion every contingency as it arose. 
 But this happy faculty of supplementing each other 
 held no promise of being able to cope with the 
 menace that was speeding on from the east. Be 
 yond securing promises of faithful support and 
 grooming forceful speakers to answer the country s 
 most famous orator, there was nothing that they 
 could do to meet the unknown. 
 
 "I m afraid it s as hopeless as ever, Sam," said 
 White. "Diester is clever, he s something up his 
 sleeve that s going to crush us flat as a shadow. 
 You beat him in the state, and together we beat 
 
 (183)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 him in the capitol, but we beat him too easily. If 
 he d been in his last trench he d have stopped us long 
 ago." 
 
 "If talk could have checked me I wouldn t have 
 tried at all," was Sam s answer. "There s no use 
 becoming panicy just because we don t know from 
 what direction the next blow is coming. Remem 
 ber, it s just as foolish to credit your opponent with 
 having too much strength as it is to underrate him. 
 Perhaps Diester already has all his cards on the 
 table." 
 
 "Run over in your mind how easily they plucked 
 success from us the last time. They didn t even 
 have to exert themselves. Compare our chances 
 then and now. Sam, you remind me of a picture I 
 once saw. It was of a bull who stood his ground 
 while a cow and calf hurried to safety. With low 
 ered head, bellowing, pawing, but never yielding 
 an inch, he awaited his enemies, shadowy, slinking, 
 wolflike forms among the forest trees. That bull 
 was doomed, of course, but he was not worrying 
 about that, nor wondering if he d be better off some 
 where else. To stay there and fight was his nature 
 just as it s yours." 
 
 "You are a grand pessimist, White, you didn t see 
 the end of that picture. Perhaps the bull did win." 
 
 White laughed. "You miss my point," he said. 
 "By the way, I meant to tell you that I have it 
 straight that Diester is planning to oust me as soon 
 as he can, so this is getting as serious for me as it 
 is for you." 
 
 (184)
 
 COULTERS GETS HIS LAND LAW 
 
 "Are you sure? How did you learn?" 
 
 "One of his men told me. Treachery, of course. 
 You can trust no one but yourself in this game." 
 
 "Do you think he knows you ve been helping 
 me?" 
 
 "No. He s following out his usual policy; he s 
 chopping off my head because he thinks some day 
 I might challenge him for state leadership." 
 
 "About as low down " 
 
 "Self-preservation, Sam. I ve done the same 
 thing half a dozen times." 
 
 A conversation such as this between these men 
 had none of the snap or fire of the days when they 
 had been campaigning. They were clearly marking 
 time now, awaiting the secretary, from whom they 
 were to learn their fate. The great one s progress 
 across the nation was heralded in the papers, the 
 time of his arrival was known to the minute. Com 
 mittees to meet and entertain him were chosen, so 
 that California s reputation for hospitality should 
 be sustained. 
 
 A representative delegation met the special train 
 near the crest of the Sierra at the state line. The 
 secretary was all smiles and warmth, his remarks 
 covered a world-wide range of general interest, al 
 most no topic seemed barred, except the particu 
 lar one that had brought him from Washington. 
 Neither the reception committee nor the newspaper 
 men could elicit a single word that related to things 
 Japanese. At the station was a military band, a 
 horde of officials headed by the governor, and half 
 
 (185)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 of the city s idlers. Geniality radiated from the 
 visitor when he alighted from his train, but still he 
 maintained secrecy about his mission. So matters 
 stood when the stage was set, when both houses met 
 in joint session to hear the speech of their august 
 guest. 
 
 Coulters and White, from the spectators gallery, 
 saw the secretary take his place upon the platform, 
 listened to the introduction by the governor, and 
 joined in the applause which greeted the orator of 
 the occasion when he rose to his feet. Now at last 
 the veil of mystery was to be withdrawn, and every 
 one was to know the trump card which Japan was 
 about to play to defeat undesirable legislation. 
 
 White was visibly impressed by the pageant. "It 
 doesn t stand to reason that this act would have 
 been performed had there been any doubt as to 
 the outcome. Do you realize that to win we not 
 only have to dethrone Diester, we actually have to 
 take away this man s portfolio? He can t remain 
 long in the cabinet if he fails here. Do you think 
 he would risk his political life on an uncertainty?" 
 
 "Neither would the wolves take chances, yet I 
 believe that in some way the old bull beat them off." 
 Sam s words were drowned in the applause that 
 came when the secretary rose to speak. 
 
 "Well, it s all over," said White dejectedly, as 
 the silvery voice that had won conventions and 
 charmed multitudes began its expected praise of 
 Californians in general and those present in particu 
 lar. Followed a eulogy of the United States, a 
 
 (186)
 
 COULTERS GETS HIS LAND LAW 
 
 panegyric of Japan, an appeal to the charity and 
 forbearance of his hearers, for the acceptance by 
 them of the yellow men who should be the objects 
 of their solicitous care rather than their enmity. 
 
 "If he can talk nonsense as convincingly as this," 
 said White, "what s going to happen when he has 
 something to say?" 
 
 The secretary was preaching; "Love one an 
 other," was the text. When he felt that his audi 
 ence was won to his point of view, he opened a 
 sheepskin law book, from which he read extracts 
 of the California state constitution, and proceeded 
 to prove conclusively that the proposed law would 
 be illegal. 
 
 "There it is at last," said White. Even the op 
 timistic rancher felt the coming of the end. "How 
 is it possible that Chandler Young was so far 
 wrong? A child could see that our bill is unconsti 
 tutional. Look at Brenton," cried Sam suddenly, 
 "he is not supposed to speak yet." Rutherford 
 White, as well as everyone else in the room, was 
 watching the young senator from Santa Barbara, 
 the acknowledged champion of the bill. 
 
 Brenton was on his feet, trying to catch the eye 
 of the speaker. When the secretary, pausing at the 
 end of a rounded period, noticed this, he stopped 
 perplexedly, and looked at Brenton inquiringly. 
 
 "Will you pardon an interruption?" 
 
 "Of course!" The answer, though forced, was 
 gracious. 
 
 Sam groaned, his tired head dropped on his chest 
 (187)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 Brenton was going to surrender; there was nothing 
 else he could do. White reached out for the ranch 
 er s weather beaten hand, and pressed it warmly. 
 
 "You fought a good fight, you ve nothing to re 
 gret. You led your forlorn hope to the gates of 
 hell, even if you didn t get through. Listen " 
 
 "Mr. Secretary, I know you will pardon me," 
 Brenton s clear voice filled the room, "for calling 
 your attention to the fact that through an oversight 
 you are reading from an old text book. Every 
 constitutional provision you have quoted has been 
 repealed." 
 
 The next day a bill prohibiting the ownership of 
 land by any aliens not eligible to citizenship, or the 
 leasing by them for a period of more than three 
 years, was unanimously passed by both branches of 
 the legislature, and signed by the governor. 
 
 (188)
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 THE JAPANESE PUPILS RETURN 
 
 ONALD SCOTT had arrived at a decision, an 
 event comparable only to the adoption by the 
 ordinary mind of some new principle. Certain cere 
 monies had to be observed before there could be 
 any change in the course of conduct previously out 
 lined by that orderly brain, overpowering influences 
 were necessary to induce the new chain of thought 
 and a plentitude of time must be devoted to a search 
 for concealed drawbacks. Even then Donald be 
 came the butt of circumstances with a shamefaced 
 feeling of weakness. 
 
 On this particular occasion initiative had come 
 from the great freeze while action had been induced 
 by the necessity of eating. He couldn t live for 
 two years without income, and the only feasible way 
 for him to secure it was from his land. So some 
 months after his neighbors were doing the same 
 thing, he made preparations to plant between the 
 rows of his defunct trees. He found it difficult to 
 determine what to grow, for the mental attitude of 
 being shoved and forced was not congenial to him. 
 
 Watermelons and canteloupe required a light, 
 sandy soil while his was a heavy adobe, so they were 
 disregarded. Tomatoes were tempting, for the 
 yield might be large and the price even up to eight 
 cents. On the other hand, they were a gambler s 
 
 (189)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 choice, so delicate as to be easily lost, so uncertain 
 of market as often to be worth less than the har 
 vesting cost. Donald was by no means a devotee 
 of the goddess of chance, nor would he have been 
 justified, under the special circumstances which de 
 manded a safe, sure living for two years, in risk 
 ing anything on the possibility of catching conditions 
 just right. 
 
 Strawberries, too, were considered, corn, cab 
 bages, and carrots were discarded, and the lowly 
 potato finally chosen. 
 
 Once settled, the growing of potatoes was adopted 
 into Donald s life and given all the privileges of 
 his other established habits. The seed was bought 
 and spread damp in the cellar to sprout. The small 
 shoots springing from the eyes were cut away with 
 a generous piece of bulb attached, were planted in 
 hills and rows, and were carefully watered, culti 
 vated, and weeded. From this work Donald Scott 
 sought rest and recreation only in his church and 
 his school. 
 
 So far the cleverest of the school trustees was he, 
 so much the most interested and experienced, that 
 meetings of the board did little more than register 
 his will. In the same ponderous way that he gov 
 erned himself he attended to education in Rosario. 
 He seldom was creative, even less often was he in 
 error, and never would he allow himself to be 
 hurried. 
 
 To him of all men fell the duty of acting on a 
 communication that was like an unwelcome wind in 
 
 (190)
 
 THE JAPANESE PUPILS RETURN 
 
 what was to have been a short and formal meeting. 
 Unsuspectingly Donald opened, along with the rou 
 tine mail, an official envelope containing three inof 
 fensive looking sheets. 
 
 "Sacramento, Cal. 
 "To the Trustees of 
 
 The Eden Valley School, 
 
 Rosario, Cal. 
 
 "It has been brought to the attention of this office that 
 three Japanese students in your school, Hogo, Watsa, and 
 Nanga by name, have been virtually expelled without the 
 filing of charges or the hearing to which they are entitled 
 under the laws of the State of California. We enclose a 
 copy of our correspondence with Dr. Hollington, which in 
 our judgment is ample proof of our statement. We under 
 stand that there are several other Japanese who wish to at 
 tend the school but are not allowed to do so. The California 
 State Board of Education has ordered me to inform you that 
 until the above irregularity is properly attended to, or sat 
 isfactorily explained, it will be unable to disburse your al 
 lotment of State funds. 
 
 Very sincerely yours, 
 
 H. J. Williams, 
 Sec y C. S. B. E." 
 
 Donald started reading this letter in a sing-song 
 voice which changed to one with some expression 
 before he had finished. Mechanically, and because 
 in any emergency he would naturally spar for time, 
 without making any comment he picked up the en 
 closures and read them aloud. 
 
 "Sacramento, Cal. 
 "To Dr. R. N. Hollington, 
 
 Rosario, Cal. 
 "Dear Sir: 
 
 "I have been requested to write to you for information 
 regarding the dropping from the Rosario school of the Jap 
 anese boys, Hogo, Watsa and Nanga. We are anxious to 
 ascertain what formalities were observed, as well as the 
 reasons which prompted this action. 
 "Thanking you for any information, 
 Very sincerely, 
 
 H. J. Williams, 
 
 Sec y C. S. B. E. 
 (191)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 "Rosario, Cal. 
 "H. J. Williams, Esq., 
 
 Sec y California State Board of Education, 
 
 Sacramento, Cal. 
 "Dear Sir: 
 
 "Replying to yours of recent date, I can only say that I 
 have very little personal knowledge on the points you men 
 tion. It is commonly known that the action you refer to 
 was taken because the parents of the girls in the school were 
 unwilling to have their daughters associate with the Jap 
 anese. The trustees, I know, were sorry for the boys them 
 selves, and what they did was purely for the best interests of 
 the school and a register of popular will. As far as I am 
 aware there were no formalities beyond informing the Jap 
 anese that they were no longer to come." 
 Yours truly, 
 
 Robert N. Hollington, M. D." 
 
 The three trustees looked at each other in some 
 concern. Sanford, the junior member who had 
 taken Warner s place, was the first to speak. 
 
 "I wonder why Hollington wanted to stir up this 
 matter?" 
 
 Scott, careful as ever, would not jump at conclu 
 sions. 
 
 "All he did was to write a truthful reply to a 
 letter. Let us think this thing over a little." 
 
 "If you had two girls in that school you wouldn t 
 be so cool about it," said Henry Tower. "Every 
 body knows that the doctor has been a friend of 
 those Japanese. I believe he put them up to this." 
 
 "It s more likely," said Scott, "that the boys have 
 talked to their consul. Then the matter would go 
 to Washington, for they ve a habit of starting at the 
 top and pressing down. I wouldn t be surprised if 
 someone were squeezing the state board twice as 
 hard as it s squeezing us." 
 
 "All the same," said Sanford, "there s no reason 
 (192)
 
 THE JAPANESE PUPILS RETURN 
 
 why the doctor should have written that letter. If 
 he had answered at all, which he didn t have to do, 
 he could have said that he knew nothing beyond 
 talk that he had heard." 
 
 "I would like to ask him " began Donald. 
 
 "I can tell you just what he would say," snapped 
 Tower. "He would put on his holier than thou 
 expression, and ask why we object to what he wrote, 
 since it s true. He would practically throw it back 
 to us that we were afraid of having the truth told." 
 
 "He wouldn t be so blunt as that," Sanford has 
 the appearance of trying to be fair. "But it s true 
 that he doesn t recognize the borderland of expe 
 diency that lies between right and wrong." 
 
 "Long words never settled anything. Let s de 
 cide what we are going to do about this school 
 money. We must either have it or else close the 
 school. We might as well face the fact that the 
 only way to keep open is to reinstate those Japs." 
 
 "We might do that and then expel them regu 
 larly," said Sanford. 
 
 "Or we might give them a separate room and 
 a special corner of the playground," was Tower s 
 idea. 
 
 "Yes, or try a half dozen other things, as was 
 done in San Francisco. The trouble is that nothing 
 that discriminates in the least will satisfy the Japa 
 nese ambassador. He doesn t care whether we 
 close the school or not, nor how we run it. He is 
 not interested in getting an education for those boys. 
 His theory, as I see it, is that any discrimination, 
 
 (193)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 no matter how trivial, would be an entering wedge 
 for all the race hatred in the state, so he stands 
 firmly on his record that he will not tolerate any 
 thing. He has to stop somewhere; the safest and 
 easiest place to stop is at the beginning. It is all 
 simple if you have a powerful central government, 
 like the one in Washington, which is so afraid, or 
 so indifferent, or both, that it will practically take 
 orders from a foreign power." 
 
 "You are not fair to Washington," Tower, a 
 staunch supporter of the party in power, never over 
 looked an opportunity to justify its every act. He 
 was cut short by Sanford, with a curt request to 
 keep politics out of the meeting. 
 
 Donald continued his remarks. "The schools in 
 San Francisco tried everything possible without 
 making any headway. They went farther than we 
 could go, offering special schools and teachers. But 
 the Japanese government said no, its ambassador 
 said no, our federal government echoed no, so did 
 the state government and its board of education. 
 Now that the same process is being tried on us we 
 are going to do as San Francisco did, take a long 
 breath, shut our eyes, and swallow the dose." 
 
 "Is there no way we can save our faces?" asked 
 Sanford. 
 
 "There is nothing to do, except to rescind our 
 action on " 
 
 "I will not consent. My girls are not going 
 where they will have to associate with grown men, 
 above all with men like these yellow Asiatics." 
 
 (194)
 
 THE JAPANESE PUPILS RETURN 
 
 "What would you do? The alternative is to close 
 the school." 
 
 "Then close it. Let the people of this state learn 
 that Rosarians will not allow their women to be 
 contaminated. Let them see us, with our schools 
 empty and our children missing their education, sac 
 rificing ourselves to our principles, and there would 
 be pressure enough brought on that board of edu 
 cation to get us our money." 
 
 "But it doesn t matter what the board wants to 
 do if Donald s ideas are correct, which I believe to 
 be the case. Somewhere at a desk in Washington 
 a Japanese attache and a third or fourth assistant 
 secretary of state would be seated. The former 
 with his thumb on the list would be saying: Here 
 is number seventeen, about the Rosario matter. 
 The American would run down his paper and an 
 swer: The school has been closed indefinitely. 
 Closed to all? the attache would ask. That is 
 perfectly satisfactory. Now case eighteen and 
 that is all the excitement you would create by trying 
 to be a martyr." 
 
 "Be reasonable, Henry. If you don t want your 
 girls to go to this school keep them away. You 
 don t have to close the school to do that; depriving 
 all of the boys and most of the girls of this valley 
 of an education isn t going to help your children at 
 all. We re here as trustees " Donald stopped 
 abruptly, uneasy at the change in Tower s expres 
 sion. 
 
 "Donald," said Tower, "I know what you and 
 (195)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 Sanford are about to do, but I ll not be a party to 
 it. I m fair enough to recognize that there s no 
 choice but to go on, so I ll not sit here to vote 
 against you." He rose reluctantly to his feet. "I ve 
 been a trustee longer than either of you, ever since 
 my girls went to kindergarten, and during those ten 
 years I ve always voted according to my conscience. 
 To-day, either way I vote will be against it, and so" 
 he looked at his fellow trustees an instant, his hands 
 trembled a little as he reached for his hat, then he 
 resolutely put it on and finished in a firm, even voice, 
 "I resign." 
 
 Henry Tower seemed years older as he walked 
 down the school steps and crossed the empty 
 grounds. The sun was hot, the air unpleasantly 
 dry, the wind blew an irritating dust into his nos 
 trils. Eden Valley was desolate, the orchards were 
 but stumps, its people were engaged in hopeless 
 contest with conditions. His party in Washington 
 had surely erred in this case ; Hollington was to 
 blame; Edith and Virginia must be educated, yet 
 they could not be sent to the Rosario school. He 
 himself had nothing to show for his last fifteen 
 years of gruelling work; of a truth Henry Tower 
 had the blues. 
 
 His house was a five room frame cottage, close 
 and stuffy and dark, saturated with the odor of cook 
 ing just now, for Mrs. Tower, preparing supper, 
 could not close the kitchen door. She was surprised 
 and somewhat worried that he should come into the 
 
 (196)
 
 THE JAPANESE PUPILS RETURN 
 
 house before the meal time, to sit in idleness wait 
 ing for her. She was too busy to more than per 
 functorily ask if he were sick, but she was relieved 
 later to see him eat a substantial meal. After it 
 was finished she told the girls to do the dishes, and 
 taking a seat close to him drew from him the story 
 of his troubles. 
 
 He tried to be truthful in the matter, and prob 
 ably would have been so but for his abnormal frame 
 of mind. He did not intentionally exaggerate Hol- 
 lington s part in the affair, and yet, because he was 
 bitter he said more than he meant. He was care 
 less and unfortunate, too, in his choice of words; 
 so on the whole he produced in Mrs. Tower s mind 
 an impression at variance with the facts. When 
 he tried to retrieve himself, she could see that under 
 the spell of the fascinating doctor he was taking 
 the other s part, and so the effort had an effect quite 
 the opposite of what was intended. 
 
 The husband was the first to weary of the talk. 
 "After all," he said, "it s not so much a question 
 of who s to blame as it is of what we re going to 
 do. There ll be five of those Japs in school by 
 Monday; I expect to see as many more in time. It 
 makes me sick to think of sending Edith and Vir 
 ginia there." 
 
 "You can t do so, you shall not!" 
 "They have to have their schooling, mother." 
 "Boarding school for them would cost us a thou 
 sand dollars a year." 
 
 (197)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 "I wish we could, but " 
 
 "Yes, I know, Henry, what can we do?" 
 
 "Sell out and move away is the only thing I can 
 see." 
 
 "Who would buy? Where could we go? What 
 could we do?" 
 
 "Well?" 
 
 "I don t want to leave Rosario. Every spot in 
 this valley has memories; some of them are pleas 
 ant; they recall the years we have spent here to 
 gether, and those have been happy years. Some 
 are just part of our lives, yours and mine, and those 
 of our friends that are gone as well as those that 
 remain; some are sacred, those two graves on the 
 hillside. I simply cannot go away." 
 
 "Nor can I, but there s no alternative." 
 
 "What can you do for a living?" 
 
 "I used to be a pretty good carpenter." 
 
 "But it s fifteen years since you worked at your 
 trade." 
 
 "I built an extra room for you last spring. I 
 remember how pleased I was to find I had forgotten 
 so little." 
 
 "But you must have become slower, from being 
 out of practice so long. Besides, even if you ve not 
 forgotten, you ve not kept up with what the other 
 carpenters have learned since we came here." 
 
 "Even if I ve to begin as helper, and be a second 
 rate man, I ll make a living for you in some way." 
 
 "Who would buy this place now?" 
 (198)
 
 THE JAPANESE PUPILS RETURN 
 
 "Hanba. He has a small standing offer for each 
 farm in the valley. He probably has it figured out 
 that every once in a while some of us will become 
 so discouraged as to cash in for a fifth of what we 
 should receive. So long as no one else will buy 
 he is sure to pick up places by such means as fast 
 as he wants them, and at a low cost. It s a winning 
 game for him, as our case shows. If we couldn t 
 sell at all we would have to stick it out. As it is he 
 has put us in such a hole that we have to go away, 
 and just about give him our place when we do." 
 
 After Tower had left the meeting, Scott and San- 
 ford, hurrying through the routine necessary to re 
 instate the Japanese, adjourned as soon as they had 
 written the state board that its demands had been 
 met. Donald went directly home to tell Dorothy 
 Tibbetts about the action that had been taken. He 
 found Bessie with her, the housewife sewing while 
 the teacher checked countless attempts at long divi 
 sion. With an unpleasant task to perform, which 
 he was determined to put behind him as soon as 
 possible, Donald plunged at once into the subject. 
 He, too, told of Hollington s letter, but he treated 
 of it lightly, besides which the minds of both of his 
 hearers were centered upon the effects that the re 
 turn of the Japanese was to have upon the school. 
 
 Dorothy accepted the change with a coolness that 
 was surprising. "If they are coming I shall have 
 to teach them," she said. "There can be no blame 
 attached to any of us. And they are such good 
 students." 
 
 (199)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 "You are a brave girl to take it that way," said 
 Bessie. "Donald, you must see to it that she is 
 protected, that people do not make a scapegoat of 
 her." 
 
 "How many do you think there will be?" asked 
 Dorothy. 
 
 "Anywhere from six to ten, and more if things 
 in this valley go on as they have been going." 
 
 "What shall I do with them, treat them as I did 
 before?" 
 
 "There must be ways by which we can help you 
 avoid some of the troubles," said Mrs. Scott. 
 
 "Inside the school building we cannot help her, 
 for the state board will allow no discrimination. 
 Her judgment is better than ours when it comes to 
 teaching." 
 
 "She might seat them so that they are as far as 
 possible from the girls, and then have all the boys 
 remain in a room until all the girls have left." 
 
 "Do you think it necessary?" asked Dorothy. 
 
 "I believe it would make a good impression on 
 the mothers." 
 
 "Then divide the playground," said Donald. 
 "One part for the girls and the boys up to fifteen, 
 the other for boys of sixteen or older. Do not ever 
 allow any of them to cross into each other s space, 
 and you will have avoided another pitfall." 
 
 "And on the way to and from school?" asked 
 Dorothy. 
 
 "Make it a rule that no boy is ever to walk with 
 any girl if her mother objects, and then assume that 
 
 (200)
 
 THE JAPANESE PUPILS RETURN 
 
 every mother objects to a Japanese escort. Will 
 you do all this, Dorothy?" 
 
 "I hate to be rude to those boys, for I always 
 feel so sorry for them. But if you think it best, 
 Mr. Scott, I will do as you have said." 
 
 (201)
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 THE DANCE IN SAN CLEMENTE 
 
 IV/TRS. PEMBERTON was in her glory, for this 
 -*--- night all San Clemente did her homage. The 
 banquet hall had been re-decorated to her taste, 
 special dishes prepared at her directions, wines 
 brought from her New York cellars. In her honor 
 the fleet admiral had detailed the bands of two 
 flagships; in every way preparations were lavish and 
 complete. 
 
 At eight o clock the Pembertons took their place 
 in the reception hall. In the background were pot 
 ted palms; beside their hosts, on their first trip to 
 the coast, stood the Boston Dudleys, the guests of 
 honor. 
 
 By twos and threes the guests arrived, filling the 
 room with the elect of half a dozen cities. Hardly 
 a gown that had not been especially imported for 
 the occasion, hardly a family jewel that was not 
 on display. The tinsel of uniforms glittered among 
 masterpieces of the hairdressers art; men and 
 women alike showed the studied effects of being 
 groomed with extreme care. Some there were who 
 had traveled from afar to be present, and more 
 than one saw in the affair the culmination of years 
 of work and scheming. 
 
 The stream was continuous for fifty or sixty ar 
 rivals, until one more guest only was expected. The 
 
 (202)
 
 THE DANCE IN SAN CLEMENTE 
 
 receiving line was about to break, when Robert Hol- 
 lington entered. 
 
 "I hope I m not late, Mrs. Pemberton. I was 
 unfortunately delayed." 
 
 "I forgive you, Robert, but I never would have 
 done so if you had failed me. You remember my 
 husband, of course. I want you to met Mr. and 
 Mrs. Dudley of Boston; you have often heard me 
 speak of Dr. Hollington. I have only a moment 
 now, Robert, but tell me about yourself, what are 
 you doing?" 
 
 "Practicing medicine in the country?" 
 
 "It wasn t a bit nice of you to desert us the way 
 you did. I always could dance better with you than 
 anyone else. I want you to be especially attentive 
 to me tonight, and I ll reward you in advance by 
 giving you for a dinner partner the belle of San 
 Clemente. Come with me. She is standing by Mrs. 
 Charleton behind that fat General Harris." 
 
 He followed her through knots of people, until 
 she stopped before one of the most attractive mid 
 dle-aged woman Robert had ever seen. 
 
 "I want to introduce Dr. Hollington, Mrs. 
 Charleton, and your dinner partner, Miss Coulters." 
 
 It came about so suddenly, so without warning, 
 that poor Frances, untrained to meet exigencies of 
 this nature, was at a loss to know how to conduct 
 herself. 
 
 "Miss Coulters and I are old friends." Robert 
 saved her by playing his part without a perceptible 
 check. "I had heard that you were in San Diego," 
 
 (203)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 he continued, "but it is certainly an unexpected pleas 
 ure to meet you here." 
 
 "Are you going to be down long?" Frances was 
 taking the cue. Both she and Robert were relieved 
 that Mrs. Charleton saw no reason for remaining 
 and moved away when her escort came to claim her 
 attention. 
 
 "I have to rush home the first thing in the morn 
 ing. I would not have left for anyone but Mrs. 
 Pemberton, but I owe her such a debt of obligation 
 that I could not refuse. The situation is unfortu 
 nate. If I had had a suspicion that you would have 
 been made uncomfortable, I would assuredly not 
 have come. For the sake of the others, you under 
 stand, we simply have to carry out the evening. I 
 will make it as easy for you as I can. Tell me about 
 Mrs. Charleton, it seems to me I ve heard of her. 
 She is from Chicago, is she not?" 
 
 "Yes, she s Mr. Winfield s sister." 
 
 "Of course, I remember now having heard him 
 speak of her. I see that the people are going into 
 the other room, we had better find our places at the 
 table." 
 
 Cutshaw was to sit beside Frances. She intro 
 duced Robert to him and also to Mrs. Porter. Miss 
 Grenville and Winslow were on Robert s left, he 
 had known both of them before. Beyond these 
 immediate neighbors it was hopeless to give much 
 attention to others. A temporary respite came while 
 everyone was standing by his chair, but when the 
 confusion attending the seating of so large an assem- 
 
 (204)
 
 THE DANCE IN SAN CLEMENTE 
 
 blage had been abated, Robert felt that he must 
 continue to talk to Frances. 
 
 "We were speaking of Mrs. Charleton. Are you 
 staying with her?" 
 
 "Yes. She invited me to visit her for three 
 weeks." 
 
 "Is she as lovely as she looks?" Robert had said 
 they must go on, but he was losing confidence in 
 himself. Could he not force some other thought 
 into his mind than bits of gossip he had overheard 
 coupling her name with Winfield s? 
 
 "She s a perfect dear. I didn t know that anyone 
 could be so charming." 
 
 The first course over, strains of music came from 
 the adjoining room. All the younger and some of 
 the older people were rising. 
 
 "They are playing Twilight in the Rose Garden," 
 murmured Frances. It was a piece once dear to 
 the hearts of both, the old favorite that carried 
 memories of happy Rosario days. 
 
 "Shall we dance?" Robert was surprised at the 
 change in his feelings. Was it the music, or was 
 he imagining, in spite of himself, that some mean 
 ing lay behind the tone of her last remark? 
 
 Never had these two had such a dance. The 
 thoughts Robert could not put in words he tried to 
 tell through the medium of the song. With her once 
 more in his arms, with every movement of her lithe 
 body responding to his will, care and trouble and 
 sorrow dropped away. She was his; he was holding 
 her now against all the world. His every step and 
 
 (205)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 movement must make her understand that he was 
 her protector. Her answer was to nestle against 
 him, to forget past and future. Not because of the 
 practice she had been having, not because of the 
 difference between this music and a country band, 
 but because she was a woman and he had won her, 
 did they dance into utter forgetfulness of any exist 
 ence outside of themselves. 
 
 Little did they know that they had become con 
 spicuous, that some telepathy was crowding the 
 doorway, was lining the walls, with couples drop 
 ping out to watch. The leader of the orchestra was 
 one of the first to sense the unusual. He outdid 
 himself to force from the instruments the rhythm 
 and inflection that would support them as he wanted. 
 He played one repeat after another, as long as he 
 dared, before he ended the scene in a series of reso 
 nant chords. 
 
 Of all the comments that were made, perhaps 
 the one most worthy of mention came from the 
 count de Montigny with a series of Gallic shrugs : 
 
 "Mais zese is a wonderful people. All ze aris 
 tocracy is here, yet ze farmer s daughter and ze 
 country doctor, zey outshine zem all. Everywhere 
 haf I been to balls, nevaire hafe I seen such danc 
 ing, such temperament. Zey haf ze soul of great 
 artistes, ze farmer s daughter and ze country doc 
 tor. I am glad I came to ze America." 
 
 Frances and Robert, back from the clouds, were 
 astounded to find themselves surrounded by admir- 
 
 (206)
 
 THE DANCE IN SAN CLEMENTE 
 
 ers who insisted on congratulating them. Mrs. Pem- 
 berton broke through : 
 
 "You must give an encore, with the floor all to 
 yourselves. I never dreamed that either of you, 
 that anyone, could dance like that." 
 
 They were deaf to all appeals. Both knew that 
 the waltz had been a supreme effort which could 
 not again be approximated. 
 
 At the table once more it became of greater im 
 portance than ever to keep up appearances. 
 
 "You were telling me of Mrs. Charleton." 
 
 "Yes. She has just asked me to live with her 
 permanently." 
 
 The bottom dropped out Robert made no fur 
 ther effort, his limit had been reached. When the 
 music started again he danced perfunctorily with 
 Miss Grenville, and afterward with Mrs. Porter. 
 He chatted with the others seated near him, and 
 left his place a number of times to speak to old 
 friends. But he knew he was only procrastinating. 
 Even when he began to fear that the silence between 
 himself and Frances might be noticed, he knew he 
 could not do his part. 
 
 "Tell me about the people here." He was clearly 
 shirking. "I know only a few." 
 
 "I m beginning to distinguish types." Frances 
 was willing to tell him of her impressions, for she 
 knew she wouldn t be misjudged. "At the top of 
 the list is the married flirt. She has a new beau 
 every few months, desperately plays at love with 
 him until she drops him for another. Can you un- 
 
 (207)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 derstand what any of them get out of it? Then 
 there is the discontented woman. She is usually 
 about forty, too young to be reconciled to her years, 
 and too old to receive the attention that she once 
 commanded. She usually tries to force popularity 
 by excessive entertaining. There is the restless 
 woman. Her mind is often on other things than 
 men, but she has to be doing something every min 
 ute, as though afraid to be alone with her thoughts. 
 There is the complacent woman. Her children are 
 the smartest in the world, her household the most 
 perfectly managed, her conversation and interests 
 limited to those two subjects. There is the self- 
 centered woman. Every discussion that is started, 
 no matter how foreign, she brings back to her hus 
 band, herself or her clothes. There is " 
 
 She was interrupted here by Winslow claiming 
 a one-step. Robert went to do his duty toward Mrs. 
 Pemberton. The meal was finished now, so the 
 dancers were not returning to their seats, and 
 Robert could find no further excuse for forcing his 
 attentions on Frances. Even the ordinary obliga 
 tion to ask her to go on the floor again was relieved 
 by the sensation of their first appearance. 
 
 From that point the evening dragged intermina 
 bly. A duty lay before him, that of helping others 
 to enjoy themselves. It was not a pleasure, it was 
 hard work, work which he performed faithfully 
 until the break of day. Hour after hour he hewed 
 to the line, dancing, talking or laughing, but ever 
 watching Frances, the belle of the evening, usually 
 
 (208)
 
 THE DANCE IN SAN CLEMENTE 
 
 surrounded by men clamoring for recognition. And 
 the hardest struggle of all came at the end, when 
 he started home without even a word of farewell 
 from her. 
 
 Breakfast that day was late in Mrs. Charleton s 
 room. The eggs, the bacon, the toast, the coffee, 
 were disposed of in silence, broken only by scat 
 tered remarks. Not until the trays were put aside 
 did they speak of the matter that weighed on their 
 minds. 
 
 "I asked you yesterday how you would like to 
 live with me permanently?" 
 
 "And you promised to tell me all about it in the 
 morning." 
 
 "I have enjoyed so much having you with me that 
 I want you to stay." 
 
 "You mean to work for you?" 
 
 "Not at all, you ll be even more a daughter to 
 me than you have been, and I shall insist that my 
 friends so recognize you." 
 
 "I could imagine nothing more lovely than hav 
 ing you for a mother." 
 
 "We would spend part of our time living as we 
 have lived here, part of it not very differently in 
 Chicago. Travel would account for most of the 
 rest." 
 
 "You are wonderfully kind to offer that to me " 
 
 "I am not kind at all, it s unadulterated selfish 
 ness. I have been contented the past fortnight. I 
 have drawn a fund of pleasure out of this monoto 
 nous existence because I d an object, that of pleas- 
 
 (209)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 ing you, and because you satisfied my mother love." 
 
 "You surely know hundreds of girls much better 
 qualified than I." 
 
 "Not one, Frances, not one who would do at all. 
 I know, for this idea is not new. You are unspoiled, 
 unselfish, and enthusiastic, and not the least bit 
 cynical. Do you think that any girl could be brought 
 among these people and retain those qualities?" 
 
 "But think of their education, training and expe 
 rience, the advantages they have had." 
 
 "I know that the world values those things very 
 highly, and so do I. But after all character is the 
 first consideration. Anyway, I m not in search of 
 abstract qualities. I want the person who pleases 
 me. As long as you do that, let s not delve too 
 deeply into the why." 
 
 "Do you really want me to live with you?" 
 
 "I do, more than you would imagine. I m getting 
 but little pleasure out of life; mine is too empty. If 
 I had ever stopped to analyze motives I suppose I 
 would have to admit that I had this idea in mind 
 when I first asked you to come. I may have had it 
 in mind every time I have had girls visiting me. I 
 will make you happy. I will develop you 
 
 "There is no question of that." 
 
 "You will travel, you will study, you will associate 
 with the best people and come in contact with the 
 cleverest. You will have clothes and spending 
 money " 
 
 "I can picture a charming existence. What am I 
 to do in return, what can I do?" 
 
 (210)
 
 THE DANCE IN SAN CLEMENTE 
 
 "Do? Just what you ve been doing. Be my 
 daughter." 
 
 "But I ve a mother in Rosario, and a father and 
 a sister." 
 
 "Please do not begin with objections. It s time 
 you were dressing for the plunge. Go down there, 
 do the things you have been doing; picture it to your 
 self, not as something in which you have been dab 
 bling, but as your life. Then take time to weigh the 
 matter." 
 
 "Poor Edward," said Mrs. Charleton to herself, 
 when the girl was gone, "and poor me. I know 
 she s not for him, and as for me, I m afraid. It is 
 tragic that the one girl I want is the only one I ve 
 ever met who would hesitate at such an opportunity." 
 
 In the water once more, with the same people. 
 But Frances was thinking now. Gone was the reso 
 lution of the pier, gone too her acceptance of condi 
 tions. She fell to studying people, especially her 
 own sex. She compared herself with the girls, she 
 compared her mother with the women. With the 
 cold reasoning power that was her heritage from her 
 father she arrived at the fundamental truth that as 
 this was a life of pleasure it could be justified only 
 if it brought happiness. 
 
 That it did so to the debutantes, even to the 
 younger married set, was obvious. But hardly a 
 woman past thirty-five but was discontented. Would 
 she herself, starting so much later and so much 
 fresher, last longer? Could she find some substan 
 tial basis on which she could progress from this stag- 
 
 (211)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 nation? There was still another alternative. She 
 could join Mrs. Charleton, she could draw all that 
 society could give, then, when satiated, could aban 
 don it all. It was a dangerous game to play. She 
 knew, in a vague way, something of the grip with 
 which a drug could take hold of one. She recognized 
 the parallel, for already she was coming under the 
 spell of being on the inside, of regarding one s self 
 and of being regarded as better than the rest of 
 the world, of being sought after and entertained, 
 and of being envied by outsiders. 
 
 It is often said that women cannot reason. This 
 old slander might contain some truth if it were amp 
 lified to contain the idea that she can reason and 
 does, but after having done so, disregards premises 
 and postulates to follow her own will. Nothing 
 could have been more feminine than for Frances to 
 spend days studying the subject, weighing all sides 
 as her father would have done, and yet be unwilling 
 to abide by the result. 
 
 She gave her decision a few days before the visit 
 was to expire. She thanked Mrs. Charleton, she 
 even cried a bit, and so did the elder woman. Fran 
 ces tried to give reasons for returning to Rosario, 
 but she couldn t make them sound convincing, even 
 to herself, for reason was all on the other side. 
 
 "I ll not attempt to argue the matter," Mrs. 
 Charleton had not spoken until Frances was talked 
 out. "You ve made up your mind. If I remind you 
 that the offer will always be open I do so without 
 
 (212)
 
 THE DANCE IN SAN CLEMENTE 
 
 hope. I ve learned to know you. By the way, you ve 
 heard that Winslow is going east Saturday?" 
 
 "Yes," Frances showed her surprise at the ques 
 tion. 
 
 "Did you know that he started to make his ar 
 rangements the morning after the Pemberton s 
 ball?" 
 
 "I understood that he had decided only yester 
 day. What do you ask?" 
 
 "Did you consider, in balancing the pros and 
 cons, that if you came to me you would undoubtedly 
 marry into this set, one of these days?" 
 
 "I d not thought about it particularly." 
 
 "But you know that it s so?" 
 
 "I m utterly lost, Mrs. Charleton. What are you 
 trying to tell me?" 
 
 Frances looked into a tired face, felt two tremb 
 ling hands take hers, caught a pathetic tremor in 
 the sweet voice that answered: 
 
 "Winslow and I alone of all that room inter 
 preted Twilight in the Rose Garden." 
 
 (213)
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 HOLLINGTON GOES FlSHING 
 
 ITROGEN is one of the most tantalizing of the 
 elements. As a free gas it comprises the great 
 est part of the earth s atmosphere. In chemical 
 combination it is most commonly found in nitric acid 
 and the host of derivative nitrate salts, in ammonia 
 and in the cyanides. Native nitrogen is so inert that 
 it has practically no function except to dilute the 
 oxygen of the air. Joined into a molecule, however, 
 whether with oxygen, hydrogen, or carbon, it be 
 comes the plaything of the manufacturing and scien 
 tific world, for in every ordinary form it is soluble, 
 stable, and easily transformed. 
 
 Once it has been harnessed nitrogen becomes im 
 mensely valuable to man, being demanded by him 
 in vast quantities. Yet, with the supply everywhere 
 inexhaustible, it is almost impossible to force the 
 inert gas, the nitrogen that we breathe, to affiliate 
 with any other element to first form a molecule. 
 There are two remarkably complicated and widely 
 variant ways by which this may be done. Electricity, 
 with an expenditure of power out of all proportion 
 to the results, produces a molecule based on the ni 
 trogen atom, as shown by the traces of ammonia in 
 the air after a lightning storm. There are factories 
 in operation to reproduce these phenomena com 
 mercially. 
 
 (214)
 
 HOLLINGTON GOES FISHING 
 
 The nodules that grow upon the roots of legumes 
 have a faculty of absorbing the free nitrogen of the 
 air, transforming it within themselves, and secreting 
 it into the soil in the form of a highly complicated 
 molecule. The nodules appear to the eye as white 
 pulpy masses, the size and shape of bird shot, cling 
 ing in clusters of hundreds to the roots of peas, of 
 vetch, of beans, of clover and its allied group. The 
 secretion thrown off is of inestimable value in en 
 riching the soil, for of the three basic fertilizers ni 
 trogen is more necessary, more available, and far 
 more easily exhausted than either potassium or 
 phosphorus. 
 
 The farmer plants one of these legumes, the seeds 
 carefully inoculated unless the soil happens to be suf 
 ficiently pregnant with the bacteria. The cover crop, 
 as it is termed, is allowed to mature in the orchards. 
 When it is about to die, and when the end of the 
 rainy season makes the conservation of moisture of 
 supreme importance, this cover crop is plowed into 
 the earth. It is not cut to be carted away, for even 
 in death its value is conserved; its leaves and stalks, 
 rotting underground, add immensely to the rich 
 ness of the soil as they become converted into humus. 
 
 So it was that Clem Harding, having planted 
 vetch in his grove, had watched with great interest 
 the drying of his soil in order not to miss the proper 
 moment to do his plowing. A day arrived when the 
 conditions suited him. He was out at dawn behind 
 his team of greys, holding the handles of the walk 
 ing plow that was taking a strip of soil a foot wide, 
 
 (215)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 and nearly as deep, and literally turning it upside 
 down. He grudged the horses their noon hour rest, 
 as seated in the shade of his cottage he surveyed his 
 morning s work, an acre and a half of black velvet 
 glistening in the sun. 
 
 He had little more than started the afternoon 
 grind when there came drifting across the fields the 
 cheery voice of Hollmgton, calling from the seat of 
 a little roadster. Clem, always glad of an oppor 
 tunity to talk to Robert, fastened the lines to the 
 plow handle and came to the road. 
 
 "Put your team in the barn, Clem. I feel like a 
 naughty child playing hookey, for I ve all the rest of 
 the day to myself. We re going to climb San Mar 
 cos and catch some fish besides, so you had best tell 
 Peter to water your stock to-night. We may not be 
 home before morning." 
 
 "With that ground turning over like snow? Look 
 at that furrow, Doctor. Did you ever see anything 
 prettier? Never mind, wait here while I get my 
 rod." Clem looked in the box on the back of the 
 car. "You have everything we need, water, food 
 and blankets. You are becoming a first-class camp 
 ing partner. Are you going to take your revolver? 
 Then mine stays home." 
 
 While Harding was making his preparations 
 there came from around the bend a rangy brown 
 horse drawing an old farm buggy. Fulton Graham, 
 as he passed, spoke to the doctor, but with an inde 
 finable expression in the greeting that swept away 
 every vestige of Robert s boyish humor. Clem re- 
 
 (216)
 
 HOLLINGTON GOES FISHING 
 
 turned in time to recognize the back of the disap 
 pearing vehicle, and his sharp eyes took in every 
 detail of the scene. 
 
 Fully aware that he had been detected, Robert 
 was glad to unburden himself. "There s something 
 I don t understand," he said. "This is the fourth 
 experience of the kind I ve had this morning. Do 
 people believe I ve committed murder?" 
 
 "Worse n that." 
 
 "Worse than that? What do you know about it?" 
 
 "I heard some talk down at the village last 
 night" 
 
 "Come, man, out with it." Robert was too im 
 patient for the slow drawl. 
 
 "It s all about a letter you wrote to the state 
 board of education." 
 
 "Is that all?" 
 
 "It seems that it s enough." 
 
 "Go on, Clem, please tell me." 
 
 "Well, some people seem to think that it s your 
 fault that the Japanese boys are back in the school." 
 
 "How can they possibly blame me?" 
 
 "No one explains exactly how. Everyone knows 
 you were mixed up in it, and a good many of them 
 believe " 
 
 "Clem, all in the world I did was to write a po 
 lite letter." 
 
 "Yes, I made Donald show me that letter." 
 
 "Do you think I did anything that was foolish 
 or wrong?" 
 
 "In a way, yes. You might put your fingers into 
 (217)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 a barrel of grease, fool around in it, and still keep 
 clean. But if a crowd of people saw you doing it, 
 and couldn t see your hands, you know a lot of em 
 are going to be sure you had grease all over your 
 self, and a few will insist that, regardless of your 
 coat sleeves, you went in up to the elbows." 
 
 Thus the day s sport had not a very auspicious 
 start. But as the little car chugged up the moun 
 tain road that wound and twisted and climbed, the 
 change of scenery brought success to Robert s de 
 termination that his outing should not be spoiled. 
 Just as, at times, he could leave Frances in San 
 Clemente, so now he left the latest of his troubles 
 down on the flat, while he drove his car up as far 
 as he could before taking to the trails afoot. 
 
 A little off the road, under an old oak tree, was 
 his stopping place. Seven thousand feet above him, 
 still with its crown of snow, towered San Marcos. 
 Flanked on all sides with steep, knifelike ridges, 
 the mountain s summit was miles away, past chap- 
 paral hills and sage mesas, beyond the oak country 
 and topping the pines, enthroned in the solitary 
 grandeur of the vast barrens. 
 
 It was on the lower levels that the trout streams 
 lay. Fed by the springs and the melting snow, their 
 career started underground, and since they ran into 
 the subterranean rivers of the valleys, only in times 
 of freshet did they remain above the surface until 
 they reached the sea. "Starting nowhere and not 
 going anywhere," Clem was wont to say, they fur 
 nished the sportiest fishing and the hardest .work 
 
 (218)
 
 HOLLINGTON GOES FISHING 
 
 that a trout hunter could desire. Up slopes that in 
 themselves would be a feat to climb, this hardy pair 
 would go in search of pools. Sometimes they were 
 fortunate enough to find an old cattle trail, but 
 more often they had to force their way through the 
 tangled brush. Their objective was almost always 
 guarded, usually by a tangled mass of chapparal, 
 manzanita, and scrub oak. Unlike the sage or the 
 cactus fields on the edge of the mountains, which 
 could either be crossed or passed by, here there was 
 nothing to do but plunge through, with reckless dis 
 regard of hands, faces, and clothes. Only occa 
 sionally were they compelled to give up the attempt, 
 for both were hardened to the work, but always 
 was there the double uncertainty of no still water 
 where they expected to find it, or no fish obliging 
 enough to take the bait. 
 
 When, for any reason, one pool no longer satis 
 fied, they would scan the walls on either side, study 
 ing the place where they wished next to strike the 
 bottom, and the best route to follow to that point. 
 The stream bed was never passable for any distance, 
 so up one of those perpendicular canon sides they 
 would go, sweating under the merciless sun, panting 
 and bleeding, yet fighting their way up step by step. 
 It was exhilarating sport, splendid for mind and 
 body; any catch under such conditions was fairly 
 earned. 
 
 They spoke seldom, even when taking a breath 
 ing spell. But under the shade of the willows, after 
 
 (219)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 two hours of strenuous work, they did indulge in 
 the luxury of tobacco and fifteen minutes rest. 
 
 "About that Rosario school " 
 
 "Don t you dare mention Rosario to me to-day." 
 
 "All right; but I was just thinking. This country 
 is one of the great powers. Mexico is nothing, and 
 Japan is between the two. Why is it that we allow 
 Japan to do more for her people in our country 
 than we do for our own people in Mexico, or any 
 where else?" 
 
 "It is inconsistent," Robert admitted. 
 
 "So much so that it makes me think of Ike Tol- 
 liver and the Swede. They lived together in the 
 Bitterroot country, and were the best of friends. 
 But they had a quarrel and the Swede had Ike 
 brought up before the justice of the peace, accused 
 of taking his saddle horse without asking and of 
 riding it until it was foundered. 
 
 " Jedge, this here Swede ain t got no horse, never 
 had one , said Ike. And I never teched his horse, 
 nohow. And he said special I might take it that 
 time. And there was nothing at all the matter with 
 that horse when I brought it back. And besides, 
 Jedge, it was foundered when I started. 
 
 That night the two fishermen slept on the fringe 
 of the pine forests, so far had they climbed. Worn 
 out they were, but with the healthy tiredness that 
 is quite different from exhaustion. They cleaned 
 their fish, they packed them safely, then turned to 
 making camp. First, there was the fire to be built. 
 Then enough wood must be gathered to keep it 
 
 (220)
 
 HOLLINGTON GOES FISHING 
 
 burning through the night, for they could not bur 
 den themselves each with more than a light blanket, 
 made into a small shoulder pack, with coffee, bacon, 
 bread, a coffee pot, two cups, and a frying pan. 
 Such luxuries as sugar and a small can of condensed 
 milk Clem had always ridiculed; pepper and salt 
 marked his limit. 
 
 Around the camp fire that night, with the work 
 all done, in a little world of their own where there 
 were no cares or worries, Clem, yielding to Hol- 
 lington s urging, unbosomed himself of several ideas 
 on the Japanese question. 
 
 "The whole trouble comes from their wanting 
 to be treated as white folks when nature made them 
 yellow. They say they are just as good as we, and 
 they are willing to fight to prove it. It is not a ques 
 tion at all of which is the better. We do not want 
 them as neighbors, and we do not want them to 
 marry our girls. We would feel the same way, no 
 matter if they were the best people on earth, which 
 they are not. They do not understand our idea at 
 all. But if any man or woman in all this country will 
 imagine himself having four or five Japanese as next 
 door neighbors, with one of them his son-in-law, he 
 would know why we Californians do not like them." 
 
 When both men lay in their blankets, taking a last 
 smoke before they closed their eyes, Clem again let 
 loose his tongue. 
 
 "Did you ever see a bear catching bugs by tear 
 ing open a rotten log? There is apt to be a jay or 
 two darting in as close as he can to snatch a louse 
 
 (221)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 or a beetle. These Japs do us just about as much 
 good as the jays do the bear. This would not be 
 the nation it is if we lived the way they live, and 
 yet, unless we do they will produce many things 
 cheaper than we can. And all the time they are 
 taking advantage of what our different standards 
 of living have made possible, for without our ma 
 chinery, our telephones, our railroads, our banks, 
 our water systems, our markets, they could not com 
 pete at all." 
 
 In the solitudes there is a difference between the 
 twilight of the evening and the early dawn. In 
 the first instance, nature is recumbent, leisurely be 
 ginning its nocturnal life. Perhaps it is waiting for 
 the air to cool, perhaps for the moon to rise, or 
 more often postponing action through laziness or 
 inertia. But in the morning there is always some 
 pleasure not yet exhausted, some task to be com 
 pleted. There is dew on the grass, there is energy 
 in the air, there is life and hurry and excitement. 
 
 So it seemed to Robert as at dawn he sat over 
 his coffee and bacon, watching Clem make up the 
 shoulder packs. Far below a little roadster was 
 awaiting him, still farther away was his morning 
 work, and the cares and sorrows that were begin 
 ning to fill his life. He was strong enough to take 
 his mind from the valley, to concentrate on the sur 
 rounding beauties of nature, to realize that it was 
 a southern California spring. He had slept in a 
 clump of pines which were an outpost of the great 
 forest above. At a little distance from him grew 
 
 (222)
 
 HOLLINGTON GOES FISHING 
 
 some wonderful Matilija poppies, large and white 
 and long of stem. Almost at his feet trickled a 
 mountain stream, half hidden in a tangled mass of 
 undergrowth. The banks seemed to be so thickly 
 covered with fern as to preclude other growth, yet 
 sunning themselves by the warm rocks or seeking 
 the dampest of shade was a galaxy of nature s 
 choice jewels. The maidenhair fern was there, the 
 wild strawberry, the cassiope in fringes among the 
 rough granite. The scarlet honeysuckle rose here 
 and there to throw itself, a graceful mantle, over 
 buckthorn and wild rose. Along one bank was 
 strewn a great bed of azaleas with wonderful pink 
 and white blossoms that were after all but a fore 
 cast. Early summer would turn the entire mass 
 into one great sheet of perfume and color. 
 
 Dr. Hollington was not a botanist, he was a lover 
 rather than a student of nature. He saw all about 
 him the small plant life in countless varieties, with 
 flowers of every color and shape. Many he could 
 identify, the greater part he could not, but he was 
 satisfied, for it was the charm of the aggregate 
 that fascinated him. He moved to a spot from 
 which he could look down the creek and see a hun 
 dred feet of water. The stream forced its way 
 among granite boulders, some sunlit, some dark, 
 still others carrying in the form of shadows the out 
 lines of overhanging boughs and leaves. The wil 
 lows, the alders, and the dogwood, with a few small 
 pine, closed the vista on either side, and overhead 
 as well. The banks were massed with the under- 
 
 (223)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 growth, covering or being covered by the accumu 
 lation of dead driftwood. The blue sky shone 
 through in tiny flakes, the sunlight now and then 
 touched a flower, a twig, or an old white stump. 
 At some little distance were the giants of the moun 
 tains, the cedar, the sugar pine, the redwood, and 
 below them the oak, all too strong and too proud 
 to struggle with the little folks for the possession 
 of the brookside. 
 
 Robert lingered on, past sun-up. The murmur of 
 the water was music to his ear, telling him that such 
 spots were infinite as to number, infinite as to time. 
 It was begging for more of his hours, it was entic 
 ing him from his work, it was showing him the 
 futility, the insignificance of his sacrifice. It whis 
 pered that nothing human, nothing finite, really 
 mattered. It tempted him to go back to Frances, 
 to tell her that he would surrender, that he would do 
 only what the ethics of his profession demanded, 
 that he and she would spend half their lives amidst 
 such scenes as this. 
 
 Never before had Robert had to fight himself 
 to do what he conceived to be right; never again did 
 he so far master himself as to be free from the lure 
 of the mountains. It was with an effort that he 
 shouldered his pack and started on the homeward 
 trail. The descent was precipitous but it was not 
 difficult to travel. There ran the entire distance a 
 half natural, half man-made path from which all 
 the brush was gone. Furthermore, the air was cool, 
 the fishermen were rested, and they both were well 
 used to this work. ( 224 )
 
 HOLLINGTON GOES FISHING 
 
 A few minutes walk from the camp there was 
 a tiny clearing, not more than fifty yards across. 
 Covering it for half its width lay a giant sugar pine, 
 long dead. Among its white branches were brake 
 and fever-red poison oak; the chilicote spotted its 
 huge antlers with tiny white blossoms, while amidst 
 the rotting debris of its fall baby oaks and pines 
 half hid themselves. One barkless branch still 
 reached toward the sky and furnished a foothold 
 for a mountain quail, a bird much larger than his 
 valley cousin, wearing a straight top-knot several 
 inches long, and retaining to the full the regal bear 
 ing of the breed. 
 
 When he flew away at the approach of the men 
 he was followed by his more quietly colored mate, 
 for this was the spring-time, when the birds are 
 paired. Scarcely was gone the sound of their feet 
 upon the pine needles when two robins left the red 
 berries of the manzanita. All nature was coupled, 
 the metallic green breast of a humming bird whiz 
 zing by showed he was but joining his mate among 
 the violet blossoms of the nightshade, and even the 
 chipmunk, scampering over the granite edge, was 
 not alone. 
 
 The trail crossed a barren, lifeless stretch that 
 had recently been burned, then entered dense deer 
 brush. Straight down the mountain-side ran the 
 path, dropping a thousand feet to the mile and al 
 lowing no opportunity to watch for birds or flowers. 
 But the easier going of a meadow brought the two 
 Rosarians into a great field of yellow mustard. 
 
 (225)
 
 Higher than their heads ran the stalks. All that 
 could be seen of this great golden lake were the 
 narrow borders of the opening kept clear by cattle. 
 In and out of the delicate weave of flower and leaf 
 played the blackbirds, those with glossy feathers 
 and bright red epaulets pursuing those whose coats 
 were dull and lustreless. 
 
 Robert pressed on, until brought to an abrupt 
 stop by the vista of distant Eden Valley. At his 
 feet lay another bank of deer-brush, with mesa and 
 rolling hills beyond. In the distance lay range after 
 range paralleling each other, ever becoming bluer 
 and more misty as they dissolved into the sky. But 
 between lay a wide yellow streak, flat as an ocean, 
 hazy and indistinct. He could detect the larger 
 trees, if isolated, the lines and cross lines of roads, 
 and every now and then some house or barn. 
 But it was not details he sought. Rosario lay before 
 him, his home and hers, helpless, battered Rosario, 
 depending upon him to fulfill its destiny. 
 
 A stray from the higher levels, a dark speck in 
 the sky, there was an eagle slowly sailing overhead. 
 "It is not true," the doctor mused, "that you are 
 alone, for a mate is waiting for you on some crag. 
 It is not true that you are watching and guarding, 
 for you are but seeking something to kill. Yet you 
 are a symbol. So be it, the valley and the solitary 
 eagle!" 
 
 When the trail reached the mesa, that appar 
 ently level stretch proved to be covered with inter 
 minable round mounds, two feet high and three 
 
 (226)
 
 HOLLINGTON GOES FISHING 
 
 yards across, almost touching each other. The hol 
 lows between, holding a richer soil, were a spectra 
 of color. The modest, shrinking pansy, half droop 
 ing its yellow head, the saucy cream cups, delicate 
 and hairy, tendering their straw colored petals to 
 the wayfarer, the glorious hyacinth, proudly lifting 
 its violet clusters that all might see, the pink paint 
 brush beloved by all the honey eaters, the larkspur, 
 incomparable galaxy of blue, the filigree, weird and 
 fantastic, and ever a pair of doves to rise from 
 the white sage, or a yellow breasted lark singing 
 from mid air, or two ground sparrows, feeding and 
 flirting together; with never a rest from the mar 
 velous changing perfume. 
 
 Then a sudden turn in the path threw the traveller 
 into a field of poppies, the crowned queen of the 
 wildflowers. So gorgeous was the mass that no 
 thought could be spared the individual; so wonder 
 ful was each golden cup that one dared not look at 
 another, fearing such perfection could not be re 
 peated. Mere words cannot do justice to the flower 
 that drew ships from the sea, that named a great 
 commonwealth, and made it famous. No art of 
 man can reproduce God s own masterpiece, but the 
 heart of Robert Hollington missed none of the col 
 oring, or texture, or form, missed none of the celes 
 tial blending of all three, nor the setting of stems 
 and leaves and pods worthy of the jewel they car 
 ried, for he was responding to an even greater thing, 
 to the greatest of all gifts from the Father to his 
 children. 
 
 (227)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 It was spring. Every flower, every woodland 
 pair, stirred in Robert the age-old instinct to mate, 
 hammered at the barriers that lay between him and 
 Frances. His companion knew that the doctor was 
 fighting something within, and trudged along in si 
 lence. For an hour neither had spoken. They had 
 reached the car and packed it, they had climbed in 
 and started home, before Robert awoke to his 
 neglect. 
 
 "Clem, I am sorry to have been so rude. What 
 do you think of me?" 
 
 "I knew you were having trouble, but I knew that 
 if you had wanted my help you would have asked 
 for it." 
 
 "I may call on you yet. When a man reaches a 
 point where he cannot do right without a struggle " 
 
 "I ve heard people say, good friends of yours, 
 too, that you were not so much a man as a perfectly 
 balanced piece of machinery; that you had no emo 
 tions, no imagination, that you never had done a 
 reckless thing in your life. You ve been brought up 
 to keep your feelings to yourself, but you re just as 
 human as any of us, and you should thank God 
 you are. 
 
 "There are two answers to your question. One 
 is that you are finding out that you aren t so very 
 unlike the rest of us. The other is that there is a 
 big difference between fighting to keep from doing 
 wrong, and fighting to keep from being miserable 
 when you re doing right." 
 
 (228)
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 DOROTHY TEACHES SCHOOL 
 
 DOROTHY TIBBETTS was one of those 
 women to whom children instinctively turn to 
 be comforted. The world is full of them. There is 
 something in their faces when they smile on a little 
 sufferer, something in their caresses when they lift 
 him to their knees, that brings a warm glow of 
 comfort and happiness to the baby heart and makes 
 him know that he has reached a haven where he is 
 safe from pain and sorrow. This is an attribute 
 of the ideal woman, the woman for whose protec 
 tion civilization has evolved, the woman for whose 
 comfort men struggle in competition. 
 
 The failure of any woman to be able to win this 
 trust does not of itself class her with those unna 
 tural ones who try, more or less successfully, to 
 keep the thoughts of children from their minds. 
 Many a good woman, good with all the praise the 
 word implies, keen with desire to emulate those 
 whom she most admires, simply lacks that intangible 
 attraction which brings the child to her in blind 
 trust. She may eventually win the deeper and more 
 lasting love of the two, but not being spontaneous 
 it cannot come as quickly nor include so great a 
 number. 
 
 Miss Tibbetts was not a philosopher. When 
 Helen Cowles came in, with her mouth drooping, 
 
 (229)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 rubbing one wet eye with a clenched fist, and com 
 plaining that Tommy had snatched away an all day 
 sucker and was now enjoying it, Dorothy did not 
 stop to reason. She pulled little Helen upon her lap, 
 wiped away the tears, and with the touch of her 
 hand, brought smiles once more to the face of the 
 seven-year-old. Tommy, when called to account, ex 
 plained that since Helen had grabbed his candy and 
 trampled it in the dirt it was perfectly proper for 
 him to take hers. Helen justified her conduct on the 
 ground that Tommy had been pulling her hair, which 
 in turn came from her calling him a nigger baby, 
 and so on. Not the wisdom of Solomon could have 
 decided right from wrong. Dorothy did not try. 
 Her nature was to comfort both, to patch up the 
 quarrel and to admonish them to behave. If Terry 
 Fisher could not make his additions correspond with 
 hers, the teacher did not scold. She coddled him, 
 touched his pride, coaxed him, and made him su 
 premely happy at last when she pronounced his work 
 correct. 
 
 The older children presented different problems, 
 but all were solved with the same heart. Dorothy 
 the teacher had been trained to do her work in a 
 stereotyped way, a way which she conscientiously 
 sought to follow. Indeed she would have been 
 greatly surprised if anyone had accused her of vary 
 ing a hair s breadth from her instructions. Never 
 theless she would have been at a loss to find the 
 paragraph in her manual which authorized her to 
 devote her noon recess to helping Willie Bent, an 
 
 (230)
 
 DOROTHY TEACHES SCHOOL 
 
 ambitious, hard working little fellow who just could 
 not keep up. Nor what obligation lay upon her to 
 spend Saturday mornings with a few of the girls 
 who wanted to make clothes, not only teaching what 
 she herself knew about sewing, but actually cutting 
 out and finishing the garments. 
 
 Among the older people Dorothy s influence was 
 very strong, though indirect. All the mothers knew 
 her, as every one knows every one else in a place 
 the size of Rosario. But they also knew her as 
 the person with whom their children spent many 
 hours every school day. There was a general com 
 fortable feeling that in the atmosphere of her pres 
 ence none would be harshly or unjustly treated, nor 
 could any real wickedness long endure. Many 
 thought her weak, who believed in more Spartan 
 methods. These preached to her, urging that she 
 maintain a firmer discipline and keep herself more 
 aloof from the scholars. But they who sought to 
 influence her were far more often influenced by her. 
 Strength and courage there was in plenty in Eden 
 Valley, while meekness and gentleness, weakness if 
 you choose, were relatively unknown. Many a caller 
 leaving Miss Tibbetts without having strengthened 
 the teacher s character, yet went home to speak a 
 kinder word or be more openly affectionate than had 
 been usual. 
 
 Dorothy could not share in the prevalent dislike 
 of the Japanese. She could not really have hated 
 even a person who had done her injury. Hers was 
 not the temperament that saw a menace in the yel- 
 
 (231)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 low invasion, that shared the fear of its progress, 
 nor sensed the danger it threatened to home and 
 family. To her the very fact that the Japanese 
 were aliens entitled them to sympathy. They had 
 come to this country to improve themselves, finan 
 cially and otherwise, and to do so by hard labor. 
 Surely that was commendable. But more than all 
 these intangible things these people were human 
 beings. Watsa was not the representative of a for 
 eign nation, he was not a unit in the race problem, 
 he was Watsa, with his individual characteristics, 
 his personal faults and virtues. 
 
 So it was as an individual that she received him 
 when he and Hogo and Nanga came back for re- 
 enrollment. These three had returned to her at 
 the first opportunity granted them. Theirs was 
 something of the air of conquerors, mixed, strangely 
 enough, with a curious expression that was half- 
 pathetic, half-childish. With them, on the opening 
 day, came Morita and Yaman, boys on the verge 
 of manhood, smiling happily, though obviously ill 
 at ease. Places in the classes were found for them 
 all, as satisfactory as their ill-balanced educations 
 would permit. 
 
 It was not an easy matter to teach them side by 
 side with little children. Miss Tibbetts found the 
 Japanese always requiring special care. They 
 learned so fast that as soon as they had reached the 
 common level of any class they began to pull away, 
 to work for promotion. She helped them, and ad 
 vanced them as rapidly as she could. Then there 
 
 (232)
 
 DOROTHY TEACHES SCHOOL 
 
 was repeated the struggle to make them keep up 
 sufficiently so as not to demoralize the new class. 
 Or, as often happened, they were kept out of school 
 for days at a time, when their help was needed on 
 the farms. Dorothy could not bear to see them lose 
 standing through no fault or their own. She coached 
 them back to their places, without realizing that the 
 undue attention they received was being paid for 
 by her regular scholars. It had to be so, unless the 
 Japanese were to be held back for the benefit of 
 the whites. In the very nature of things an even 
 balance could not be maintained. She did not segre 
 gate and weigh, and then deliberately decide that 
 her own race should be neglected for the yellow. 
 To reason on such an occasion would have been for 
 eign to her nature ; her sympathetic soul simply could 
 not see aggregates when specific cases clamored for 
 her assistance. 
 
 So she could not understand why her school was 
 not running smoothly, why her standard of scholar 
 ship, one that had repeatedly won commendation 
 from her superiors, was rapidly falling below the 
 average of the state. She did not blame the pupils, 
 because to blame did not come easily to her; instead, 
 she worried, examined herself for the cause of the 
 trouble, and worked harder. 
 
 Out of the class rooms her attitude was different. 
 Donald Scott had laid out a course of conduct to 
 which she rigidly adhered. Of her own volition 
 she could not have refused the requests of her alien 
 pupils, for the manner in which they made them and 
 
 (233)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 the resigned acceptance of her decisions would have 
 over-ridden any resolution. Donald Scott was her 
 rock of refuge. She had been told by him to do cer 
 tain things, and she obeyed, for in her weakness she 
 clung to his rugged strength, not venturing to take 
 any step alone. 
 
 Into this maelstrom of conflicts and perplexities 
 came Takase and Haragae. Past twenty-one years 
 of age, yet so fresh from their native country were 
 they that neither of them understood more than a 
 word or two of spoken English, to say nothing of 
 reading and writing. Hogo had to act as inter 
 preter the day they first presented themselves to 
 Dorothy, asking to be taught. 
 
 Here indeed was a problem, for obviously it 
 would not do to put these men in the kindergarten. 
 Dorothy did not shirk her responsibility, she prob 
 ably had never done such a thing in her life. Sac 
 rificing her own leisure in the most matter of fact 
 way, she promised these men an hour every after 
 noon. From four o clock to five every school day 
 she was closeted with them, teaching an alphabet 
 to men who had not known that one existed; teach 
 ing words to them by showing a picture and compell 
 ing reiteration time and again until the pronunci 
 ation was correct and the meaning understood. 
 
 So the weeks passed in the Rosario school. Ha 
 ragae had gone to Los Angeles to work in a store 
 with his father, but Dorothy still kept Takase s hour. 
 For even after she had taught him the rudiments 
 of her language she could find no place for him in 
 
 (234)
 
 "The time spent with him became the hours to which she 
 iobked forward."
 
 DOROTHY TEACHES SCHOOL 
 
 her classes. He often sat through the recitations 
 in subjects other than English, in geography and 
 history for instance, picking up what knowledge he 
 could, but by far the greater part of his time he 
 pored over the special lessons that had been laid 
 out for him. When school had been dismissed he 
 drew a chair beside Dorothy s desk, practiced his 
 English with her, and recited his lessons. 
 
 His progress on some lines was slow, especially 
 in grammar and in the construction of sentences. 
 In arithmetic, for instance, and less so in several 
 other branches, he severely taxed Dorothy s knowl 
 edge. And with his insatiable thirst for learning 
 came a greed for Dorothy s teaching, so that he 
 soon acquired the habit of walking home with her, 
 adding thereby another twenty minutes spent in re 
 hearing the day s lessons or perhaps in just prac 
 ticing the language. 
 
 The girl was being flattered as she never had been 
 before. To be able to help, to really help, such a 
 brain as Takase s, to supplement his cleverness with 
 her education, was unction to her soul. That he/ 
 actually came to her for guidance on subjects not 
 directly connected with the school, that he looked 
 up to her, needed her, and accepted her pronounce 
 ments as final, gave to their intercourse a strong 
 personal element. The time spent with him became 
 the hours to which she looked forward, the hours 
 that brought rest from the petty worries of her life. 
 There was no curtain of color or creed separating 
 
 (235)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 their minds, or marring the intercourse that was a 
 little private matter just between these two. 
 
 It was Mrs. Hastings who first suggested that 
 Dorothy Tibbetts was seen too often in Takase s 
 society. It was Bessie Scott who heard her say so, 
 and straightway the mother in the latter turned her 
 into the champion of the teacher. Mrs. Scott ex 
 plained in detail just what were the relations between 
 the two. 
 
 "You see it s simply a matter of her teaching 
 him," she concluded. 
 
 "Of course, I don t think she could possibly be 
 interested in him," rejoined Mrs. Hastings. "No 
 nice girl, brought up as she has been, could ever 
 care for a Japanese farm hand. Nevertheless, she 
 is a woman and he is a man, and as long as they 
 are together so much there is bound to be talk. She 
 is all alone with him in the empty school building 
 every afternoon, for goodness knows how long. 
 When I passed them coming home yesterday they 
 didn t look to me like people who were going over 
 lessons." 
 
 "That s perfectly ridiculous. The very idea of 
 gossiping about anyone as pure-minded as Dorothy, 
 especially when she is only teaching. She doesn t 
 want those boys in her school, she is compelled to 
 have them." 
 
 "All the same there is a great deal of uneasiness 
 in this valley over so many girls and so many Japa 
 nese being together. Miss Tibbetts should be par- 
 
 (236)
 
 DOROTHY TEACHES SCHOOL 
 
 ticularly careful to set an example. I really think 
 you should speak to her." 
 
 "She is doing nothing that I don t know all about 
 and thoroughly approve." 
 
 Nevertheless, Bessie did repeat this conversation 
 to Dorothy. Mrs. Scott had been as gentle as pos 
 sible, for she wished to discount the expected tears 
 and repentance. Imagine her surprise when the 
 young woman simply laughed about it. The turn 
 ing of the rabbit to fight the hound seemed no more 
 unnatural than the disregarding by this timid girl 
 of the opinions of those about her. Bessie was wise 
 enough not to press the matter, but at the first oppor 
 tunity she laid her suspicions before her husband. 
 
 "Mrs. Hastings has been talking nonsense to you 
 until you are hysterical," said Donald. "Then, be 
 cause the child doesn t take it as seriously as you, 
 you think all manner of things of her. The way 
 she acted shows that you can trust her." 
 
 "Donald, you must stop her." 
 
 "Why?" 
 
 "Because of what Mrs. Hastings says, and be 
 cause she s saying it." 
 
 "I ll tell Dorothy, if you want me to, that she 
 must give up this work out of hours. We can let 
 her down easily. I wouldn t hurt her feelings for 
 the world, but we can t have people saying unkind 
 things about her." 
 
 "It s not safe to go to her at all." 
 
 "Why?" 
 
 (237)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 "Because I m afraid she wouldn t obey you." 
 
 "What do you mean? Do you think " 
 
 "Yes, Donald, I do." 
 
 "Bessie, I m positively ashamed of you. I know 
 that most women say things like that, but for you, 
 why it doesn t sound at all like my Bessie." 
 
 "I love the girl every bit as much as you do, Don 
 ald. I know more about this than you, because I m 
 a woman, and I think it s my right to have you re 
 spect my judgment." 
 
 "What do you want me to do?" Donald was 
 clearly beginning to worry. 
 
 "Takase must quietly disappear from Dorothy s 
 life. If I ve done her an injustice this will do no 
 harm. But if I m right any open opposition would 
 be dangerous, for it might bring matters to a head, 
 and Dorothy is just the girl to be very obstinate if 
 her affections are engaged. Besides," Bessie hur 
 ried on, for she saw that her husband s anger was 
 again rising, "the more quietly the situation is ended 
 the sooner will unpleasant comment die down." 
 
 "How would you go about it?" 
 
 "I believe you could interest Dr. Hollington." 
 
 "Why Hollington?" 
 
 "They say it s his fault that the Japanese are in 
 the school. Whether it is or not he might feel some 
 responsibility. Takase is a cousin or something of 
 Saishoto. Perhaps the doctor could persuade Sai- 
 shoto to tell Takase to give up his studying alto 
 gether and go back to work." 
 
 (238)
 
 DOROTHY TEACHES SCHOOL 
 
 "It may be that you are right, Bessie. This isn t 
 at all the way I would go about it, but as you said 
 awhile ago, you know a great deal more about such 
 things than I. We will find out right away what 
 Hollington will do." 
 
 A few days later Dorothy came home as soon as 
 school was over. "I ve lost my special student," 
 she explained. "He s reached a point where he can 
 go on by himself now. He s going to work for 
 Saishoto for a few weeks, and then he is to open a 
 store in Seattle." 
 
 "I m very glad for your sake, Dorothy. You 
 have been working too hard. I hope after this that 
 you will be able to spend more time out of doors." 
 
 "Oh, I have no time to play, Mrs. Scott, I have 
 allowed my wardrobe to become all run down, so 
 I m going to do a lot of sewing now. But in the 
 daytime I ll take my basket out under the trees; 
 the air might make me look and feel a little fresher." 
 
 As the days went by Bessie Scott had to accept a 
 good deal of sarcasm from her husband. He admit 
 ted that it was a good thing for all concerned to 
 have Takase drop out of their lives, and he admit 
 ted, too, that her idea of sending for Hollington 
 had been excellent. But to have thought for a mo 
 ment that Dorothy could possibly lose her head over 
 her pupil, that her interest in him had been love in 
 any degree, was so absurd that Donald could not 
 forego the pleasure of unmercifully teasing his bet 
 ter half. 
 
 (239 )
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 "Does she act lovelorn?" he would ask. "Have 
 you ever seen her happier? Would she sing at her 
 work if she were eating out her heart for any man? 
 I see Charlie Essing was around again yesterday." 
 
 And poor Bessie had never a word to say. 
 
 In the course of a few days there drifted back to 
 the Scotts the story of Hollington s interview with 
 Saishoto. It seems that it had not been pleasant, 
 that there had been some feeling displayed on both 
 sides during the discussion. The doctor had laid 
 the whole matter before Saishoto as tactfully and 
 as considerately as possible, and had requested that 
 the unpleasant situation be ended. Saishoto had 
 been very much hurt to learn that Miss Tibbetts 
 friends, the white people in general, should regard 
 Takase s friendship as something undesirable. It 
 was an insult to the Japanese race, which Saishoto, 
 ever their champion, resented. Since he could not 
 or would not be mollified, Hollington told him 
 frankly that while before the law their equality 
 would be recognized, when American womanhood 
 was involved there could be no quibblings and no 
 pretense. Saishoto stubbornly refused to change his 
 ground; to do so, he argued vehemently, would be 
 to admit once for all that his was an inferior race. 
 
 Hollington took and firmly maintained the atti 
 tude that no question of superiority was involved, 
 that the point at issue was only the unquestionable 
 one that there was a difference. Definitely and pos 
 itively Robert insisted that the Japanese in Rosario 
 
 (240)
 
 DOROTHY TEACHES SCHOOL 
 
 must recognize the fact, and that this was as good 
 a time as any for them to do so. His domineering 
 strength carried his point eventually, but Saishoto, 
 thought beaten into submission, yielded with such 
 poor grace that the friendship between the two be 
 came strained. 
 
 ( 241 )
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 
 FRANCES COMES HOME 
 
 TT was at the supper table in his own home, the 
 -*- day after Frances return, that Sam Coulters told 
 her the inside story of why Tower had resigned 
 from the board of school trustees, had sold out to 
 Hanba, and left the valley. 
 
 "All because he wouldn t send Edith and Virginia 
 to school," commented Mary Coulters. "It seems 
 as though there ought to have been some other way." 
 
 "I can t think that what he did was for the best, 
 yet there are others who not only do so believe, but 
 are very apt to follow his example." 
 
 "It s just like a pestilence carrying away people 
 one likes. I m almost afraid to ask you to whom 
 you refer, just as I would be if you had told me that 
 someone was dead," said the daughter. 
 
 "Fulton Graham and Mrs. McClure have both 
 been to see Hanba within the past few days, and 
 I know that there are others who are thinking of 
 doing the same." 
 
 "You must go to those others, Sam. Show them 
 that they are making a mistake. I can t reason the 
 matter out in your orderly way, but I do know that 
 what they are doing is all wrong, that they can pro 
 tect their girls without having to give up their 
 homes." Mary s heart was in her words. 
 
 "I ve seen every one who has a daughter over 
 (242)
 
 FRANCES COMES HOME 
 
 ten in that school. Fortunately there are not many. 
 And of them not more than four or five families will 
 leave the valley." 
 
 "Who are hesitating?" Frances asked. 
 
 "It s better not even to mention their names at 
 present. I ve shown them how easily the Japanese 
 can be kept away from the girls, how safe the chil 
 dren can be on their way to and from school. The 
 board of trustees will lay out certain rules to be fol 
 lowed, which it can easily enforce, for it would be 
 only too glad of an opportunity to expel those boys, 
 one after another. I have met every objection that 
 has been raised, for I have never had an easier task 
 than to talk down those parents. Unfortunately, 
 winning the debate from them does not keep them in 
 Rosario." 
 
 "I know better than you why it does not. I, 
 too, am a woman and a mother. If the girls are 
 where the danger is, every instinct in the parent s 
 nature is up in arms, clamoring for the removal of 
 the children, not merely to a point of safety but clear 
 away from the source of contamination." 
 
 "If people are frightened, father, and in a panic, 
 you can t hope to influence them with reason." 
 Frances showed her concern. "I m going to see 
 Mrs. Graham and Mrs. McClure, not to argue with 
 them, but to try to get them quieted, so that they 
 can think the matter out for themselves. They re 
 not really thinking at all just now." 
 
 "What can one do about it?" Mary asked hope 
 lessly. 
 
 (243)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 "The little fire has to burn itself out. We can 
 do nothing more to allay the school trouble, for the 
 damage is done. I m waiting now until the new 
 law goes into effect; then I think we ll find ourselves 
 safe and the Japanese about to be relegated back 
 where they belong. We have team play again in 
 Rosario. Everyone seems hopeful, and try as he 
 may I don t believe that Hanba will pick up many- 
 farms in the next few weeks; there are too many 
 working against him." 
 
 No one commented on these remarks, so the meal 
 proceeded in silence, broken at last by Ruth. 
 
 "I wonder if Robert Hollington is as much to 
 blame as people say?" 
 
 The poor girl would have given anything to have 
 been able to recall the question. Sam s face turned 
 to a mask at the mention of the name. Mary s was 
 overrun with anxiety, and Frances she tried to sit 
 it out, yet it was only a moment before she had 
 found an excuse for leaving the room. Ruth fol 
 lowed, to undo as much as she could, so the discus 
 sion ended for the present. 
 
 The next morning the two girls hurried through 
 their household duties, the dishes, the beds, and the 
 dusting. Then, true to Frances promise they went 
 to see Mrs. McClure. While Ruth was tying the 
 horse, two small children tore around the corner 
 with an affectionate welcome. Frances grabbed both 
 of the infants, squeezing and kissing them in turn, 
 for they had long been her special favorites. The 
 foster mother, still wearing an apron and holding 
 
 (244)
 
 FRANCES COMES HOME 
 
 a damp tea towel, came rushing through the kitchen 
 door. She threw her arms about Frances, gathered 
 her to her ample bosom, while the light in the 
 widow s face told more than any words could have 
 done, how delighted she really was. 
 
 And then from across the fields came Alfred Car 
 roll. "I recognized the buggy," he said, "before 
 I heard those little rascals squeal. They told me 
 you were here so I had to drop everything to come 
 over to let you know how glad we all are that you 
 are home again." 
 
 "It s splendid to be here. How well you are 
 looking. And those babies of yours; it does my 
 heart good to see them." 
 
 "We ve been a different family since they ve been 
 living on this place. Sometimes I don t know which 
 to thank more, Mrs. McClure or Dr. Hollington." 
 
 "How are you getting on with your farm work?" 
 Ruth was usually quiet when in a group, speaking 
 only if she had cause. The expressions of each of 
 the other women made imperative a change in top 
 ics, and Ruth was quick-witted enough to turn the 
 conversation. 
 
 "The trees are looking fine," said Carroll, "but 
 of course there are troubles. There always are in 
 fruit growing. I ve found more scale than I like to 
 see, and the skins of the oranges are not as I want 
 them to be. But spray will fix one and potash the 
 other. The most serious problem just now is water. 
 Our greatest trouble is over, for these Japanese can t 
 absorb any more of us." 
 
 (245)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 "I wish that were so," half murmured the widow. 
 
 "What do you mean?" asked Carroll. 
 
 "There s still the interval before that law goes 
 into effect," said Mrs. McClure. 
 
 "And Hanba is going to use every means he 
 knows to get as much land as he wants before it is 
 too late," added Ruth. "Everyone must be on his 
 guard the next few weeks, for as father says, there s 
 apt to be some pretty tricky plays." 
 
 "So Mr. Coulters says there are apt to be some 
 tricky plays?" Mrs. McClure asked sarcastically. 
 "How about the tricky plays that have already 
 been?" 
 
 "Do you mean Dr. Hollington?" asked Carroll, 
 angrily. 
 
 "Yes, I mean Dr. Hollington," answered the 
 widow, looking Alfred squarely in the face. 
 
 "I will not let you say such things about him, 
 after all he has done for me and for you and for 
 all of us." 
 
 "Well, what has he done for you and for me and 
 for all of us?" Mrs. McClure knew her opponent 
 could not bear this. "He told you you were a crazy 
 fool and you were. Plenty of other people have 
 told you the same thing. As for me and Rosario, 
 why he has turned against his own people, his neigh 
 bors and his friends " 
 
 "He has not!" Carroll was so enraged that he 
 could scarcely articulate. 
 
 The woman was too quick for him. "He has 
 shown the Japanese how to make Eden Valley a 
 
 (246)
 
 FRANCES COMES HOME 
 
 place where white people can t live, and I, for one, 
 am going to get out." 
 
 "He had nothing more to do with it " 
 
 "Nothing more than everything. Who told those 
 men to go to their consul? Who furnished the 
 proofs for them? Who puts all these ideas in their 
 heads? Whose lead do they follow in everything?" 
 
 "I m going to take my children away from you, 
 you are not fit " 
 
 "You can t help taking them, for I will not stay 
 here one minute longer than I have to. Your Dr. 
 Hollington has " 
 
 "Now you know, Mrs. McClure, you re not going 
 to leave us." It was not until Frances had inter 
 vened with her quiet voice that the others realized 
 how loud and angry their tones had become. 
 
 "I am, just as soon " 
 
 "You dislike Hanba and the Japanese very much, 
 do you not?" 
 
 "Yes, and Dr. Hollington for his " 
 
 "It doesn t matter who s to blame. It s your own 
 self you must consider. We ll leave Dr. Hollington 
 out." 
 
 "Oh, I forgot." Mrs. McClure wilted so sud 
 denly and pathetically that Ruth only with difficulty 
 was able to suppress her laughter. 
 
 "Are you sending Sadie to school?" 
 
 "No." It was a very subdued and quiet answer. 
 
 "Do you know that the other mothers are sending 
 their daughters?" 
 
 "Mrs. Graham and Mrs. " 
 (247)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 "The other mothers are; perhaps not every one. 
 They believe when men like my father and Donald 
 Scott promise to protect the children that there is 
 no danger. You should have more faith in your 
 own people instead of allowing yourself to be fooled 
 by Hanba. Whatever else you do, keep your house 
 until you see what is going to happen." 
 
 "But if I do not sell to Hanba now I never can." 
 
 "Your farm will never be worth less than Hanba 
 is offering you, and it may sometime be worth a 
 great deal more." 
 
 Ruth had done her share towards ending the quar 
 rel by talking to Carroll about his children. Soon 
 Mrs. McClure was interested as much as Alfred, 
 and the bitterness between them disappeared as it 
 had done many a time before. 
 
 Frances and Ruth made their excuses, so Carroll 
 untied their horse while they climbed into the buggy. 
 "You will not do anything hasty, will you?" Frances 
 asked the widow. "Think it all over, and then use 
 your imagination. Picture what is to become of you 
 and Sadie, and of the two children." 
 
 The girls drove towards the Graham place. Fran 
 ces was having a hard time, and Ruth knew some 
 thing of her heartache, and her longing to go to 
 the man in trouble and bring him sympathy and 
 comfort. The younger sister respected the long 
 silences that came so frequently; she felt that she 
 could offer no greater help than to be with the other 
 as much as possible, and to talk only when words 
 seemed best. So the two were sitting each busy 
 
 (248)
 
 FRANCES COMES HOME 
 
 with her own thoughts when they came face to 
 face with Donald Scott. 
 
 He was homeward bound, driving four horses, 
 his big farm wagon loaded to its capacity with bales 
 of red oat hay. On recognizing the girls he stopped 
 his team, set the brake with his foot, and fastened 
 the lines about its lever, then climbed down from 
 his high seat. In welcoming Frances he was as 
 demonstrative as his nature ever permitted him 
 to be. 
 
 "From some of the stories I heard I was afraid 
 we were going to lose you," he said. "It would in 
 deed be a pity if any child of Sam Coulters should 
 not be here when the law goes into force." 
 
 "It will make a great difference, will it not, Mr. 
 Scott?" 
 
 "It has already done so. For instance, at Naga 
 saki" 
 
 "Nagasaki?" 
 
 "That is what they call the colony around the old 
 Packhard homestead, just as they have given the 
 nickname Tokio to the place where Saishoto lives, 
 and Yokohama to the plague spot that started when 
 Delaque sold. As I was about to say, before Gra 
 ham sold his place 
 
 "Have the Grahams sold?" Frances did not at 
 tempt to conceal her disappointment. "We were on 
 our way to see them, to try to persuade them not to 
 give up just yet. And now they have sold. It s too 
 bad." 
 
 "It is pretty bad for Hancock, and it may be for 
 (249)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 me. Arthur and I had both counted on being safe 
 from ever having the Japanese as neighbors. You 
 remember our farms lie in a row; mine, then Ar 
 thur s, then Fulton s, then Norton s, and then .the 
 first of the Japanese." 
 
 "Yes, I remember," Frances interrupted. "But 
 what has happened? When I left home the Nortons 
 were supposed to be as dependable as you or father, 
 and to have money enough to protect themselves." 
 
 "Hanba bought the mortgage on the Ellis piece. 
 He forced Ellis to sell by threatening foreclosure." 
 
 "Ellis, too? I hadn t heard of that." 
 
 "So Norton was surrounded on two sides, and 
 when the Grahams let go there was nothing for him 
 to do but make the best terms with Hanba that he 
 could. That puts Arthur next to the infection and 
 he becomes the only protection that I have left. So 
 you see why we two are glad that the new law takes 
 effect so soon." 
 
 "Will it make you safe?" 
 
 "Absolutely. Almost without exception Hanba 
 has played the game of late as he did with Ellis. 
 But he will buy no more mortgages; he could not 
 use them if he did. There is no conceivable way 
 by which he can reach either Arthur Hancock or 
 me before the first of the month. And if he leaves 
 us alone, Arthur and me and every one else in this 
 valley, we will not lose our farms. Speaking for 
 us all, if there is no interference we can borrow 
 money, get an extension, and do business as we al 
 ways have done. Those who have Japanese neigh- 
 
 (250)
 
 FRANCES COMES HOME 
 
 bors are still going to suffer hardship, but now that 
 the incentive has been taken away from the trouble 
 makers there will be no more freezing out. So you 
 see why all Rosario is grateful to your father, and 
 has taken on a holiday spirit." 
 
 "How is your school progressing? I have been 
 talking to Mrs. McClure, and she does not think 
 it safe for her Sadie." 
 
 "It ll all work out in time. Dorothy is doing 
 splendidly, so there is no criticism from Sacramento, 
 and not very much from the valley. We are proud 
 of her for being able to keep everyone so well 
 satisfied." 
 
 "Tell her I m coming over to see her and Mrs. 
 Scott as soon as I can spare the time. I shall tell 
 father what you said about him and how you feel. 
 He s sure to be pleased." 
 
 The girls decided not to make their call on the 
 Grahams, but to go directly to Edward Winfield. 
 On the way they met several old friends. The San- 
 fords were even more enthusiastic over the future 
 than Donald had been, and they cited several in 
 stances showing how the heart was coming back to 
 Eden Valley. Irving Stanhope affected more than 
 his usual dignity as he greeted the girls with his old 
 fashioned courtesy. Nevertheless, he brought the 
 same tidings of good will towards their father and 
 of growing cheer in Rosario. 
 
 "One of the finest things I ever knew a man to 
 do was Mr. Coulters refusal of that commissioner- 
 ship," said the minister. 
 
 (251)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 "What was that?" Ruth asked. 
 
 "It s so like him, not to have told. Rutherford 
 White and the governor offered him a place on the 
 highway commission. It would have been very con 
 genial work, have given him a position in the world, 
 and have paid him well. He didn t accept because 
 he felt that it would conflict with his duty towards 
 the settlement. That was such a noble act that I 
 shall mention it in my sermon on Sunday. He seems 
 to feel more strongly even than Hollington that 
 though an obligation be voluntarily assumed it must 
 be carried through without regard to personal con 
 sequences." 
 
 Frances could not answer such a remark aloud, 
 and it began to come to her that she could not answer 
 it to herself. Reason on it she could not, she wil 
 lingly admitted. It must be a demand her heart 
 could not put into words, for a love that would 
 come to her without restrictions. She regarded the 
 relationship between her father and mother as per 
 fect, yet she well knew that if the husband had re 
 fused this appointment from a sense of duty, noth 
 ing the wife could say would make him alter his 
 decision. That was not lack of loyalty, that was 
 not relegating love to second place. Was it for 
 those characteristics that the minister had praised, 
 Frances wondered, the very qualities that made her 
 heart glow with affectionate pride, that she exalted 
 one man and condemned the other? Training and 
 heredity told her there was a difference. 
 
 She was so fond of Edward Winfield, so thor- 
 (252)
 
 FRANCES COMES HOME 
 
 oughly glad to see him again and to find him at 
 least as strong as when she had left, that these wor 
 ries and misgivings slipped into the background. 
 She had many messages from Mrs. Charleton to de 
 liver to the brother, much to recount of the life in 
 San Clemente, many inquiries to make regarding the 
 health and the plans of the invalid. Ruth entered 
 into the long conversation that ensued only as polite 
 ness demanded. The young girl was realizing how 
 greatly those few weeks had changed Frances, and 
 Edward s attitude also. For the older two met on 
 a plane much nearer equality than ever before, and 
 spoke familiarly to each other of things which were 
 fascinating to Ruth and yet far beyond her compre 
 hension. In her own home Frances had been the 
 Frances of old, with no appreciable difference in 
 thought or habit, but in Winfield s presence she was 
 the Frances that Mrs. Charleton had brought out, 
 the girl about whom all San Clemente had gone 
 wild. And Ruth, for the first time, was seeing the 
 emergence of the chrysalis. 
 
 On his side, Edward saw a vindication of his 
 prophesies, and understood better what lay behind a 
 number of letters he had received from his sister. 
 Frances alone was serenely unconscious. She was 
 radiant, as a result partly of the reaction from the 
 temporary morbidness, partly from pleasure in find 
 ing Rosario so complacent and so grateful to her 
 father, and partly from accumulating evidence of the 
 sincerity that underlay the country friendships. Each 
 member of the little gathering was happy in his own 
 
 (253)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 way, each felt that the best that was in him was 
 coming to the surface, and each was disappointed 
 when the visit ended, when it became necessary for 
 the girls to go home to prepare the supper. 
 
 "Do not be an idealist, Ruth," Frances broke out 
 on the way. "If you should ever learn to love a 
 man, take his love if you want happiness. Search 
 for microscopic flaws if you must, but do not let your 
 mind run away with your heart as I have done, or 
 you too may find yourself tangled within the meshes 
 of a net from which you cannot free yourself. I 
 want to go to him, Ruth, now, while he is in trouble 
 and needs a comforter. I want to look into his eyes 
 and say, I love you for what you are, and I accept 
 you for what you are. But something is in the way, 
 something I cannot get around, something I cannot 
 even comprehend, something that makes it impos 
 sible. It is nothing as small as pride or obstinacy, 
 it must be that I am so wrapped up in idealism that I 
 cannot be satisfied even with the finest man I have 
 ever known. Yet that does not seem to explain it. 
 Oh, if I could only understand!" And the poor girl 
 broke down. 
 
 She pulled herself together presently, as she felt 
 Ruth s arm slipping about her. "I feel better for 
 having said this to you, dear, but I want you to 
 promise never to speak of it to me." 
 
 And Ruth, with love and sympathy in every line 
 of her face, kissed her and gave the promise. 
 
 (254)
 
 CHAPTER XX 
 THE BLACK SCALE 
 
 "VXTHEN spring came to Eden Valley it brought 
 * * vigor to the trees, it added shoots to the 
 branches, it changed buds into leaves and fruit. But 
 as prosperity is ever a loadstone to greedy outsiders, 
 so the fresh, strong growth did not escape the para 
 site. Rosario was invaded by the black scale. 
 
 There are many insects that prey upon the citrus. 
 There is the gnat-like white fly, the red spider and 
 the silver mite, the citriocola scale, the black, the 
 purple, the brown, the red, the yellow, the greedy, 
 the oleander and the cottony cushion scale, all of 
 which feed upon the sap of the trees. It seems to 
 be universal that whatever lives upon the labors of 
 others does so by taking only the choicest, discard 
 ing the rest and destroying much to obtain little. 
 The tortrix bores into the fruit just through the 
 rind; the rose beetle feeds at night upon the tender 
 growth of young trees; the diabrotica can eat the 
 orange only; the mealy bug and the aphids add their 
 toll. 
 
 Of them all the black scale is the most widely 
 distributed and through force of numbers the most 
 destructive. Like all the other insects mentioned it 
 is highly specialized, it can feed only upon certain 
 trees and can withstand only certain climatic con 
 ditions. Therefore, in some localities it is unknown, 
 
 (255)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 or so scarce as to be negligible, in others it may 
 lie unheeded season after season, only to become a 
 terrible scourge when conditions meet its require 
 ments. 
 
 The egg is so small that a hundred placed in line 
 would not exceed one inch in length. For twenty 
 days these eggs are incubating, becoming darker as 
 they change from a pearly white to pink, and from 
 pink to red. The young remain in the pod a day 
 or two, then having gained full strength emerge 
 and swarm along the branches until they reach the 
 leaves. Some three months later their beaks will 
 have strenthened sufficiently to pierce the bark of 
 the limbs as well as the tissue of the leaves, and 
 so, to avoid the certainty of death should the latter 
 fall, the still immature scale begin to congregate on 
 the branches of the tree. Here eventually the in 
 sects attain their full development, the male emerg 
 ing from the pupa with antennae, legs and wings. 
 The female is a little black round shell, in length 
 about an eighth of an inch. She begins to deposit 
 eggs at the rate of thirty to forty a day, continuing 
 for about two months. Her body gradually dries 
 and disappears, until she eventually becomes nothing 
 but an empty pod to contain her young. And so 
 the life cycle is completed. 
 
 This simple little history, however, is interwoven 
 with wide-spreading complications. Just as the scale 
 preys upon its host and has developed itself to take 
 full advantage of every weakness of the tree, so a 
 horde of enemies have arisen which attack the black 
 
 (256)
 
 THE BLACK SCALE 
 
 scale at every stage, insects upon whom have grown 
 instruments fitted for that one purpose. There are 
 others who do the scale no direct injury, yet whose 
 lives, in whole or in part, are dependent upon it. 
 
 For instance, the scale excretes a sweet, sticky 
 substance called honey dew. It appeals to the ants, 
 who climb the trees in countless hordes to add it 
 to their larders. Too impatient at times to await 
 nature s course, they tickle and tease the scale to 
 hurry the excretion. There is a saprophyte which 
 finds in the honey dew a very suitable medium for 
 its growth. This fungus literally covers the trees 
 with a sooty mold and with black vegetative threads. 
 
 There are flies and beetles which live upon the 
 black scale, which can sustain life and propagate 
 in no other way. The scutellista is a wonderful 
 example of such specialization. This little fly, a 
 quarter of an inch in length, crawls among the scale 
 pods, slips an egg under one of them, moves to 
 another, to repeat the process several hundred times. 
 As soon as they hatch her larvae begin to devour 
 the eggs within the shell, by means of sharp chiti- 
 nous hooks designed specially for that purpose. Six 
 generations in a season, food and nesting place pro 
 vided, it seems a simple, easy life. But if you stop 
 to reflect that the progeny of one fly in a year could 
 account for a column of scale as tall as a man, of 
 the same width, and extending from the Atlantic 
 to the Pacific, you must realize that the fate of 
 nearly every fly is quite the reverse of a happy one, 
 it is death by starvation. And if that were not 
 
 (257)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 enough, there is the cerchysius, a hyperparasite, 
 whose egg is also placed under the scale pod, and 
 whose larvae devour that of the scutellista. Truly 
 man sets up a wonderful chain of interrelations 
 when he plants an orange tree in his front yard. 
 
 There are other parasites to the number of a 
 dozen or more, and there are the predatory insects, 
 beetles that not only feed on the unhatched eggs 
 but even pursue the young scale, seizing them upon 
 the leaves or the stems. The rhizobius and the 
 ladybird kill in immense numbers, but where a 
 mother scale hatches as many as three thousand 
 young their capture one by one is a slow means of 
 extermination. 
 
 Speaking generally, insects live either upon veg 
 etable matter or upon each other, and all the former 
 are preyed upon by some form of the latter which 
 have developed, through a process of evolution, cer 
 tain attributes that meet the special conditions under 
 which the vegetarians live and breed. Were this 
 not so the incredible fecundity of the insect world 
 would soon divest the earth of every living grass 
 and tree. But such a system of control is not one 
 suited to the maintaining of an even balance. For 
 as the so-called host, if the slaughter is unchecked, 
 must be overtaken by the enemy, there is bound to 
 come a time when there are not enough to go 
 around. The parasites hunt desperately in every 
 nook and cranny for food for themselves and their 
 offspring, until the last of their prey is gone, where- 
 
 (258)
 
 THE BLACK SCALE 
 
 upon they themselves, unable to utilize other insects, 
 die by unnumbered billions. 
 
 If the tragedy were complete both species would 
 disappear from the face of the earth. But there 
 are always a few survivors, and then it is that the 
 vegetable eaters may run away from their control. 
 That they will be overtaken again is a certainty. 
 This may come about almost at once, it may come 
 with regularity at the end of the season, or, depend 
 ing on how great a start was had, it may not come 
 until the land has been visited by a terrible plague. 
 
 The fruit growers of Eden Valley did not choose 
 to let nature take its course, for they needed their 
 fruit, and it must come out clean and spotless. So 
 they started arrangements to spray. Sam Coulters 
 took the lead in this, as he always had done, because 
 one of the prime requisites was that everyone must 
 join, and Sam s ability to force unanimous action 
 was generally recognized. Such conditions had 
 arisen before so often, that the falling into line had 
 become a habit. Refractory farmers there had 
 been, but such had learned their lessons years ago, 
 when neighbors brought to bear more pressure than 
 anyone could withstand. Now there was none to 
 say no when Coulters gave the word that on a cer 
 tain day spraying should commence. 
 
 Saishoto, as spokesman for the Japanese colony, 
 had had matters explained to him. It was hard to 
 make him fully understand the situation, and his 
 people, who could better afford it than any of the 
 whites, demurred at the expense. But the prepa- 
 
 (259 )
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 rations went on, pending the time when the Japanese 
 should be persuaded or compelled to do their share. 
 There was nothing in their attitude to indicate a 
 final refusal, and instances were known to all Rosa- 
 rians of Sam s heavy hand falling upon obstinate 
 slackers who had loudly proclaimed that no one 
 could make them act against their will. 
 
 The best means by which to kill the black scale 
 is still a matter of opinion. There are sprays with 
 poison in solution, sprays of dry powder, as lime 
 and sulphur, sprays of emulsions, kerosene and dis 
 tillate; there are soaps and mixtures and washes 
 without limit. The principle of applying them is 
 always the same. On a wagon bed is mounted a 
 small gasoline engine, attached to a pump and to a 
 tank in such a way that several nozzles at the end 
 of pieces of hose throw a fine spray. Usually there 
 are four of these, with a man and a row to each 
 stream. While a team slowly drags the outfit 
 through the orchard the trees are drenched, one 
 at a time, in an effort to kill every living thing upon 
 them. 
 
 Such had been the custom in Rosario. But this 
 season there was less than two years growth upon 
 the trees, so fumigation was to be adopted. The 
 method is to throw over a tree a gas proof bag, and 
 fill the covering with hydrocyanic acid gas. This 
 is the most expensive, but under proper conditions 
 by far the most effective means of clearing the or 
 chard of its pests. A specially designed machine 
 known as a cyanofumer is used, and the work gen- 
 
 (260)
 
 THE BLACK SCALE 
 
 erally done at night, and proceeds rapidly once a 
 good outfit has been assembled. As the cost of the 
 latter, including tents, is upwards of a thousand dol 
 lars, one outfit was bought for the valley and the 
 expense equally divided. 
 
 Saishoto still held back. At first he had had to 
 consult Hanba, whose answer was noncommittal. 
 The other Japanese, as was to be expected, would 
 do nothing without their leader. While there was 
 being made this unsatisfactory effort to compel an. 
 answer, actual fumigation was started. Clem Hard- 
 ing s place was the first to be treated, for it was 
 on the extreme western edge of the valley. The 
 scale could make no headway against the prevailing 
 west wind, and so if all the work were done down 
 the wind, the clean trees could not be infected from 
 the ones that had not been reached. 
 
 The time was approaching rapidly when some 
 action must be taken regarding Tokio, the name 
 now given to the settlement about the former War 
 ner homestead. So Coulters went to Hollington. 
 For the first time since that memorable night of the 
 abortive lynching, Sam deliberately sought out the 
 doctor, one of the few men whom he really hated. 
 Since this had to be done for the sake of Rosario 
 Sam put his pride to one side to perform the task 
 in person, respect for himself as well as his enemy 
 dictating that there should be no emissary. 
 
 "I came to see if you could help the people of 
 this valley." The old pioneer was very formal and 
 polite. "We re fumigating for black scale, and it s 
 
 (261)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 necessary that the Japanese join us. I have no 
 doubt that they would if we could put the matter 
 up to them properly. That has been our difficulty, 
 and that s why we need your assistance. You under 
 stand them and know how to handle them, which 
 none of the rest of us do." 
 
 Robert met his visitor on absolutely neutral 
 ground. "I m afraid you all overrate my influence, 
 still I ll be glad to do what I can. But you know 
 that I can t argue convincingly with them knowing 
 as little about the thing as I do. I will go with you 
 to see Saishoto now, if you choose, and perhaps 
 together we can accomplish something." 
 
 But the Japanese proved obdurate. The net re 
 sult of a long argument, which took up every phase 
 of the scale question, was the final refusal of the 
 Asiatics to either fumigate or spray, now or later. 
 Saishoto was thoroughly posted on the peculiarities 
 of the parasite. He knew that before long the or 
 chards would be practically cleared, especially if 
 there were nothing to drift in from the outside. He 
 made Sam admit that the most serious damage that 
 would be done in the interim would be the staining 
 of the fruit by the fungus on the honey dew, result 
 ing in a serious cut in price, if not an actual refusal 
 to purchase by the packers. He was himself trapped 
 into confessing that the reason he wouldn t fumigate 
 was because the Japanese had decided among them 
 selves to save expense by handwashing their fruit 
 at night. 
 
 "Whether he can or not, I know we can t afford 
 (262)
 
 THE BLACK SCALE 
 
 to do that, for it would eat up all our profits. I 
 know the only reason he can is because we are fumi 
 gating all about him. If he were only a white man 
 I would have him in line or out of this valley within 
 twenty-four hours. But these ! We are not people 
 who lie down and quit, we are not weak enough or 
 simple enough to be run over by a crowd like that. 
 You know them. I will move heaven and earth if 
 you will tell me how to get at them." 
 
 "There is no way." 
 
 Once the heat of his anger had passed, Sam 
 brought himself to the footing on which he had 
 first met Robert. He thanked the doctor on part 
 ing, in a more than perfunctory way, for the effort. 
 Hollington waved the thanks aside, regretted that 
 he had been unable to be of any assistance, and 
 promised to hold himself ready should his services 
 ever be needed. 
 
 Whatever the ultimate effects of Saishoto s action 
 might be, the immediate result was trouble for Sam. 
 There were twelve men whose places on the east or 
 southeast adjoined Japanese-owned farms. With 
 out exception these men rebelled. They argued that 
 as their groves would soon be infected they could 
 not afford to pay their share of fumigation, and 
 demanded that the whole proceeding be stopped. 
 On the other hand, those who had gone in in good 
 faith simply could not be induced to agree to a 
 larger assessment, nor could proceedings end, be 
 cause a considerable acreage had already been cov- 
 
 (263)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 ered, the machinery had been bought and used, and 
 large amounts of chemicals had been consumed. 
 
 Coulters worked it out, but it taxed his authority 
 to the breaking point. He explained to the manu 
 facturers than the withdrawal of the Japanese had 
 left him hopelessly short on funds, and was able to 
 obtain an extension of time. He persuaded the big 
 drug house to wait for its money, and he held their 
 written agreements up to the recalcitrants in the 
 valley, until the last one had surrendered. Then 
 he went after Hanba, but here he was confronted 
 by an economic condition. The white men could 
 not afford to hand-wash, so they had fumigated. 
 It therefore became slightly cheaper for the Japa 
 nese to clean the fruit than to fight the scale, fig 
 uring, as they did, that their night work was costing 
 them but little it represented added labor rather 
 than added outlay. Over and over the ground Sam 
 went, trying to arouse that patriotism for which the 
 Japanese were famous. But unlike emigrants from 
 Canada or from Europe, the Mongolian settlers 
 had no affection for their new homes. It would 
 have been strange if their hearts had not remained 
 in Nippon, for they were not welcomed in this new 
 land to which they had come, nor allowed to become 
 a part of the people already there. As public spirit 
 neither existed nor could be aroused, as threats to 
 men of such dispositions would have been worse 
 than useless, the Japanese had to be allowed to fol 
 low out their selfish inclinations. 
 
 The effect upon Rosario was slow, but it was very 
 (264)
 
 THE BLACK SCALE 
 
 far-reaching. It ultimately brought bankruptcy to 
 at least half a dozen families, and seriously crippled 
 many more. In a thickly settled community like 
 Eden Valley, grove adjoins grove so closely that the 
 rows of trees are often not over thirty feet apart. 
 The prevailing west wind, gentle breeze that it is, 
 can easily carry the feathery like young scale to far 
 greater distances than that. The young, too, crawl 
 ing about blindly, are transplanted on the feet of 
 birds and butterflies. So it was not long before 
 great parts of Rosario were again infected, before 
 the trees took on the sickly color that comes from 
 the sapping of their strength, before the honey dew 
 and the fungus appeared upon their leaves, and then 
 upon their fruit. 
 
 As the talk about this whole occurrence spread 
 through the valley, there developed a display of dis 
 appointment in Hollington. The story of a year 
 before, when Robert had taken Sango from a house 
 full of armed men, was compared with his failure 
 in this instance. He was known to have had some 
 clash with the Japanese concerning Takase. So on 
 the whole Rosario came to the conclusion that Rob 
 ert s influence over the Asiatics was disappearing. 
 
 In this they were not as far right as facts ap 
 peared to warrant, although there was a decided 
 tendency that way. He still called at their houses 
 as had been his wont, still gave advice and help 
 when it was wanted. His personal friendship for 
 Saishoto was not as cordial as it had been, and a 
 sense of loyalty to Frances kept him from noticing 
 
 (265)
 
 Kotingo more than was necessary. Furthermore, 
 the Japanese on the whole were rapidly acquiring 
 experience which gave them a growing confidence 
 in their own judgment. In such cases as that of 
 fumigation, for instance, they were now willing 
 to consider and determine things for themselves, 
 whereas a year before they would have followed 
 Hollington willingly. 
 
 It was this development more than any loss of 
 prestige that accounted for the public opinion of 
 Eden Valley. Hollingtori s continued visits were 
 puzzling to those who did not understand the man s 
 nature, who did not know that he would do the best 
 he could on any predetermined course of conduct, 
 be that best great or small. As often occurs when 
 people in numbers are puzzled, all sorts of wild 
 conjectures were made, even Kotingo s name was 
 mentioned by some. 
 
 ( 266 )
 
 CHAPTER XXI 
 
 FRANCES AND KOTINGO 
 
 RANGES became restive, as the spring merged 
 into summer. Day after day the sky was 
 nearly cloudless, for there had set in the long sum 
 mer drought that would continue until late in the 
 fall. The grain fields, turning yellow, were being 
 harvested, and the plowing under of the cover crops 
 was spreading over the orchards a dull, almost col 
 orless mulch. Everywhere, except in the trees 
 themselves, green was disappearing. In the hills 
 and by the roadsides the native grasses were with 
 ered, the wild flowers disappeared over night, and 
 nature prepared herself to meet the bright, dry 
 days that were to come. 
 
 Many and many a time the girl s mind reverted 
 to "Twilight in the Rose Garden," and passed on 
 to the camps of the Japanese. There slowly grew 
 a desire on her part to see at first hand the home 
 of the enemy, the house that Robert visited, the 
 rock on which her romance had been shattered. She 
 found, among many other reasons for gratifying 
 herself, the thought that she might be able to offer 
 some kindnesses which would in no way jeopardize 
 the interests of the valley. And then too, if she 
 were to have an intelligent understanding she must 
 know how these people lived. 
 
 It was a simple matter to explain to herself, and 
 (267)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 she did not consult her family. So one clear, sunny 
 day, just such a day as there had been for weeks, 
 and would be for months to come, she threw a 
 bonnet over her head and set out afoot on the once 
 familiar way to the Kraemer place. 
 
 It was warm, but not unpleasantly so, for the 
 ocean breeze that blew the year around maintained 
 a comfortable temperature. Frances found the walk 
 altogether too short, for once her destination came 
 clearly into view, shyness and diffidence assailed her. 
 She resolutely continued, however, and soon found 
 herself within the ruined garden. Here a curious 
 spectacle presented itself. On one side of the house 
 was a cheap iron bath tub, set up in the yard without 
 piping or plumbing of any kind. Within it could 
 be distinguished the naked torsos of two men, while 
 a young woman, freely conversing with them from 
 time to time, fed the small fire that warmed the- 
 water. 
 
 Frances resolution wavered, until she noticed 
 that the little scene was not visible from the front 
 porch. So she hurried on and rang the doorbell. 
 In answer, Kotingo came through the house, brush 
 ing the wood dust from her hands and shaking drops 
 of water from her skirt. She had not noticed Fran 
 ces approach, and was taken somewhat by surprise. 
 These two women had never seen each other before, 
 but their recognition was mutual and complete. 
 
 "How do you do?" said Frances in her softest 
 voice, "I came over to see if there is anything I can 
 do for you." 
 
 (268)
 
 FRANCES AND KOTINGO 
 
 Kotingo smiled and shook her head, then smiled 
 again. She opened the door, motioning Frances to 
 come in, and led the way to the sitting room. Here 
 she offered Frances a chair and seated herself in 
 another; this much of western civilization she had 
 absorbed. 
 
 "The house has changed a good deal," observed 
 the American, looking about the empty room and 
 hallway. Excepting the two chairs they occupied 
 the front part of the building was as empty as the 
 Kraemers had left it when they moved away with 
 all their household effects. The accumulations that 
 come into untenanted rooms were everywhere. 
 
 Kotingo s childlike expression turned to a charm 
 ing frown. "No English," she said. Indicating by 
 gesture that she would return she left the room, and 
 presently her voice was heard, calling. She was 
 trying to throw together unfamilar consonants to 
 form the word "Johnnie." 
 
 It was not long before a boy of twelve put in an 
 appearance. He was barefooted, dressed in full 
 length overalls and a soft tan shirt, just as any 
 farmer child. While he explained that Kotingo must 
 watch the fire, but would soon return, Frances 
 studied him intently, wondering to what race of 
 mankind he belonged. He was not a Japanese, he 
 was not a Caucasian; she thought of unfamiliar 
 Asiatic peoples, Malay, or Korean or Aino. Then 
 the truth flashed upon her. She saw the character 
 istics of two races, and she realized that he was half 
 Aryan and half Mongolian. 
 
 (269)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 The Japanese influence was predominant, for that 
 side of his ancestry had been bred true to type cen 
 turies and centuries more than had the other. The 
 longer such a process continues the more firmly im 
 pregnated become the racial traits, while on the 
 other hand stock that has repeatedly taken in new 
 blood has no tendency to uniformly transmit any 
 qualities not common to all the forefathers. It is 
 an established principle of animal breeding that the 
 thoroughbred strain will prevail over the mongrel, 
 or the stronger of two pure breeds over the weaker. 
 The same truth applies to human beings, for after 
 all, the body in which we dwell is purely animal. 
 
 So there were in this Johnnie the cephalic index 
 of the yellow race, the straight, coarse hair, flat 
 tened nose, the almond, sloping eyes. Yet every 
 feature showed a little of the white; the very ease 
 with which he pronounced English words, and his 
 occassional gestures, proclaimed some Saxon blood. 
 
 "Do you go to school?" Frances asked, overcom 
 ing a stifling repugnance. To her he was something 
 unclean, an unnatural violation of the laws of the 
 universe. The instinct which lies against mating 
 with one s immediate family is only one of many 
 formulated to preserve the race. Perhaps the most 
 horrible thing which the human mind can conceive 
 is the nearly impossible but not absolutely unknown 
 cross between man and beast. Something of the 
 inborn horror which that thought induces follows 
 in the wake of a half-breed such as Johnnie, whose 
 
 (270)
 
 FRANCES AND KOTINGO 
 
 ancestral traits on either side are so distinct that 
 a compromise between them is impossible. 
 
 "We are having vacation," replied the boy. He 
 obviously recalled the thoughts of school life with 
 little pleasure. 
 
 "Do you live in Rosario? I have not seen you 
 before." 
 
 "I came from Los Angeles for the summer." 
 Home, too, seemed to bring back unpleasant recol 
 lections. So the tender hearted girl, trying to find 
 a safe subject, asked him what work he was doing. 
 
 "Grubbing salt bush," he answered. 
 
 "Do you like Eden Valley?" She was thinking 
 of the tenacious vine, half as large as the child, 
 which clings so closely to the tree trunks that no 
 plow can reach it; and of long hours spent in the 
 sun wielding a heavy mattock. 
 
 "I like the work," he said, "but not the people." 
 
 "Are you not treated well?" She was all concern. 
 
 "Nobody wants me." He was responding volu 
 bly to the first kind interest he could remember. 
 "The white men say that I am nothing but a dirty 
 coolie, they will not speak to me, and their children 
 are not allowed to play with me." 
 
 "And your own people?" 
 
 "Who are my own people?" The outcast had 
 brooded so long over what he was saying that words 
 came easily. "Those I live with are all too proud 
 to have anything to do with me; even my mother s 
 relatives would be ashamed to be seen where I am. 
 I work alone. I eat alone. If I try to talk, no one 
 
 (271)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 answers; if I try to play no one will let me come 
 near." 
 
 Frances was a woman before she was a philoso 
 pher. She drew a poor, crumpled, weeping lad to 
 her lap, and tried to comfort him, while there 
 dawned upon her an entirely new point in this com 
 plex situation. The south, she knew, was overrun 
 with half-breeds. The white man has left the same 
 trail of his presence scattered to the four corners 
 of the earth. But the superiority of the conqueror 
 is always recognized and accepted. His offspring 
 is raised among the mother s people and becomes 
 one of them, and is always a bit more respected be 
 cause of his quota of the nobler blood. Not so with 
 these proud Japanese, to whom their own race su 
 periority was a fetish. She remembered having 
 heard that even in Hawaii they preserved themselves 
 pure and intact to an incredible degree. Such a thing 
 is done only by a people who are, or believe them 
 selves to be, vastly superior. Then her thoughts 
 turned to the Gulf states again, and she was trying 
 to picture some proud, aristocratic family accepting 
 a mulatto, when the boy sprang guiltily to his feet, 
 for Kotingo was in the room. 
 
 "She says that I am to translate for her," he said, 
 after a few native words had been exchanged. 
 
 "Tell her that I came over as a friend to see how 
 she was living and to help her if I could." 
 
 Kotingo s welcome was warm and sincere. She 
 knew there was almost an inconceivable field wherein 
 the American could instruct her, a fact which neither 
 
 (272)
 
 FRANCES AND KOTINGO 
 
 precedent nor the vanity of her people forbade her 
 to admit. And while she was greedily storing her 
 mind with countless little everyday things which you 
 and I have grown to accept as matters of course, 
 but of which she was profoundly ignorant, Frances 
 was being rewarded by accumulating knowledge 
 which, though hardly useful, was picturesque and 
 interesting. 
 
 There were the chop-sticks, for instance, used by 
 all the latest arrivals. Those who had been long in 
 this country had adopted our cutlery, a fact which 
 was a distinct disappointment. Frances had un 
 knowingly counted on finding a bit of transplanted 
 Japan, while for the greater part what she really 
 saw was a crude attempt to imitate. As forks had 
 been adopted by some so also had chairs. Benches 
 were placed beside the dining table, but the girl did 
 obtain some solace when she learned that many of 
 those who used them sat cross-legged. 
 
 Out of respect to her the bathing had been dis 
 continued, so she was able to investigate the kitchen 
 and the back yard. She learned, partly from obser 
 vation, partly from direct questioning, that in the 
 care of their bodies, their hair, and their teeth, these 
 alien settlers were infinitely more particular than 
 are we. With their linen all were not so careful, 
 but here again the matter was largely determined 
 by the length of time the individuals had been in this 
 country. 
 
 Frances interest was less in observing how far 
 the aliens had adopted western ways than in search- 
 
 (273)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 ing for such native habits as they might still retain. 
 She had never studied them particularly, it is doubt 
 ful if she had even read a book devoted directly 
 to their institutions, but Winfield had so often talked 
 to her about them that she felt herself fairly well 
 acquainted with the customs and habits of thought 
 of the Japanese. In Edward she had found a sym 
 pathetic critic. He was too clever to blind himself 
 to their shortcomings, too cosmopolitan to endow 
 them either with faults or virtues they did not pos- 
 cess. The girl, of course, reflected his views. 
 
 The Japanese at home, as a nation, are sadly 
 lacking in the ability to cast aside serious thoughts 
 in their moments of leisure. Their pleasures 
 and recreations are heavy and ponderous, but 
 even such as they are, they had not been brought 
 across the ocean. Attempts to adapt themselves to 
 American pastimes were hardly successful, for our 
 sports have been evolved to meet our national char 
 acteristics and are worth while only if they become 
 an anodyne for troubles. Perhaps the idea could 
 be expressed by saying that our object is to become 
 carefree, theirs to attain proficiency. 
 
 Edward had many times pointed out to Frances 
 that comparisons between the two countries cannot 
 be other than unfair, because we are able to judge 
 only by our own standards. "Just think what would 
 happen," he had once said to her, "if we tried to 
 measure ourselves by theirs. Filial devotion, patri 
 otism, love of the beautiful, patience, self-sacrifice 
 and perseverance, piety, ceremonial observances, 
 
 (274)
 
 FRANCES AND KOTINGO 
 
 and courtesy, the world at large concedes that those 
 are admirable qualities. Would you care to have 
 the two civilizations ranked according to their rela 
 tive observation of them? Yet that is just as reason 
 able as to pick our best attributes and then condemn 
 the Japanese because they do not conform to them." 
 
 The quaint and the picturesque was to be found 
 in abundance, but only by search and segregation 
 from the sordid commonplace. Small kegs of rice 
 fastened in wisps of straw certainly held fascinating 
 suggestions, but the effect was weakened by placing 
 them on a shelf that also held canned tomatoes. 
 Two prints brought from home were on the wall. 
 One of these showed only a branch with the moon 
 in an upper corner, the other a sloping hillside with 
 a solitary tree. If one could disregard the other 
 articles in that dining room, there stood revealed 
 the handling of detail and the daintiness that has 
 made the Japanese as a race in their own way the 
 most artistic in the world. 
 
 In the bed chamber which Kotingo and Saishoto 
 were fortunate enough to have to themselves, there 
 was nothing not purely American, and yet the Japa 
 nese influence was so strong that Frances could 
 almost picture herself in the land of the cherry blos 
 som. On a cheap pine washstand stood a vase, a 
 simple one of clay, costing not over a dime. It con 
 tained two branches of honeysuckle, one of which 
 drooped over the edge, the other stood erect to a 
 height somewhat less than two feet. In that sim 
 plicity was revealed the national trait in art. No 
 
 ( 275 )
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 western housewife could have so arranged her flow 
 ers. She would not have had the training nor would 
 she have given the time and thought necessary to 
 obtain the effect, even had she been born with the 
 requisite eye for line and color. So it was with 
 the arrangement of the furniture. There was no 
 overcrowding, and yet the concomitant bare spaces 
 were pleasing and restful. Every article in the room 
 bore the proper relation to every other, revealing 
 unlimited patience and close attention to detail no 
 less than a highly developed temperament. 
 
 Kotingo opened a drawer, to show the few simple 
 possessions she had brought. A carved ivory ele 
 phant was typical of the nation s love of miniature. 
 But it told also of patience and care almost super 
 human, as well as of extraordinary finger skill and 
 technique. So it was with a couple of pieces of pot 
 tery and a bit of lacquer; simplicity in every sense, 
 in subject and treatment, in color and shape, above 
 all in arrangement. The greatest of her treasures 
 was a silk kimono, made and embroidered by hand. 
 It was a commentary on the nation that produced 
 it, revealing perseverance and attention to detail, 
 artistic perception and skill, the consideration given 
 small things, in a word, the soul of the nation. 
 
 As Frances wandered homeward she pondered 
 deeply on what she had seen. She felt that she 
 could now visualize what Edward had told her, that 
 she could now appreciate the best that was in these 
 little yellow men. And that best was not to be 
 belittled. Their inconsistencies perplexed her, their 
 
 (276)
 
 FRANCES AND KOTINGO 
 
 extreme frugality on one hand compared with a 
 lavish expenditure of time on the other, their seri 
 ousness of purpose contrasted with their carefree 
 and laughing loving natures. She was gifted with 
 the power of reason far more than are most women, 
 and her thoughts, running here and there at random, 
 eventually brought her two firm convictions. 
 
 The first of these was that a greater appreciation 
 of the Japanese did not entail a lessened antipathy 
 for them as neighbors and competitors. More 
 clearly than ever did she understand the injury they 
 could do her beloved California, injury without 
 recompense, for while the nobler attributes were 
 undisputedly lovely, by their very nature they were 
 incapable of being transmitted to or uplifting the 
 whites. 
 
 The other picture was an unlessened repugnance 
 of Johnnie. For years the shock of meeting him 
 had its effects on her sensitive nature, nor could she 
 hear any reference direct or indirect to the assimila 
 tion of the Japanese without there being recalled 
 the horror of her first impressions. 
 
 The result of the morning was to leave her more 
 firmly convinced than ever that the interlopers were 
 an unmitigated injury to the Pacific coast. And 
 granting the premises, she could not see why they 
 should be allowed to settle here, for she did not 
 recognize any obligation on her part to sacrifice 
 herself for them. And if the truth be told, there 
 are millions of others who are wondering why west- 
 
 ( 277 )
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 ern America should be called upon to help support 
 Nippon. 
 
 Youth and springtime swung her thoughts to her 
 self and to Robert. Without weakening any of her 
 own beliefs, the morning had brought her a greater 
 sympathy with his point of view. It was not that 
 she was seriously considering any change in her 
 own conduct, it was rather that she was understand 
 ing better why Robert had found his own course 
 so imperative. She was still weighing the matter 
 in her mind when she arrived at her home. 
 
 Ruth was in the kichen preparing lunch. So 
 Frances promptly filled a pan with potatoes, which 
 she proceeded to peel. 
 
 "I ve done something this morning which will 
 surprise you," said the elder sister, with a reminis 
 cent look in her eyes. 
 
 Ruth was reaching into the closet for some plates. 
 "What was it?" she asked, her mind on her work. 
 
 "I went to Yokohama to make a call on Kotingo." 
 
 The younger sister almost dropped her handful 
 of dishes. "Why?" was all she could articulate. 
 
 "Because I wanted to." There was no rebuff in 
 the answer. 
 
 Ruth emptied her hands and came across the 
 room. "Now tell me why?" she coaxed. "Was 
 Robert there?" 
 
 "No," half angrily. 
 
 "But he d something to do with it." 
 
 "Nothing at all. I went because oh, well, I 
 don t know, because " 
 
 (278)
 
 FRANCES AND KOTINGO 
 
 "Never mind, I know why. Are you two going 
 to make up?" 
 
 "I m not even considering it." 
 
 "I believe you are." Ruth gave her an affection 
 ate hug, and added as an afterthought, "I hope 
 you do." 
 
 But then she could not foresee any distractions or 
 complications. 
 
 (279)
 
 CHAPTER XXII 
 
 DOROTHY TIBBETTS WEDDING 
 
 A CCORDING to the law of chances," said 
 -^~*- Edward Winfield to Billy Evans, "supposing 
 it s one in five hundred that when a white girl and a 
 yellow man are thrown into contact, he will do her 
 some mental or physical injury; then if there are 
 nine Japanese in a school with twenty-eight girls, 
 the chance of some regrettable occurrence becomes 
 a trifle greater than one to two. If you assume that 
 this is annual, in a five year period the chance of 
 an unfortunate happening becomes over seven to 
 one, or almost a certainty." 
 
 "How do you figure that?" asked Evans. 
 
 "It s simple mathematics." 
 
 "Where do you get your starting point, your one 
 chance in five hundred?" 
 
 "I have to assume that. Just balance in your 
 mind one against five hundred, concentrate on what 
 a difference there is between the two, remember 
 what you know of the morals of one side and the 
 youthful foolishness of the other, and you will have 
 to admit that my assumption is conservative." 
 
 "You re right, unquestionably," said the engineer. 
 "What conclusion do you draw?" 
 
 "Only this, that every few years, from almost 
 every school situated as is ours, there s going to be 
 a terrible heart-break in some family. Mothers will 
 
 (280)
 
 DOROTHY TIBBETTS WEDDING 
 
 persist in exposing their daughters, or rather the 
 nation compels them to do so. The very people 
 who most obstinately blind themselves to the facts 
 are the ones to be most volubly shocked at the work 
 ing out of the laws of the universe." 
 
 "Then you think that something will happen in 
 Rosario?" 
 
 "Seven chances out of eight, Billy. There isn t 
 a ripple on the surface today, but no one knows how 
 rapidly we ve been exhausting our factors of safety." 
 
 "We ve already had one regrettable happening," 
 Bill objected. 
 
 "You mean when Sango frightened Ruth Coul 
 ters? That hardly counts, for it was a misunder 
 standing all around." 
 
 "It didn t seem such a trivial matter at the time." 
 
 "My one in a hundred means something real, not 
 just a mistake." 
 
 "What do you think of the Japanese question? 
 You appear to have studied it deeply." 
 
 "There is just one solution, unless the west is to 
 have a far more serious race problem than the south. 
 This country has to recognize, and make other 
 countries accept the fact, that it is a question of 
 race, not of citizenship. If we pass a law which 
 prohibits all people of Asiatic blood from coming 
 to this country, from settling here or owning land, 
 and do so frankly because they are Mongolian, 
 Malay, or Hindu, we are not excluding the citizens 
 per se of any country. If a large proportion of the 
 Japanese and Chinese are Mongolians, that is a 
 
 (281)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 mere coincidence. We will always welcome such 
 of them as are of Indo-Aryan origin. We will 
 exclude all Japanese, whether they are citizens of 
 Japan or not, all Chinese, whether citizens of China 
 or not, all Malays and Indians, whether citizens of 
 Great Britain or not, but we most decidedly do not 
 exclude all citizens of Japan, China, or Great Brit 
 ain. Citizenship has nothing to do with it, every 
 nation in the world is treated alike." 
 
 "But they tell us that if we do so and stick to it, 
 Japan will declare war," Billy suggested. 
 
 "There is far smaller probability of war if we 
 act at once and are consistent, than there would 
 be with a million or two Japanese on our coast, for 
 the more of them there are the more is their com 
 petition felt, the more desperate the whites become 
 the greater grows the friction, and hostilities thereby 
 become a certainty, for sooner or later her people 
 will suffer affronts that Japan will not overlook." 
 
 "How about our own citizens who are of Japa 
 nese blood? They are being born here by the thou 
 sand every year." 
 
 This conversation ended with the sudden appear 
 ance of Frances Coulters. Evans sprang to his feet, 
 even Winfield endeavored to rise, while both looked 
 at the girl for an explanation. 
 
 "It s about Dorothy Tibbetts," Frances began 
 breathlessly. "Mrs. Scott was looking for some 
 old patterns of hers in Dorothy s room, and came 
 across a bundle of letters, all in one handwriting 
 and all postmarked Seattle. The addresses looked 
 
 (282)
 
 DOROTHY TIBBETTS WEDDING 
 
 so queer, so unlike any other writing she had ever 
 seen, that Mrs. Scott became suspicious. She 
 opened one of the leters and read it. They were all 
 from Takase; Dorothy is to meet him in Seattle, 
 to marry him." 
 
 Frances dropped into a chair and began to weep 
 quietly. "She is such a sweet girl," she managed 
 to say. 
 
 "What are your father and mother doing?" Ed 
 ward asked her. 
 
 "Father had some business in San Diego and 
 mother went with him. Ruth and I were alone 
 when Mrs. Scott came over, and I didn t let my 
 sister hear a word." 
 
 "How about Donald?" 
 
 "Bessie has gone for him, but he s in Eulalia 
 looking at pasture. It ll be hours before they get 
 back. So I came to you." 
 
 "Drive Frances over to the school," said Win- 
 field to Evans. "I believe she can talk Dorothy 
 out of this and no one in Rosario ever be the wiser. 
 If you can t do that," he continued, turning to the 
 girl, "under no circumstances let her leave you until 
 Donald returns. Billy will help you if necessary. 
 Now hurry, but before you go tell me where I can 
 find Dorothy s mother." 
 
 "She s in the town of Glendale, north of Los 
 Angeles." 
 
 "Do you know her first name?" 
 
 "No, Dorothy has never mentioned it to me." 
 (283)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 "Never mind, I will reach her any way. That s 
 all. You won t forget what you have to do?" 
 
 "You ll find us together no matter where she 
 goes." 
 
 Winfield summoned his nurse as soon as they had 
 left him. "Daggett, run down to the village as fast 
 as you can. Get the Los Angeles Taxicab Co. on 
 the telephone, ask for Mr. Reardon, and tell him 
 to find a Mrs. Tibbetts in Glendale. The Mrs. Tib- 
 betts we want is the mother of our school teacher. 
 Have him tell her that she must drop everything 
 and come at once, because her daughter needs her 
 terribly. Tell Reardon to disregard all speed laws, 
 and to bring the old lady here just as fast as he can. 
 He knows me and he will do precisely what he s 
 told. Then try to talk to Mrs. Tibbetts over the 
 wire. Tell her who I am, that I cannot explain to 
 her, for I m not even telling you. Do you under 
 stand what to say to her?" 
 
 "Yes sir, I think so, sir." 
 
 "As you go out, tell Val to answer my bell. It s 
 a fine thing," he contiued to himself, "to be as help 
 less as a baby in such an emergency as this. Well, 
 Mrs. Tibbetts should be here between three and 
 four, Donald will be back about the same time, and 
 Frances won t leave Dorothy. I know the breed. 
 If that little teacher slips by all those people, Billy 
 and I will stop her by force if necessary. The most 
 that can be done to us is to be fined a few dollars 
 for abduction or false imprisonment, or whatever 
 it will be called. If she should escape us all and 
 
 (284)
 
 DOROTHY TIBBETTS WEDDING 
 
 leave Rosario, Sam could still stop her in San 
 Diego. 
 
 "So much for the time being, but this must be 
 made a permanent job. Allowing everything pos 
 sible for the girl s being in love, I am sure she can t 
 stand up against the battery that is to open on her 
 this afternoon. Some women might, but never Dor 
 othy. Still it can do no harm to have a couple of 
 detectives shadow her for the next few months, 
 although I know that it s not necessary. In the 
 meantime, I ll get a report on this Takase. I ll 
 buy him off in some way if I can. As a last resource, 
 I ll have him deported, on a trumped up charge if 
 I have to. After all, money and influence are good 
 things to fall back upon at times." 
 
 When Frances and Billy reached the school house, 
 Dorothy was not to be found. She had gone home 
 during the morning recess, they learned, and was 
 still away. 
 
 The children didn t know what to do, so they were 
 playing about listlessly, waiting for their teacher. 
 Without delay Frances and her escort drove to 
 Donald s home, watching for Dorothy on the way. 
 They didn t meet her, neither was she at the Scott 
 place. After a hurried search of the empty house, 
 Frances rushed upstairs to Dorothy s room. It 
 looked as though a tornado had swept through it. 
 Drawers were opened and half emptied, articles of 
 wearing apparel were scattered about indiscrimi 
 nately, the closet door was ajar, furniture was awry, 
 everything indicated frantic haste. 
 
 (285)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 "She s gone," panted Frances, hurrying back to 
 the buggy. "Drive to the station as fast as you can. 
 She must have seen that her letters had been opened, 
 and so she s running away." 
 
 "The train has already gone," said Evans, look 
 ing at his watch. 
 
 "Never mind, it may be late. And anyway, we 
 must make sure." 
 
 They missed the train by many minutes. The sta 
 tion-master told them that Dorothy was aboard. 
 She had driven up with one of Donald s horses, 
 which the agent had obligingly promised to return 
 in the evening. She had brought three heavy suit 
 cases, for he remembered helping her put them on 
 the car, and he had sold her a one way ticket to 
 San Diego. It had all seemed very queer to him, 
 but he d not felt that it was his place to ask questions. 
 
 "It s not altogether unfortunate that your father 
 is in San Diego," said Billy. "Do you know where 
 we can reach him at this hour?" 
 
 "He ll be at the King Philip hotel. Drive back 
 to the village." 
 
 Frances was nearly wild before she was in com 
 munication with the hotel. 
 
 "Is this Mr. Bredford?" she asked. "Frances 
 Coulters is speaking. Is my father there? My 
 mother, then? Do you know where they are? Could 
 you find them if you sent out for them? Are you 
 sure? Then I m going to trust you with a message. 
 You will absolutely never mention it to a soul? 
 Thank you, I know you will not. Write this down : 
 
 (286)
 
 DOROTHY TIBBETTS WEDDING 
 
 Our school teacher, Miss Tibbetts, left Rosario 
 for San Diego on the noon train. She is running 
 away to marry Takase, a Japanese store-keeper in 
 Seattle. Father and mother must meet that train, 
 and they must stop her. Oh, will you really? I can 
 never thank you enough. You do? Well, good 
 bye, and thank you again." 
 
 "He says," Frances had replaced the receiver and 
 turned to Billy, "that since it s so very important 
 he ll turn the desk over to his clerk, and find father 
 himself. Mr. Bredford is so nice." 
 
 From the time that Mrs. Scott had burst in with 
 the agonizing news until Dorothy s flight was dis 
 covered, Frances had been a slightly rattled and 
 badly frightened girl, eager to drop her burden on 
 the shoulders of others. But no sooner had she 
 left that disordered room than she had taken upon 
 herself the leadership of the whole affair. She en 
 deavored to do as would have been done by the 
 father whom she so greatly admired. Partly from 
 association and heredity, partly from conscious imi 
 tation, she was thinking and acting, even to little de 
 tails, so exactly like Sam that Billy slipped in under 
 the spell, and found himself taking orders just as 
 unhesitatingly as though it were Coulters in person 
 who was directing. 
 
 Indeed, it required an effort to suggest to her 
 that men in business were trained to take no chances, 
 and that it seemed as though she were depending 
 altogether too much upon Bredford s being able to 
 find her father. 
 
 (287)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 "He is sure to," she answered. "He knows that 
 father is keeping an appointment with Mr. Barlow, 
 and he heard father promise mother that the very 
 minute they left the bank they would go to the Fifth 
 Street department store. I know mother when she 
 is shopping; she will keep father there an hour." 
 
 "I guess it s safe," Billy admitted. "Suppose we 
 go back to Edward and report?" 
 
 Winfield accepted very calmly their explanation 
 of how they had failed to carry out instructions. 
 After Edward had told of having sent for Mrs. 
 Tibbetts, and after both men had praised Frances 
 until she blushed, it was arranged that Billy should 
 drive to the village and get in touch with Sam and 
 tell him about Mrs. Tibbetts coming. Then Evans 
 was to pick up Ruth, and the four would have 
 luncheon with Winfield. In the meantime, Daggett 
 would wait at Donald s house to bring back both 
 the Scotts as soon as they arrived. 
 
 It was a long time before Ruth and Evans ap 
 peared. Billy could not get San Diego on the wire 
 at all at first, so he had gone for Ruth. On the way 
 back he talked to the clerk of the King Philip hotel. 
 Bredford had left word that he had been unable to 
 reach Sam, for the Coulters had suddenly changed 
 their plans and had left for home on the early after 
 noon train. 
 
 "Then they and Dorothy have crossed," wailed 
 Frances. She pulled herself together in a moment. 
 "I m going to tell Rutherford White. He will stop 
 her for us, I know he will." 
 
 (288)
 
 DOROTHY TIBBETTS WEDDING 
 
 But in an hour or so she returned, having been 
 unable to locate White. He was somewhere in the 
 city, but neither in his office nor in any of his accus 
 tomed haunts was a trace of him to be found. 
 
 Before the next move had been as much as 
 thought of there was a cloud of dust in the garden, 
 the squeak of brakes and the rattle of machinery. 
 A nervous, fragile little woman, tired and travel- 
 stained, could hardly wait long enough to alight be 
 fore asking for Dorothy. Ruth and Frances took 
 her to a room upstairs, where they cleaned and 
 freshened her while they broke the news. Billy and 
 Edward, meanwhile, were looking into each other s 
 haggard faces, steadily and silently. Presently there 
 came from above a scream indescribably suggestive 
 of mental agony. It was followed by the noise of 
 weeping, subdued, long-continued sobbing. Win- 
 field s sensitive nature responded to every sound, 
 and even Evans, hardened slave driver that he was, 
 no longer tried to check the tears that were rolling 
 down his cheeks. 
 
 Edward rang his bell and Val appeared. "I want 
 Harper," said the master. When the ranch fore 
 man came in, Edward gave him his orders in a few 
 curt words. "Mr. and Mrs. Scott are coming down 
 from Eulalia. Go with Reardon to meet them. I 
 want him to bring them to me. You are to drive 
 their horses home. Then I want Reardon to meet 
 the San Diego train and bring the Coulters here." 
 
 "Can you imagine anything more awful," he con 
 tinued, after the man was gone, "than for this girl 
 
 (289 )
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 to have no one to talk to through life except Takase, 
 to forever see him only across her table, to submit 
 to his caresses by day and by night " 
 
 "We have got to stop this." Billy was listening 
 no less to Edward than to the agony from the room 
 overhead. 
 
 "We will, if my money and your strength can 
 do it." 
 
 It wasn t long before the arrival of the others, 
 the Scotts and the Coulters. The girls brought Mrs. 
 Tibbetts down to join the council of war. Plan 
 after plan was brought up and discussed, the while 
 everyone waited until Sam should promulgate his 
 ideas. 
 
 "The girl must be arrested," he said at length. 
 "Surely there is some small bill that remains unpaid. 
 We ll charge her with leaving the state with intent 
 to defraud her creditors. The police 
 
 "No ! You shall not. My girl shall not be ar 
 rested like a common thief. Do you think I could 
 consent to having a policeman touch her, perhaps 
 put her in jail?" 
 
 Frances and Mary Coulters placated the old lady, 
 and they even persuaded her to promise to swear 
 out the warrant. Meanwhile, Billy and Sam fell 
 to discussing avenues of escape. "If she goes 
 by sea," said Evans, "she must stop in San Fran 
 cisco, and if by land she will have to go on the 
 Southern Pacific, through Sacramento. If we have 
 those two points watched she can t escape." 
 
 (290)
 
 DOROTHY TIBBETTS WEDDING 
 
 "She owes us a few weeks board," said Donald. 
 "Will that do as a pretext for her arrest?" 
 
 "Yes," said Sam. "Assign it to Mrs. Tibbetts; 
 if the child is stopped by her own mother it will 
 hurt her the least." 
 
 So everything was settled. Mary Coulters took 
 the little widow with her, while the others scattered 
 to their homes or to their apportioned work. Ed 
 ward and Billy undertook to put private detectives 
 on Dorothy s trail, and Sam was to set in motion 
 the machinery of the law. Places were gone over 
 and checked again. No loophole was left that even 
 an experienced criminal could have found. Then 
 everyone concerned waited patiently until the net 
 should close on the teacher and bring her back to, 
 her loving friends. 
 
 As the days slipped by with no word from the 
 fugitive, the little group in Rosario grew more and 
 more perplexed, though only the mother was really 
 worried. Two weeks passed, during which every 
 steamer, train and auto stage was watched. The 
 dens of Tijuana were searched, San Diego itself 
 raked as with a comb, and every seaport and 
 every point of exit from the state were guarded. 
 In the meantime, Takase had been arrested, his 
 admission papers had been held faulty, and he had 
 been deported. 
 
 Another fortnight passed before a cablegram 
 from Yokohama unravelled the mystery. An hour 
 after reaching San Diego, with no one the wiser, 
 Dorothy had steamed out of the harbor on a tramp 
 
 (291)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 schooner bound for Mazatlan. There she had tran 
 shipped to a liner which took her straight to Japan. 
 Takase had met and married her the moment she 
 put foot on shore. 
 
 One can hardly regret that her subsequent fate 
 is unknown. Edward Winfield had investigations 
 made, but he carried to his own grave the secret 
 of those revelations. Poor Dorothy! 
 
 The last chapter of this tragedy was written the 
 day the cablegram arrived. Late that evening the 
 door of Winfield s den opened quietly to admit a 
 pitiful wreck of manhood. 
 
 "I saw your light," Charles Essing began, apolo 
 getically. But he could not control himself. "Is 
 this true what I hear about Dorothy?" 
 
 "I m afraid it is, old man, absolutely true." 
 
 "Take this!" Essing tossed a large envelope into 
 the invalid s lap, and disappeared into the night. 
 
 Edward found in the package a short note, asking 
 him to dispose of the Essing homestead as best he 
 could and send the proceeds to a Mrs. Charles Es 
 sing, Sr., at an address given in Kennebunk, Maine. 
 Accompanying this request was a perfectly executed 
 deed for the property running from Charles Essing 
 to Edward Winfield. 
 
 There will be no postscript describing a desolate 
 home in Glendale, for the simple reason that no one 
 reading could appreciate, even in part, the suffer 
 ings of that heart-broken widow. 
 
 (292)
 
 CHAPTER XXIII 
 THE OTHER WOMAN 
 
 Rancho Rosario dated from the days of the 
 -*- Spaniards. The original grant included the en 
 tire valley, and league upon league of the surround 
 ing hills. Cattle and horses in great herds, with 
 burros and mules in lesser numbers, grazed over this 
 vast acreage, were in fact its only product. When 
 the development of the state and the concurrent in 
 crease in taxation had made the cattle industry un 
 profitable, this great rancho succumbed to the same 
 fate that had overtaken many another it fell into 
 the hands of land speculators, and was subdivided 
 into five and ten acre tracts. 
 
 Once upon a time the central group of buildings 
 had housed a hundred souls, but years and the ele 
 ments had changed adobe walls back again into 
 adobe fields. There remained only one building, a 
 comparatively modern frame cottage, to connect the 
 present with the past. From time to time improve 
 ments had been made that brought this house more 
 nearly up to date, but even so, only at rare intervals 
 was it occupied by its owners. 
 
 When there arrived several wagon loads of fur 
 niture consigned to the old ranch house, the Rosar- 
 ians were not surprised that once again the place had 
 been rented. In due course, there came a number of 
 trunks, accompanied by two servants, and for days 
 
 (293)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 there proceeded the work of installation. Then, 
 late one afternoon, a large touring car drew up be 
 fore the cottage, and the Richardsons of Chicago 
 were duly installed in their new home. 
 
 Mr. Richardson remained only a day or two, just 
 long enough to see his wife settled, and to satisfy 
 himself that she would be properly cared for by 
 Dr. Hollington. She had broken down, explained 
 the husband, under the strain of a life of pleasure, 
 and had been exiled for a six-month period of rest. 
 
 Soon the residents of the valley became accus 
 tomed to the sight of an open car wandering about 
 their roads. Few people could as much as claim a 
 speaking acquaintance with Mrs. Richardson, and 
 yet all were proud that among them there was such 
 a handsomely gowned woman, such an aristocrat. 
 She was not strikingly pretty, and besides ten years 
 of late hours and mild dissipation had left their 
 signatures across her features. Nature had been 
 neither stingy nor prodigal with her, for while there 
 was nothing about either face or figure that repelled, 
 even remotely, there was little that was strongly at 
 tractive, unless it were her eyes. They were soft, 
 alluring, fascinating, they spoke alternately interest, 
 admiration, wonder, or sympathy at the owner s will, 
 and when they flashed upon a man they always 
 thrilled him, and usually made him try to bring back 
 their light once more. That may have been nature 
 or it may have been art, for in art the lady left small 
 room for improvement. Her complexion was the 
 result of two hours of daily work, her teeth were as 
 
 (294)
 
 THE OTHER WOMAN 
 
 perfect as dentistry could make them, small, regu 
 lar, and brilliantly white. Her hair was a constant 
 tribute to her maid, her clothes accentuated every 
 thing desirable about her figure; in a word, her 
 grooming was complete, for she had the happy 
 faculty of combining style with good taste. 
 
 Dr. Hollington was thrown closely in contact with 
 her by his daily visits. Treating such an obscure 
 ailment as hers was not a matter of taking temper 
 ature and pulse or of prescribing drugs. He had to 
 talk with her about little intimate things of life, to 
 urge her, often to compel her to do as he wished. 
 His stronger will so readily conquered hers that 
 she soon found herself depending on his advice and 
 support in matters not even remotely connected with 
 hygiene. She reciprocated to the limit of her ability 
 by the interest she showed in his work, an interest 
 which more often than not resulted in her visiting 
 his sick and doing whatever she could for them, 
 whether reading to them, or giving an outing to 
 them, or taking delicacies to them. 
 
 Robert was in love with Frances, and furthermore 
 he was a man of intense singleness of purpose. For 
 him there was no other woman, there could be none. 
 Mrs. Richardson was fascinating, perhaps her great 
 est charm lay in the extreme development of the 
 feminine side of her nature, and yet to Robert she 
 was sexless. Though he attempted no critical an 
 alysis of her, he could not help realizing that vanity 
 was her ruling passion. He recognized her type as 
 one with which he had once been somewhat familiar, 
 
 (295)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 knew in a vague way that her married life had been 
 a long series of small triumphs, that she had always 
 had at her beck and call at least one more or less 
 devoted suitor, and that even in her present seclusion 
 it was highly probable that a new admirer would 
 spring out of the new environment. To have thought 
 that he himself would be the one to be singled out 
 for the purpose would have required a more liberal 
 allotment of conceit and self-consciousness than he 
 possessed. 
 
 So he unsuspiciously accepted at its face value her 
 freely given help. He grew to believe that her but 
 terfly existence had been forced upon her, as she 
 proved to him by hard work that her natural instincts 
 lay in the direction of making her life of value to 
 herself and to others. She kept very much aloof 
 from him, kept their relations as impersonal as cir 
 cumstances would permit, the while there grew in 
 him, he could not have told how, a feeling that she 
 was very sorry for him for being buried out in this 
 neck of the world, for missing not merely the pleas 
 ures that large cities offer, but also the substantial 
 rewards that his undoubted ability would have won 
 in any of the great centers of population. So it was 
 with subtle sympathy and subtle flattery that Mrs. 
 Richardson started her campaign to bring to her feet 
 the most attractive unattached man in the neighbor 
 hood. At the proper time she allowed Robert to 
 understand that her husband had not been as atten 
 tive as he should have been, that the married couple- 
 were not congenial. Never by any chance did a 
 
 (296)
 
 THE OTHER WOMAN 
 
 word of criticism pass her lips, nor was a suggestion 
 of the sort made directly; on the contrary Robert 
 did not believe that she even suspected him of know 
 ing the secret. 
 
 Pearl Richardson was a woman whose actions 
 had always been above reproach. None of her vic 
 tims had ever had a touch, a look, or a word of af 
 fection, except in the most motherly sort of way. 
 Playing the game as she played it, it was necessary 
 not only to remain undefiled, but to be generally 
 credited with so doing. The companionship of 
 women must be cultivated, in spite of the fact that 
 to one of her type womankind had little to offer. 
 Mrs. Coulters and her daughters must be placed un 
 der such a debt of obligation that even if their 
 friendship was not won they would still be estopped 
 from passing judgment upon her. It was not at all 
 difficult for Mrs. Richardson to cooperate with 
 Mary Coulters in care of the sick and in many acts 
 of mercy. The daily drive in the big car was pre 
 scribed and it soon became more customary than 
 not for Mrs. Coulters, and often one if not both 
 of her daughters, to be seen in the tonneau. They 
 all became very much attached to my lady bounti 
 ful, for she was alluring and sympathetic, and 
 willing to put herself to any amount of trouble in 
 her unselfish efforts to help others. 
 
 All the time this cold, calculating woman was 
 protecting herself against attack from the rear. So 
 skilfully did she intrench herself that even when 
 Frances grew to dislike her, no suspicion of insin- 
 
 (297)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 cerity flashed through the young girl s mind. In 
 deed, there was not one of the women who estab 
 lished public opinion in Rosario but had found Mrs. 
 Richardson at all times graciously condescending, at 
 all times loyal in her praise of her husband, at all 
 times willing to do hard work with no apparent mo 
 tive other than goodness of heart. Had the occa 
 sion ever arisen which demanded a champion for 
 her, there would have been no dearth, but her part 
 had been played too well for such a necessity to 
 arise. There were few people in Eden Valley who 
 would accept favors unless they could repay with a 
 loyalty both of word and thought. 
 
 Just how a conquest which could only be on the 
 surface, which was never intended to be deeper, one 
 which was a tribute to skilful manipulation rather 
 than personal attractiveness, one which from its 
 very nature was but a pretense, could satisfy the 
 craving of vanity, is something which a normal mind 
 can grasp only with difficulty. It must be a form of 
 degeneracy, a mild and by no means uncommon 
 form resulting from the overdevelopment of 
 woman s longing for admiration. With the man of 
 her choice at her feet, no matter by what means he 
 may have been brought there and without regard to 
 what significance is to be attached to his presence, 
 her object is realized. Even though she knows that 
 she has won nothing, her craving is gratified by ap 
 pearances if the setting be artistically perfect. 
 
 His own simple honesty was Robert s only pro 
 tection against this subtlety. The first stage of his 
 
 (298)
 
 THE OTHER WOMAN 
 
 relationship with Mrs. Richardson was purely pro 
 fessional, the second came when he gladly embraced 
 the opportunity she offered of bringing care and 
 comforts to his sick. The third step unfolded slowly, 
 coincidentally with her attentions to the women of 
 Rosario. It found Robert on the basis of an inti 
 mate friend, coming freely to give or to receive 
 advice. Then she endeavored to carry this friend 
 ship to a point where she would be indispensable to 
 him. 
 
 She found if she concealed it sufficiently that he 
 was readily susceptible to flattery. Accordingly she 
 fed it to him as rapidly as she dared, though always 
 indirectly. She knew that no male of his age but 
 was proud to be seen in the company of a truly sty 
 lish woman, so she indulged him in that vanity, the 
 more readily since she perceived the extra effort he 
 was making in the care of his own person. She 
 played upon his solitary condition by offering him 
 the sociability and the many little refinements of life 
 to which his early training had accustomed him. She 
 studied his tastes in order to met them, in dress as 
 well as in conversation. Other women would have 
 understood that many a pose had been carefully re 
 hearsed, mentally at least, that when she draped 
 herself in an archway or became the foreground of 
 an enticing picture the effects had been carefully 
 studied in advance, but no man, least of all Robert, 
 would have seen anything beyond the general result. 
 
 With all this, she would have had to have ad 
 mitted failure had it been her nature to analyze. 
 
 ( 299 )
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 The most conspicuous sign of defeat lay in her bring 
 ing Frances name into the conversation. Whenever 
 Mrs. Richardson found the doctor s interest begin 
 ning to lag she would revive it by relating some 
 incident connected with the Coulters family, and it 
 was the hearing of these, or more often the mere 
 hope of so doing, that frequently dragged him from 
 his study or his experiments. Another confession 
 came from her treatment of him in public, especially 
 if close friends of the Coulters happened to be pres 
 ent. She would often show a little familiarity of 
 manner, perhaps in the way she touched his arm, or 
 it might be only in brushing a fleck of dust from his 
 coat collar, but always there was given an impres 
 sion of ownership, even while she knew the whole 
 proceeding was grating the victim himself. 
 
 Of course, the affair created a furore in Rosario. 
 The good people of the valley had never before 
 seen anything of the kind, and they did not under 
 stand. Pearl Richardson had established her alibis 
 with such pains that she was the target of al 
 most no criticism. Her life was an open book to all, 
 her character had been proven by her actions, and 
 she was at the worst a victim of circumstances. 
 Robert was the one who was censured, who was ac 
 cused of everything from making a fool of himself 
 to planning deliberately to take advantage of the 
 husband s absence. As time went on the incident 
 cost the young man more of his remaining friends 
 than he could well afford to lose. A year before 
 there would have been any number to have warned 
 
 (300)
 
 THE OTHER WOMAN 
 
 him, but so greatly had he been misjudged during 
 that twelve months, so bitterly had he been blamed 
 for the aid he had given the Japanese, that no one 
 took it upon himself even so much as to let him 
 know that his conduct was disapproved. 
 
 Edward Winfield would have set him right at 
 once, but Edward was away from home. Clem 
 Harding tried to speak of the matter, but could not 
 do so, and there were many others who had the doc 
 tor s interests at heart, but who, for one reason or 
 another, kept silent. So Robert went serenely on 
 his way, conscious of his own rectitude, knowing that 
 neither by act nor thought had he transgressed even 
 the strictest rules of propriety. It was not his 
 nature to wonder how any act of his would appear 
 to others, never had he asked himself what he would 
 think if he were on the outside looking in on a man 
 doing just as he was doing. He knew that he had 
 set his standards much higher than the world de 
 manded, knew that he lived up to them more un 
 swervingly than any ordinary person, so he never 
 dreamed that if he met his own tests any outsiders 
 would as much as question what he had passed. 
 
 Frances understood the situation better than any 
 one else in the valley, for in San Clemente she had 
 seen and heard discussed episodes not altogether dif 
 ferent. Furthermore, she knew Hollington s char 
 acter well enough to appreciate that he might be 
 absolutely innocent and still act just as he was doing. 
 Nevertheless, she was so disappointed in him and so 
 
 (301)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 hurt that she did not judge him fairly. We glory 
 in the imperious pride of our womankind. When a 
 girl like Frances is hurt she becomes angry, and if 
 we are to be consistent and honor her for her pride, 
 then we must not censure her because she does not 
 calmly lay it aside the moment it is attacked. 
 
 If she had reasoned she might or might not have 
 held Robert blameless, but she certainly would have 
 remembered that he had no grounds for suspecting 
 that she had seriously thought of sending for him. 
 Of course, she denied to herself, denied vehemently, 
 that she had ever more than lightly considered such 
 a course, attributing her feeling on the subject to his 
 unpardonable conduct in so placing her that she 
 could not do this if she chose. His attachment for 
 her had been so well known that she was furiously 
 angry because she believed his lightly taking up this 
 other affair exposed her to ridicule. If she felt as 
 she did towards Robert, towards Mrs. Richardson 
 her heart held hatred none the less bitter because 
 it must be carefully masked. It is almost an axiom 
 that women cannot compete in friendly rivalry, either 
 in business or in love. In this case, Frances was 
 sure that all the fault lay with the other woman, 
 intuition told her as much, though she did not ever 
 voice the belief nor try to prove it even to herself. 
 
 The inconsistency of maidenhood! She was 
 angry with Robert, though she did not blame him. 
 She resolved to punish him because he cared for 
 another, and yet her punishment took such form that 
 
 (302)
 
 THE OTHER WOMAN 
 
 it would hurt only in case he still loved her as of old. 
 Since her return from San Clemente she had hardly 
 spoken to Billy Evans. A sense of loyalty towards 
 Robert, or some other undefinable feeling that it 
 would not be right, had kept her from his company. 
 But from now on she was continually seen with the 
 engineer, often in the Richardsons car, almost al 
 ways where Mrs. Richardson might observe them, 
 and, strangely enough, invariably accompanied by 
 Ruth. 
 
 Frances, even in anger, could not have injured an 
 innocent outsider. If her offended girlhood clam 
 ored for reparation that must be paid by the person 
 at fault, and by no other. For a hundred centuries 
 it has been the virgin s privilege to treat her suitor 
 as she chooses; Frances felt no compunction what 
 ever for Hollington. She may have promised her 
 self to take out her revenge on any man she could, 
 but in the last analysis her character was too fine, 
 her sense of justice too strong. So, while she en 
 couraged Billy to be with her, she let him see, from 
 the very outset, that there had been no change in 
 her feelings. She endeavored in every possible way 
 to repay him by being entertaining and by doing 
 things to interest him, and, if he were not satisfied 
 with that, she was prepared to forego her entire 
 program. And because she feared that in spite of 
 every possible precaution her being alone with him 
 might reawaken his passion, she planned that there 
 should always be others with them. 
 
 (303 )
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 Billy was happy. The mine was running so 
 smoothly that he had plenty of leisure, so he talked 
 with Frances apparently content, flirted with Ruth, 
 and openly made love to Mrs. Richardson whenever 
 the opportunity offered, and so drifted on through 
 the long summer days. 
 
 (304)
 
 CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 THE COLLAPSE OF DONALD SCOTT 
 
 home of the Scotts was one of the oldest 
 -*- and best maintained in Rosario. The bunga 
 low itself was small and the garden would hardly 
 have crowded an unpretentious city lot, but the 
 charm was in no way dependent on size. From 
 the shape and color of the house to the selection 
 and blending of the plants, everything proclaimed 
 the individuality of the owners. 
 
 There were five rooms downstairs and one above, 
 the latter snuggling in among the rafters. The roof 
 ran with a graceful lessening pitch from the central 
 gable to the generous overhang beyond the porch, 
 where it was supported by small pillars spaced some 
 ten feet apart. The building was painted a rather 
 light green and trimmed with white. The color 
 scheme was of relative unimportance, however, for 
 the little cottage was fairly buried under a mass of 
 bougainvillea, honeysuckle, and climbing rose. Bes 
 sie had deliberately tried to obtain the impression 
 that the structure itself was merely an arbor to hold 
 the vines. The necessity of trimming the windows 
 and the doorways had lessened this illusion, but 
 there were places in the garden from which it was 
 almost realized. 
 
 Surrounding the house was a thick hedge of cher- 
 okee rose, which enclosed the entire garden, except- 
 
 (305)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 ing the two palms that guarded the gateway. They 
 had been but waist high when planted, long years 
 before, on a day never mentioned but never forgot 
 ten, when Bessie had taken one and Donald the 
 other, and bride and groom had simultaneously set 
 the augury of their new home. Season after season 
 the dead leaves had fallen back on the trunks, while 
 the new growth, ever coming through the top, had 
 climbed to a height that now exceeded thirty feet. 
 
 The garden itself was a hodge-podge of sizes. 
 There were three or four ornamental trees that at 
 one time had just fitted some bare spot, but were 
 now grown out of all proportion to the yard, and 
 were spaced with no apparent regard for each other. 
 There were some clumps of papyrus almost as tall 
 as Donald, some rose bushes surrounded by circles 
 of cobble, and beds of pansies, of carnations, and 
 geraniums, of sweet-peas and nasturtiums found a 
 resting place against otherwise unoccupied walls. 
 Now and again would appear an odd plant or flower, 
 a gift or a souvenir, or just a fancy of the owner. 
 
 Underfoot, paths ran about aimlessly. There 
 was no lawn, not even a weed, just the bare adobe 
 baked hard, almost without shade beyond the con 
 fines of the porch. But the flowers throve in the 
 bright sunlight, color was everywhere, and a warmth 
 of welcome awaited the wayfarer who entered the 
 gates. 
 
 Such was the home of the Scotts. The pair were 
 seated on their porch one Sunday afternoon. Bessie 
 had been reading, but her attention was obviously 
 
 (306)
 
 THE COLLAPSE OF DONALD SCOTT 
 
 more on her husband than on her magazine. At 
 last she laid down the publication. 
 
 "I know you re having trouble," she said. "But 
 you ve not told me what it is. I suppose from your 
 sitting there hour after hour with a paper and pen 
 cil, that you re figuring money matters. Whatever 
 has happened, and no matter how serious or un 
 pleasant it may be, tell me all about it so that we 
 can meet it together." 
 
 Donald laid aside the sheet that he had covered 
 with small numbers. 
 
 "Did you ever hear of a potato bug?" he asked. 
 
 "Yes; have they hurt our crop?" 
 
 "They have ruined it." 
 
 "Oh, Donald, what are we going to do?" 
 
 "That s what I am studying. If Dorothy were 
 paying her board and if we d been able to sell our 
 potatoes for any fair amount, we would still not 
 have had sufficient money, but we would have had 
 nearly enough. What is the least we can possibly 
 spend on ourselves until our orange crop is sold? 
 Two hundred and fifty dollars?" 
 
 "We can try. I believe we can make it." 
 
 "Then there are our notes to meet, the bill for 
 the seed potato must be paid, and our share of the 
 spraying. There are taxes and interest on the mort 
 gage and farm expenses. Altogether it adds to 
 eighteen hundred and seventy-five dollars." 
 
 "What are you thinking of doing?" 
 
 "I ll go to San Diego tomorrow to see Farring. 
 (307)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 He bought our mortgage from the California 
 Bank" 
 
 "Donald, you didn t tell me that!" 
 
 "I didn t wish to worry you. I can handle the 
 debt when it matures, for it has still a long time 
 to run and the amount is very small, so small indeed 
 that I believe Farring will let me have two thousand 
 dollars more." 
 
 "I ve always understood that Barlow would not 
 sell these mortgages." 
 
 "His board of directors took the matter over his 
 head and compelled him to do so." 
 
 Scott easily found the firm of Farring and Har 
 vey. Farring was a typical example of those brokers 
 whose greatest asset is a consistent ability to meet 
 every newcomer as though the latter were an old 
 friend and a valued client. If Farring listened with 
 the utmost sympathy to Donald s request, and gave 
 the appearance of being more than anxious to grant 
 it, that was force of habit, nothing more. When 
 the agent explained that he couldn t do as he was 
 asked, if he added that he undoubtedly would have 
 done so, and have done so gladly, had the mort 
 gage not already passed out of his hands, that was 
 second nature pure and simple. He looked up his 
 records to find that the present holder was Mc- 
 Gowan, the lawyer. 
 
 It was with a heavy heart that the farmer crossed 
 the blocks that lay between him and the law office 
 that was fast becoming notorious. He went because 
 there was still a chance that the attorney was acting 
 
 (308)
 
 THE COLLAPSE OF DONALD SCOTT 
 
 for some one other than Hanba. Scott climbed the 
 wooden stairs of a building that had been the pride 
 of the city some thirty years before. The halls were 
 wide and clean, but there was little light and no 
 ventilation; the impression of an old-time prison 
 went with him into the office rooms beyond. Mc- 
 Gowan was out, and was not expected for another 
 hour; the law clerk could not even consider divulg 
 ing any further information. So Donald, having 
 nothing further to do, sat in a chair and waited. 
 
 There was an interminable delay before the attor 
 ney returned. He listened patiently to the recital 
 and at its conclusion promised to communicate with 
 his principal. No, he would not divulge the identity 
 of the latter, nor even tell whether or not he was a 
 white man. McGowan placidly fell back on the con 
 fidential relations between lawyer and client. He 
 refused to concede anything whatever, but did agree 
 at last that if Donald would return at ten o clock 
 the next day there would be an answer. 
 
 On the following morning, anxiety and the strain 
 of uncertainty showed on that weathered Scotch 
 face. McGowan had the answer ready, it was an 
 unembellished no. It left no possibility of extenu 
 ation, no room for argument, it left no opening 
 either for pleading or for hope. So Scott went back 
 to the street, to undertake the hardest task of his 
 life. He had always led an upright life, had 
 always been able to look straight into the eyes of 
 any man or woman, and had never in all his fifty 
 years had to cringe to anyone for a favor. Now 
 
 (309)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 he must have some money, money that he could not 
 secure in the regular channels of trade, money that 
 would come to him only if he violated the honor 
 of a record of over half a century, only if he knelt 
 down to beg for it. 
 
 He knew nothing about the procedure expected of 
 him, but he had, in his strong honest face, an asset 
 greater than any skill or experience. There were 
 many who felt they honored themselves with his 
 friendship, many merchants who, having traded with 
 him season after season, regarded his probity as 
 hardly second even to that of the banks. But the 
 men among whom he circulated were small finan 
 cially, and subject to many demands of a similar 
 nature, so such of them as accommodated him at 
 all gave but little. Nevertheless, the full amount 
 needed was eventually raised, though by so narrow 
 a margin that the farmer s borrowing capacity was 
 exhausted, and the last few hundred dollars came 
 with difficulty. 
 
 The conviction grew that McGowan was no longer 
 acting for Hanba, but for some Caucasian who was 
 following the system from which the Mongolian was 
 barred by law. There was none of the subtle, in 
 tangible interference with Donald s efforts to raise 
 money that had been experienced by so many of his 
 unfortunate predecessors. When the task was com 
 pleted and the last of the notes had been signed, 
 when the mortgage was satisfied for the time by 
 the payment of the taxes and interest, and he had 
 been able to go home, the Scotchman, proud as he 
 
 (310)
 
 THE COLLAPSE OF DONALD SCOTT 
 
 was of his own strength, sought the refuge of one 
 who was even stronger. He told Sam of his expe 
 riences, of his belief that the white man was about 
 to imitate the tactics of the yellow, and he smiled 
 when he thought of what would become of that mis 
 guided one under the wheels of Coulters Jugger 
 naut. 
 
 Donald would have been puzzled, but no less con 
 fident, had he known that his path had been fol 
 lowed among the commission houses and the dealers 
 in farming supplies, and that on one pretext or an 
 other, usually of friendship, almost all of his paper 
 had been purchased. Had he been behind the scenes 
 a little deeper still, to see these notes pass into Mc- 
 Gowan s hands, he might have suspected an enemy 
 no less implacable than Hanba himself. 
 
 Any transaction with which McGowan was con 
 nected was apt to be of a dubious nature, so Sam 
 Coulters was not free from a feeling of suspicion. 
 He decided to call on Arthur Hancock, to see if any 
 plots were being laid against the prettiest place in 
 the valley. 
 
 Evangeline welcomed the old campaigner. "I 
 was just thinking of you," she said, "I often do when 
 I look over at the houses where my friends used 
 to live. It was bad enough to have the Grahams 
 go, but I just cannot reconcile myself to losing the 
 Nortons." 
 
 "Your new neighbors do not look very attrac 
 tive." 
 
 "They are not. Every angle of their housekeep- 
 (311)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 ing comes under my eyes, and all of it is objection 
 able. Their primitive ways, their crowding, their 
 apparent destitution, is something that might seem 
 picturesque for the moment, but it is horrible to have 
 to live beside. Think of never having clean linen, 
 of never filling a vase with flowers. Worse than 
 that, they have habits that are so objectionable 
 I cannot even think of them, but they keep me almost 
 entirely out of my front garden. And it used to 
 be where I found my greatest pleasure." 
 
 "They were trained to ideas of personal modesty 
 that are very different from ours." 
 
 "But can they not be made to respect our ideas? 
 I am speaking for all the women in Rosario, not for 
 myself alone." 
 
 "If they were born beasts, no law can change 
 them. Do you not find any compensations?" 
 
 "There are none. I am the happiest woman in 
 the world, Mr. Coulters, and besides I naturally 
 look on the bright side of things. If there were a 
 single point to recommend those Japanese as neigh 
 bors, you may be sure I d recognize and treasure it. 
 Here is Arthur coming." 
 
 "Welcome to our champion," said the latter, half 
 in earnest. "Are you out again on a still hunt for 
 dragons?" 
 
 "I hope not, but there are a few questions I want 
 to ask you. You must both promise to regard them 
 as absolutely confidential." The Hancocks nodded 
 assent. 
 
 "Donald has just learned that the mortgage on 
 (312)
 
 THE COLLAPSE OF DONALD SCOTT 
 
 his place was sold by the bank, and that it has passed 
 into the hands of some undisclosed client of Mc- 
 Gowan s. I want to know if any emissaries of that 
 shyster have been around to see you, or any of your 
 neighbors." 
 
 "No one has been near us or any of the others, 
 as far as I know. How serious is Donald s predica 
 ment?" 
 
 "He s as sound as a whistle. His mortgage has 
 a long time to run, his interest is paid for three 
 months to come, and he s money enough to meet 
 his current bills. There s no reason for feeling un 
 easy, and we particularly wish to avoid starting a 
 rumor. I m asking you these questions only as a 
 matter of extra precaution, and to get a possible 
 line on who bought Donald s mortgage." 
 
 We re an inconsistent people, we Americans, In 
 many respects our ideals are so high as to remind 
 one of the days of chivalry as we pictured them 
 when we were children. Let a baby be lost in any 
 spot, city or country, except possibly one of those 
 unfortunate districts where crying infants are of 
 such frequent occurrence as to be unnoticeable. The 
 point will be illustrated by the conduct of the first 
 passer-by, whether scrub-woman or silk-hatted mag 
 nate. In some respects, we are so low as to shame 
 the savages, as witness for one, among the multi 
 tude of examples, child labor in our factories. Mil 
 lions of dollars worth of merchandise are sold every 
 year under such circumstances that the buyer and the 
 seller trust each other, have only a verbal agreement 
 
 (313)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 regarding price. Yet let any two of them write 
 out a contract, and if they re both careful business 
 men, the paper will be drawn as though each re 
 garded the other as an unmitigated rascal. But of 
 all our inconsistencies the most glaring are the eth 
 ics of commerce, the tricky acts that are permissible, 
 and the no more objectionable ones that are beyond 
 the pale. 
 
 So let s not judge harshly McGowan s client. 
 By our standards his conduct was unpardonable, 
 and yet Hanba had an honorable record. All his 
 life he d been a confidential agent, and without ex 
 ception he had discharged his trusts in an exemplary 
 manner. He found that in the United States there 
 was being played a great game, where the stronger 
 took from the weaker, the cleverer from the more 
 simple. If here and there an opportunity were 
 habitually allowed to lie idle, it may have been far 
 more natural for him to suppose that this was the 
 result an oversight which his superior mind had 
 grasped, rather than the result of an unwritten 
 agreement that certain things should not be done. 
 
 Hanba was no weakling working with kid gloves. 
 He was resourceful, he was ruthless, and he owed 
 no allegiance except to the people he represented. 
 When he struck it was with the suddenness of 
 thought, with all the strength at his command. Don 
 ald Scott was sued on the promissory notes signed 
 in San Diego, and the suit was accompanied by 
 attachment proceedings which covered every scin 
 tilla of property that could be reached, including 
 
 (314)
 
 THE COLLAPSE OF DONALD SCOTT 
 
 the bank account. The action was timed so that 
 the check which paid the quarterly water rate had 
 not yet reached the water company s office. 
 
 As is the custom, this payment was made on the 
 last day of grace. The water company s clerk was 
 warned by McGowan, so the check was taken di 
 rectly to the bank, instead of being allowed to pass 
 through the clearing house, with the consequent de 
 lay of twenty-four hours or more. When payment 
 was refused, Donald, of course, became delinquent 
 for the amount of his water dues. Trivial as that 
 may seem, it allowed McGowan to foreclose the 
 mortgage. 
 
 Then the lawyer sent for the farmer. Once again 
 the latter journeyed to the city by the sea, once more 
 he crossed its sunny streets and passed into the semi- 
 darkness of the spider s hole. McGowan went over 
 the situation. He showed Donald that there must 
 be enough cash raised at once to meet the mortgages 
 and fifteen hundred dollars in notes. He argued 
 that no one from the outside would conceivably bid 
 at the sheriff s sale, for the Japanese in the valley 
 had precluded the possibility of new white settlers 
 and had greatly depreciated values. He admitted 
 that Donald would have the right to redeem within 
 a year, but without a farm in his possession it would 
 not be possible to secure the needed amount of ready 
 money. 
 
 McGowan offered two thousand dollars in cash 
 and all the notes in exchange for a deed. This offer, 
 he explained, must be acted upon at once. It was 
 
 (315)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 made partly to avoid the expense and delay of liti 
 gation, partly to make redemption impossible in 
 theory as well as in fact. If Donald fought and lost 
 he would receive nothing, every rag and stick he 
 owned would be sacrificed for those notes. 
 
 Scott asked for a week for consideration, so that 
 he could consult his friends in Rosario, but was 
 granted no more than the remainder of the day. 
 So he returned to Bessie, who had come with him 
 to San Diego. She suggested that either Hancock 
 or Winfield might aid, but Edward had just left on 
 one of his frequent trips to Denver, and the efforts 
 to have Arthur come to a telephone were unsuc 
 cessful. 
 
 With this two thousand dollars they could live, 
 and also continue the payments on Donald s endow 
 ment policy, so they would not be entirely destitute 
 in their old age. Without it they faced starvation 
 or the poor farm. Slowly grew the conviction in 
 their minds that horrible as it was, McGowan s offer 
 would have to be accepted. 
 
 When the news broke in Rosario that Donald 
 Scott had fallen victim to the Japanese absorption, 
 and that Arthur Hancock, finding himself sur 
 rounded, had likewise sold, the consternation of 
 the citizens was pitiful to see. Those two men were 
 among the strongest and most prominent in the set 
 tlement; resourceful and cool headed, they could not 
 have been rushed into any hasty act. If they were 
 not safe, then no security was to be had for anyone. 
 
 The name of the grantee in both deeds was Mari- 
 (316)
 
 THE COLLAPSE OF DONALD SCOTT 
 
 shoto, a name hitherto unknown to the Rosarians. 
 They were no less dumbfounded by this open at 
 tempt to override the new law than they were that 
 men of such standing should have been attacked. 
 No explanation came to the valley, for Donald and 
 Bessie never returned. They wrote to many of 
 their friends, but the letters told little of what had 
 happened. Pages there were pregnant with the 
 heartache, with love for the home and the valley, 
 with regrets and misgivings, a few lines about the 
 disposal of effects, but not a word of how it all had 
 happened. 
 
 Little by little, the story leaked out, as such sto 
 ries do. With it came the further knowledge that 
 Marishoto was an infant, born near Fresno some 
 three years before. And there lay the answer; he 
 was a native of California, a citizen of the United 
 States, and so not included within the scope of the 
 anti-alien law. 
 
 "It all reminds me of a small dog I once saw 
 chasing a ground owl," Clem Harding said to Win- 
 field. 
 
 "What is a ground owl?" asked the invalid. 
 
 "You must have seen them; a little bird not much 
 larger than a pigeon, that likes to sit in the sun. 
 Sometimes he is on the mouth of one of his bur 
 rows, sometimes on a fence post; he always looks 
 helpless, blinks as though blinded in the bright light, 
 yet never misses anything on the broad horizon. 
 
 "This particular owl had three holes out in the 
 center of an open hay-field. He was enjoying the 
 
 (317)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 air in front of one of them, when along comes a fool 
 dog, who makes a rush at the owl, and when the 
 bird takes to the air, runs after it just as fast he 
 can. Of course he cannot keep up, but he sees the 
 owl light by a hole not far away, so on he goes. 
 When he begins to get too close the little ground 
 owl bobs his head three or four times, then flies 
 over to his third burrow. And because, when beasts 
 do a thing once they are apt to do it the same way 
 over and over again, the chase goes on, just as long 
 as the dog can drag one foot after the other. That 
 is like us after these Japanese; we always think 
 we are about to catch them, but we never have any 
 more chance than that dog." 
 
 (318)
 
 CHAPTER XXV 
 
 THE DECLINE OF HOLLINGTON 
 
 TTOLLINGTON had been called to Santa Rosa 
 -*--*- on a number of occasions, sometimes to treat 
 patients of his own, but more frequently to consult 
 with the local physician, a Dr. Hill. Robert had 
 accepted his own superiority over the other as a 
 matter of course, and had invaded the latter s baili 
 wick with the unformulated condescension of one 
 who confers a favor. So it came as a very distinct 
 shock to him to find the tables turned and the Santa 
 Rosa doctor becoming a familiar sight on the streets 
 of Rosario. 
 
 Dr. Hill had abandoned horse and buggy for a 
 touring car. It is true that it had been bought sec 
 ond hand and was one of the cheapest makes; never 
 theless its evident purpose was to enable its owner 
 to care for his practice in Eden Valley. It first 
 put in appearance not long after Frances had gone 
 to San Clemente, when Sam s knee was so badly 
 injured as to require dressing. But while it was not 
 until after the publication of the letter to the state 
 board of education that Dr. Hill was summoned 
 by any other family, from then on he appeared with 
 increasing regularity. To Robert s growing mor 
 bidness it was though every trivial act of his own 
 was misunderstood and misconstrued, with the con 
 sequent loss of practice and clientele. He was 
 
 (319)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 blamed for matters beyond his control, beyond the 
 scope of his knowledge, until it seemed that every 
 one was seeking pretexts, and being satisfied with 
 the most flimsy excuses, for severing friendly re 
 lations. 
 
 It hurt. If he were losing his practice to a more 
 skillful competitor he would have been resigned, 
 so he told himself. But Robert knew he had given 
 satisfaction as a practitioner, and that all of these 
 deflections were purely personal. Without excep 
 tion they were the direct result of his having gone 
 out of his way to make himself a useful citizen. 
 
 A doctor s practice cannot disappear as suddenly 
 as can the trade of a merchant. Usually Robert 
 was allowed to carry through any case he might 
 happen to be treating. Then there would perhaps 
 be no sickness in the patient s family for a long time, 
 and so the head of the house ordinarily saw no 
 occasion for exposing his hand. Sometimes months 
 would elapse before Hollington would find that an 
 apparent friend had been so far affected by a real 
 or imaginary grievance as to choose another physi 
 cian. If a nervous mother read of an unpleasant 
 occurrence in a Stockton school, Robert was apt to 
 be the scapegoat. If a merchant in Portersville 
 failed because of Japanese competition, there was 
 every likelihood of another house being closed to 
 the Rosario doctor. If the melon growers of Braw- 
 ley handed over their industry to the Mongolians, 
 he would pay his part of the penalty. 
 
 (320)
 
 THE DECLINE OF HOLLINGTON 
 
 One of the first results of this growing ill-feeling 
 was that Hollington was forced to change his mode 
 of living. He was unable to pay Mrs. Tilden her 
 modest stipend for board, or her husband, who con 
 ducted the general merchandise store, for supplies 
 that the small roadster demanded. And so it came 
 about that the machine changed owners, and was 
 converted into a delivery wagon. 
 
 Robert still maintained his offices, and as he had 
 to eat he installed a small stove in one of the back 
 rooms. From time to time Mrs. Tilden s daughter 
 Edith came over to clean, or even to prepare meals 
 for him. But he became less and less able to afford 
 as much as that small luxury, and since there was 
 no possible use trying to keep up appearances in 
 so small a community, he very frankly did his own 
 cooking. 
 
 His practice was rapidly becoming limited to the 
 Japanese, the Indians, and the Mexicans who lived 
 on the borders of the settlement. Mrs. Richardson 
 remained under his care, so did Edward Winfield 
 when the latter happened to be at home, and there 
 was a sprinkling of other whites who braved public 
 opinion, either from friendship or because of faith 
 in him as a healer. But these last were pitifully 
 few. At best a rural doctor has a slender income; 
 the numbers within his reach are small; their out 
 of door life keeps them relatively healthy, and their 
 habits forbid them to call in payable assistance until 
 it becomes necessary. When this small practice 
 
 (321)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 becomes shattered as was Robert s the residue is 
 almost negligible. 
 
 One morning during these dark days a Japanese 
 came to the housekeeping office. He introduced 
 himself as Dr. Hosho Umiwinoru, a graduate of 
 the imperial university of Kioto, of the Harvard 
 Medical school, and a former interne of the Red 
 Cross hospital in Tokio. He had come to Rosario 
 to settle, and was making a formal call. Hollington 
 was greatly pleased. He welcomed the proffered 
 friendship, he anticipated much from the promised 
 intercourse, and this without a thought of the effect 
 on his own prospects. 
 
 He was disappointed in every way. With that 
 same lack of pride which allows a well bred youth 
 to become a gardener or a cook, Dr. Umiwinoru 
 assumed the role of a farm hand. He started his 
 apprenticeship in this new vocation by attending the 
 little streams of water that ran through the rows 
 of trees. His evenings were devoted to medicine; 
 it was only for a call of exceptional emergency that 
 he would lay down his hoe. He was in America 
 for the very serious purpose of making money. Any 
 friendship that would make even slight demands on 
 his time or energy was simply out of the question, 
 and so, while there was no friction between the two 
 doctors, their acquaintance made no progress be 
 yond the initial meeting. 
 
 The Japanese part of Hollington s practice left 
 him at once as a matter of course. The income he 
 derived from his improvident Mexicans hardly cov- 
 
 (322)
 
 THE DECLINE OF HOLLINGTON 
 
 ered the expense they occasioned, the cost of visiting 
 them and the supplies he was compelled to furnish 
 the indigents. There was really nothing he had on 
 which to subsist except the nominal stipend which 
 the government paid, and there was not the least 
 prospect of an alleviation, so he resolutely set about 
 to see if it were possible so far to change his habits 
 of life as to accommodate himself to a few hundred 
 dollars a year. 
 
 Outside recreation there was none except what 
 Mrs. Richardson had to offer. He saw different 
 members of the Cuyamaca tribe quite frequently to 
 be sure, and he was so far reduced by loneliness that 
 he tried to establish friendships with them. But 
 the undertaking was hopeless, the differences too 
 great, their natures too primitive. For instance, it 
 was impossible to awaken in them any feeling of 
 gratitude such as one sees in the southern negro. 
 They were glad to take what he had to offer, 
 whether it was something material or merely advice, 
 and they would put themselves out to make it easy 
 for him to give. But they received the gifts in just 
 the same spirit as they would have accepted any 
 stroke of good fortune, with no more sentiment or 
 feeling or personal obligation than they would have 
 entertained for a manifestation of nature, a timely 
 rain for example, that saved a crop. Ingratitude, 
 the white men called this racial trait, though Robert 
 grew to regard it rather as a lack of mental devel 
 opment, grew to believe that the Cuyamaca mind 
 
 (323)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 was too feeble to generate anything so far removed 
 from a purely animal emotion. 
 
 The natural reserve of the Indian, the superiority 
 which he frankly conceded to the white man, and 
 his total lack of interest in the doctor himself, effec 
 tively barred any relation of an intimate nature. 
 Frustrated on every hand, Robert turned to his 
 books and to work, where he found forgetfulness, 
 if not happiness. He was soon deep in the study 
 of the bubonic plague, fascinated by the romance 
 of its history and appalled by its latent menace to 
 the world. He became so interested that after ex 
 hausting his text-books and the government publi 
 cations, he sent for cultures of the bacilli pestis, and 
 bred guinea pigs on which to experiment. 
 
 There was no known cure or preventive for this 
 affliction, and it was inevitable that Robert s inves 
 tigations should soon bring him to the unsuccessful 
 attempts of others to discover something effective. 
 It was not long before he was making original ex 
 periments, impelled no less by interest than by his 
 inborn love of mankind. He had not been embit 
 tered by suffering and injustice; he was too big a 
 man, too strong for that. The impulses which Dr. 
 Ailing had awakened and directed had not been cre 
 ated during that memorable forty-eight hours; they 
 had always been an integral part of the man him 
 self, running so deep through his nature that they 
 could have been destroyed only by a fundamental 
 change. And there had been none ; he was the same 
 Robert Hollington, matured by knowledge and 
 
 (324)
 
 THE DECLINE OF HOLLINGTON 
 
 experience, buffeted out of self-sufficiency, but un- 
 marred by the loss of any ideal or the growth of a 
 single hatred. 
 
 There came to him one day a letter. It was from 
 an old friend and schoolmate, Randolph Palmer, 
 Mrs. Pembroke s youngest brother. It told of a 
 party that had been organized for a two-year cruise 
 in and around South America, the Bering Sea, and 
 the Orient. The trim little yacht Sultana had been 
 chartered, and arrangements were now being com 
 pleted to sail in about a month. Both of the Pem- 
 brokes, who were to be aboard at least part of the 
 time, joined Randolph in urging Robert to join in 
 the capacity of ship s doctor. When he read that 
 note Hollington almost broke down. After all, he 
 still had friends, the whole world was not against 
 him. He began to picture in his mind the personnel 
 of the expedition. He remembered well that Ran 
 dolph was a prince of entertainers, and knew that 
 the party would be composed of the most congenial 
 people imaginable. 
 
 It would be the realization of one of Palmer s 
 dreams, and Robert knew every detail of where 
 they would go and what they would do, for as young 
 men the two, smoking before a wood fire, had gone 
 over the ground many an evening. Rio de Janeiro 
 would be the first port of call, for they had decided 
 to pass by all the islands and shores of the Carib 
 bean. There would be excursions into unexplored 
 portions of Brazil, hunting trips to Patagonia, and 
 sight seeing in Chili. Northward would they go 
 
 (325)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 until stopped by eternal ice, where the great white 
 polar bear would be added to their trophies. 
 Then down the coast of Asia, filling their hold with 
 souvenirs and acquiring reminiscences from many 
 a spot where the white man was unknown. Ever 
 southward to the cradle of the world, to study at 
 first hand the oldest known civilizations. 
 
 The climax would come among the islands of 
 the South seas, the enchanted fairyland of romance. 
 What a wonderful opportunity, and what a con 
 trast! Robert s eyes, roaming about his shabby 
 office, fell upon a treatise devoted to the plague in 
 India. He recalled a passage describing the first 
 known recognition of the relation between the house 
 rat and the epidemic. "When the vermin begin to 
 fall dead from the roofs of the houses" ran the old 
 proverb, "it s time for men to take to the hills." 
 And surely the rats had been long dropping from 
 the roof of his house. 
 
 So he wrote a letter of acceptance, but destroyed 
 it because it revealed too clearly his destitution and 
 his failure. He wrote another, only to tear it up 
 as too formal. He had half completed a third mis 
 sive before he understood. The reason his compo 
 sitions were so unsatisfactory was because he was 
 not going; he could not go. Ever through his brain 
 was running a melody, softly, sweetly, gently to him 
 self he was singing and dreaming "Twilight in the 
 Rose Garden." 
 
 (326)
 
 CHAPTER XXVI 
 
 ARREST OF CLEM HARDING 
 
 >"TpHE Cleveland forest reserve includes the moun- 
 *- tains lying to the east of the valleys. It is 
 watched over by widely scattered forest rangers, 
 men known chiefly by hearsay to the Rosarians, for 
 the guardians of the woods seldom leave the higher 
 levels. Their duty is to protect the timber from 
 fire, so they pay but scant attention to the brush 
 covered foothills. Therefore, some surprise was 
 occasioned when a new warden, Ralph Harrison by 
 name, made his headquarters in the village. All 
 day long he was out on horseback over the hills, 
 every evening he filled in and mailed a long report. 
 He still found time to meet the good people of the 
 settlement, and even make himself acquainted with 
 some of the Cuyamacas and the Indians of a num 
 ber of other tribes. Harrison was generally well 
 liked. If he worked hard and was uncommunica 
 tive, that was not held against him, for the west 
 has always respected a man who attends to his own 
 business and seldom speaks of it. 
 
 Harrison was efficient, a fine rider and well 
 mounted. He was versed in all the lore of wood 
 craft; nothing less was to be expected of a forest 
 ranger. He was a more skillful tracker and a more 
 expert reader of signs than was customary among 
 his associates, and he differed from them, too, in 
 
 (327)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 that he had not acquired the repose that usually 
 comes with days and weeks of solitary vigil. The 
 newcomer was of a nervous temperament, with 
 every movement quick and decisive. He had the air 
 of a born fighter, exaggerated by an affectation of 
 extreme care in arming himself. Whatever his war 
 like predilections, they remained in abeyance, for 
 no one in peaceful Rosario could conceivably offer 
 him a challenge. 
 
 For a month or two he had continued his 
 work. Sometimes he would be out in the wilds for 
 a week at a time, and often there were days together 
 when he loafed about the village, feeding an appar 
 ently insatiable curiosity about every detail of his 
 neighbors lives, their movements, and their incomes. 
 Had there been anything about the man to suggest 
 incompetence he would have been disliked, and con 
 sequently shunned. But he had previously demon 
 strated that he had ability, so the feeling became 
 general that he knew what he was doing, that he 
 might safely be left to the exercise of his own judg 
 ment. 
 
 One day he took the train to San Diego. He 
 offered no explanation, but none was expected or 
 requested. Immediately on reaching the city he 
 went to the office of the immigration bureau in the 
 federal building. 
 
 "Hello, Farley," said the chief, "I want you to 
 meet Mr. Gibson. He s a special agent from Wash 
 ington, sent here to find out why we re not stopping 
 the Chinese." 
 
 (328)
 
 ARREST OF CLEM HARDING 
 
 "I m very glad to meet Mr. Farley," said Gibson. 
 "I m told that you re the best out of doors man in 
 the service." 
 
 Farley smiled deprecatingly. "Are they still com 
 ing across?" he asked. 
 
 "A hundred and fifty in the past thirty days," the 
 chief replied. 
 
 Farley whistled. "One thing is certain," he said, 
 laughingly, "they aren t passing between Rosario 
 and the Salton sea." 
 
 "That is precisely what they are doing," returned 
 the chief. 
 
 "Ridiculous! Excuse me, chief, but a hundred and 
 fifty men could not cross that line without leaving 
 some marks, and if they had made as much as a 
 scratch I would have seen it. They must have come 
 through on this side, where they could hide their 
 tracks in the traffic, or else have gone up in launches; 
 or perhaps they are still in San Diego." 
 
 While the chief proved himself right, demon 
 strated to his subordinate s satisfaction that it was 
 through the Rosario country that the Asiatics had 
 passed, let s take a general survey of the situation, 
 so as to understand a little of what the conflict 
 means. The golf course at Shanghai will serve as 
 a starting point. It s a lovely course, frequented 
 by charming people, but it s neither the sportiness 
 of the links nor the condition of the fairway which 
 interests us now, but the caddy fees. In this country 
 we don t pay less than seventy-five cents for a single 
 round, while there the charge is two dollars a month. 
 
 (329)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 Lower in the scale the difference in wages becomes 
 more marked, the great Asiatic empire is overflow 
 ing with men who do hard work through long hours 
 for a ridiculously small number of pennies. When 
 one remembers the tariff of the Chinese laundry- 
 man, vegetable peddler or domestic, one is not sur 
 prised at the desire of the submerged Oriental to 
 escape to the western hemisphere. He would come 
 in hordes, he would crowd the capacious steerage 
 of the liners that run to San Francisco and Puget 
 Sound, but for the barriers that the United States 
 throws across his path. 
 
 Exclusion is almost an accomplished fact and the 
 number of Chinese on the Pacific coast is constantly 
 dwindling. Yet there are adventurous souls who 
 still migrate to the land of freedom, who run the 
 gamut of all the ingenuity of our federal inspec 
 tors, and who remain with us long enough to amass 
 a substantial competence. Their path is strewn with 
 the wrecked hopes of those who fail, but having so 
 much to gain, so little to lose, there is a constant 
 stream seeking ingress. 
 
 Their point of attack is usually northern Mexico. 
 Some go there with the deliberate intention of cross 
 ing into the United States. Large numbers have 
 been brought to Guaymas and other Mexican cities 
 to be contract laborers, and have been drawn 
 towards the boundary as by a loadstone. Anywhere 
 from the Point of Rocks to the Colorado River 
 they endeavor to slip across the line, hoping to sink 
 themselves in the Chinatowns of one of the larger 
 
 (330)
 
 ARREST OF CLEM HARDING 
 
 cities. Once safe, the fugitive is apt to buy a sec 
 ond-hand "check-gee," an official permit to remain 
 in this country. The vendor is perhaps ready to 
 return to the celestial empire, so he takes two profits, 
 one from his successor whose purchase is technically 
 worthless, the other from our government, which, 
 finding the simple minded coolie without papers, 
 ships him home at its own expense. The newcomer 
 is reasonably safe, both because he is well versed 
 in guile and because identification is almost impos 
 sible. 
 
 A hundred and seventy-five miles of wild border 
 and the coast line within the sailing radius of a 
 launch, have to be guarded. It speaks volumes for 
 the efficiency of our immigration bureau that with 
 it lie the honors of war. Money, after all, is the 
 criterion of success. The fact that the average 
 price of one hundred and fifty dollars a head is paid 
 for smuggling these undesirable aliens shows how 
 conscientious is the vigil on cliff and beach, in the 
 river bed of Tia Juana and on the hills of Campo, 
 in the wilds of Jacumba, and on the desert of Cal- 
 exico. More than cool daring has to be discounted; 
 Chinese have been found under loads of hay, or the 
 false bottoms of boats, they have been artistically 
 disguised as Japanese, or hidden in the brush as 
 carefully as a miser hides his gold. Every conceiv 
 able part of an automobile has been made to dis 
 gorge this contraband. In a land where imagination 
 is as untrammeled as the air the poetry of concep- 
 
 (331)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 tion has outdone itself on this modern underground 
 railroad. 
 
 The case under discussion was the most serious 
 leak that had yet occurred. Spies in Tijuana and 
 reports from San Bernardino left no room for 
 doubt, either as to numbers or as to route. Farley 
 reluctantly conceded that the process of elimination 
 left him the onus. 
 
 A few days later he was out over the mountains 
 again, responding to a report that there had just 
 been a marked decrease in the number of Chinese 
 in Tecate. The chief had urged extra vigilance, for 
 the rumor has gone abroad that this was to be the 
 last run, that the gang was about to divide its profits 
 and disband. 
 
 "Their getting past me is not so bad," mused 
 the rider, as his horse picked its way among the 
 barren rocks, "for it s a long way from Eden Valley 
 to Palm Springs. I can t hope to see them, for 
 they always travel in the dark and build no camp 
 fires. The man who guides them is no fool, that 
 is certain; I am beginning to believe that he is a 
 little wiser than any of us. Think of taking a hun 
 dred and fifty men across this desert and leaving 
 no sign, at least none that I ve been able to detect. 
 
 "They used to call me a pretty good trailer in 
 the upper Missouri. I heard the chief tell Gibson 
 that I was brought down here because I was the 
 best tracker and the best gun man in the northwest. 
 That is drawing it pretty strong, for my old home 
 is where they have the keenest men in the world. 
 
 (332)
 
 ARREST OF CLEM HARDING 
 
 Anyway, I ve been at the business all my life, in the 
 best of schools, and I must be above the average or 
 I wouldn t be here. Along comes this stranger and 
 slips Chinamen under my nose, takes hundreds of 
 them by without leaving as much as a broken twig 
 that I ve found. It s no great compliment to the 
 state of Montana. Hello, here are some more cattle 
 tracks; perhaps he puts those coolies inside the cows. 
 
 "About ten days old," mused Farley, after mak 
 ing a careful study. "Twenty-two head, I think, of 
 long-horn steers. One Mexican herding them, driv 
 ing them hard. Sorrel pony, with a ringbone on 
 his left hind ankle. I wonder why he is taking them 
 south?" Farley followed the trail for several hours. 
 He didn t learn anything further until he came to 
 a place where the hoof prints turned into the brush, 
 leaving the path they d been following so carefully. 
 In another hundred yards the herder had his charges 
 under control, but the officer swung off his horse, 
 and on hands and knees examined that part of the 
 cattle trail which had not been so recently travelled. 
 
 "Nearly six weeks old. It never rains in these 
 mountains, they say, but it does blow. There were 
 some cattle going north not less than a month ago, 
 might be two or three. Same pony herding, that 
 much is clear. I wish someone would tell me the 
 answer." 
 
 Farley rode east all the rest of that day, making 
 camp at a water hole of which he knew. He had 
 not travelled far the next morning before he came 
 to some fresh tracks. A hasty survey told him that 
 
 (333)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 it was the same herd and the same horse that he 
 had followed the day before; this time, however, 
 they were northbound, and the sign was but two 
 days old. Again Farley made a thorough exam 
 ination, but discovered nothing beyond convincing 
 proof that his surmise was correct. He galloped 
 after the mysterious band as fast as he dared hurry 
 his horse in the intense heat of the desert edge. 
 "I wish I could travel at night as they do," he said 
 to himself. "They re not many miles away; I may 
 overtake them before sundown and make this devil s 
 country give up one of its secrets." 
 
 He soon came to a spring where the herd had 
 rested through the day, and there Farley spent all 
 of a precious half hour. "There s something about 
 this that I don t like," he said. "Those cattle are 
 handled by a man who knows his business thor 
 oughly, yet they mill around that water hole " out 
 running his words there entered his mind the sus 
 picion that the stock had been moved about inten 
 tionally, that the obliteration of every suggestion 
 of a camp had been because there was something 
 to hide. He rode harder than ever now, he became 
 more alert and more cautious, to the extent of even 
 loosening his rifle in its scabbard and carrying his 
 revolver in his hand. 
 
 Not long after his noon rest he came to the top 
 of a ridge. Before him were spread miles of coun 
 try, monotonously dry and hot and sterile. There 
 were beauty, and colors, too, among the rocks the 
 rain almost never touched, among the hills that ran 
 
 (334)
 
 "Drop that gun!"
 
 ARREST OF CLEM HARDING 
 
 from the pines on his left to the desert on his right. 
 But he was blind to nature, he who usually loved 
 such a view. With binoculars he was searching for 
 his quarry. 
 
 "They must be in camp along that creek bed, the 
 water holes are there. They are surely by one of 
 the three springs. I had best reconnoiter them with 
 some little care." 
 
 Two hours later he was half a mile from the first 
 of the possible camp sites. He dismounted, con 
 cealed and fastened his pony, and proceeded on foot, 
 carefully, stealthily. But although a sentry could 
 not have detected his masterly approach, he found 
 no recent indications of anyone having been near 
 that water, so he picked up the cattle trail again 
 and went back for his horse. As he skirted a large 
 boulder that was. not far from the animal, he heard 
 a sharp, commanding voice from behind: 
 
 "Drop that gun!" 
 
 There was nothing to do but obey. Farley turned 
 slowly, to confront an easily held revolver, and a 
 man whose face was masked behind a red bandana. 
 
 "Clem Harding!" he exclaimed. 
 
 The highwayman disgustedly tore off his disguise. 
 "Who would have expected it to be you? Hey, 
 hombre !" he shouted, and presently a Mexican ap 
 peared, much more thoroughly disguised than Clem 
 had been. 
 
 "Find his handcuffs and slip them on his wrists," 
 Clem spoke in Spanish, a language easily understood 
 by the three. "Bueno, now give me his gun. Ride, 
 
 (335)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 back to camp, bring enough for two men and two 
 horses for three days." 
 
 The Mexican showed his surprise. "For two 
 men?" he asked, and in spite of himself Farley 
 began to feel queer about the stomach. Harding 
 dismissed his messenger with an impatient wave of 
 the hand. 
 
 "Mr. Harrison," said Clem. "You and I are 
 going to see a good deal of each other for the next 
 few days, so let us start in by getting acquainted. 
 I want to see the star on your suspender strap." 
 
 "My full name is Ralph Harrison Farley, and 
 I am an immigration inspector," the other replied 
 pleasantly, showing his badge of authority as well 
 as he could with his manacled hands. "While the 
 introductions are going on would you mind telling 
 me how you happen to be mixed up in this nasty 
 mess?" 
 
 "I needed the money. I hate to rub it in, but it 
 seems to me that you re in a lot nastier mess now 
 than I." 
 
 "You either have to kill me or turn me loose," 
 said the inspector, "and if you had intended murder 
 you wouldn t have sent away your man Friday." 
 
 "Don t be too sure. It s your life or mine, for 
 Hollington has often told me that I couldn t survive; 
 a year in close quarters." 
 
 Neither spoke again until the provisions had 
 come. Farley s horse was brought to him, and the 
 men rode to the nearest water hole. Here the Mex 
 ican left them, with detailed instructions. "I ll keep 
 
 (336)
 
 ARREST OF CLEM HARDING 
 
 this man three days," said Clem in conclusion. "Let 
 the cattle go, for I ll watch your back track. Travel 
 as fast as you can, and do just as we have always 
 done. Adios." 
 
 "Adios, Senor," and he was gone. 
 "So that s how you did it," said Farley, admir 
 ingly. "Drove the steers behind to cover their 
 tracks." 
 
 "And also kept away from the skyline during 
 daylight." 
 
 The federal officer laughed. "That was foolish," 
 he admitted. "Just yesterday I was telling myself 
 that I must be a pretty good woodsman, but I ll 
 have to confess that you re my master, yes, and 
 master of anyone else I know," he added generously. 
 
 "Thanks," said Clem, preparing the camp fire 
 and the supper. "I ve been at it a bit longer than 
 some others." 
 
 When the meal was finished Farley again started 
 the conversation. "I m downright sorry to see you 
 doing this, Harding. You always seemed a man 
 of too high moral fibre " 
 
 "There s nothing wrong about it," said Clem, 
 shortly. 
 
 "Nothing wrong about it?" 
 
 "Not for me." 
 
 "What do you mean?" 
 
 "The United States says the Japanese may come 
 in but the Chinese may not. That is because we re 
 afraid of Japan." 
 
 "Not at all, for the Japanese are excluded, too." 
 (337)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 "Enough are here to have taken almost all the 
 farms in Rosario. The only chance I had to save 
 mine was to make a lot more money, and this is the 
 best way that offered. If it s right for the Japanese 
 to come in and take my place, it is right for the 
 Chinese to come in and save it." 
 
 It was not until the next morning, with the sun 
 half way to the meridian, that the talk between 
 these two again took a personal tone. "You are a 
 nice boy, Farley, but I m growing to hate you. 
 Nothing but you stands between me and my home. 
 I could shoot you with absolute safety, for I ve an 
 alibi so perfect that I wouldn t even be suspected. 
 I wonder if you can imagine what that home means 
 to me? No, you re too young." 
 
 "Tell me about it," said Farley, kindly. He knew 
 he was perfectly safe, and he was genuinely sorry 
 for the old man. So Clem, always glad to talk, 
 told of his day dreams, of how through youth and 
 middle age he had never had a home, had never 
 ceased to long for one. How the slowly accumu 
 lated savings of years of hard work had gone into 
 the farm in Eden Valley, of how he had struggled 
 against advancing age and a series of misfortunes, 
 and had held on in spite of everything. It was a 
 story of more than attachment, it was the revelation 
 of the life passion of a childless old age, the orange 
 grove and the house were parts of the man himself. 
 He justified his conduct; good old gambler that he 
 was, he didn t whimper because he had lost, but 
 neither would he admit that he d made an error 
 
 (338)
 
 ARREST OF CLEM HARDING 
 
 in judgment. "I played a long shot," he said, "and 
 I still believe it was a good bet." 
 
 When the third day broke, Clem made his plans 
 for departure. He had Farley write a note to the 
 chief, explaining the situation. This Clem agreed 
 to mail; by the time the officer was rescued the fugi 
 tive would be hiding in Mexico. Then came the 
 problem of making the inspector secure and still 
 not too uncomfortable. It was accomplished with 
 the aid of an extra pair of handcuffs which Clem 
 fastened about his ankles, thus effectively hobbling 
 him. 
 
 "Don t work too hard to free yourself, for you 
 couldn t cross this country afoot without water, and 
 I m going to take your horse and your water bags. 
 Be patient." And waving a farewell, the pioneer 
 leading one horse and riding the other, disappeared 
 down the draw. 
 
 Two hours later Farley heard the crunch of steel 
 shod hoofs on gravel, and there was Clem Harding 
 and the two ponies. 
 
 "Have you forgotten something?" asked the cap 
 tive. 
 
 "I almost did." Clem swung himself to the 
 ground, unlocked the handcuffs on the ankles, then 
 those on the wrists, and passed both revolvers to 
 the astonished man. "I almost forgot that I never 
 ran from anything yet, and I m too old to learn. 
 If I could have saved the farm, I would have 
 gone on, for I haven t done anything I think is 
 wrong. But as I ve lost my home anyway I ll take 
 
 (339)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 my medicine. With that dear old place gone free 
 dom isn t worth the struggle and the price. I like 
 you, Farley; you must take all the credit for this 
 that you can get, and I ll not contradict a word." 
 
 "I ll tell the chief that you outgeneralled me at 
 every stage of the game, and that the only reason 
 I m bringing you in is because your conscience made 
 you let me. We ll fix it for you, we ll get you off 
 free. All you ll have to do is to tell us about the 
 others." 
 
 "Mr. Farley, did you know that we ran a hundred 
 and eighty Chinamen across the line?" 
 
 "I suspected it." 
 
 "And that my share is thirty dollars apiece?" 
 
 "You told me so." 
 
 "I didn t offer to divide with you, and I think I m 
 entitled to as much consideration and respect " 
 
 "I apologize from the bottom of my heart, Mr. 
 Harding. Will you take my hand on it? I wish to 
 God I had a right to set you free." 
 
 (340)
 
 CHAPTER XXVII 
 
 THE LAST TRENCH 
 
 r f^HERE was a subdued air of excitement about 
 -*- the Coulters home, for Dr. Ailing was coming 
 to spend the day. The medical convention which 
 had brought him to the coast demanded so much 
 of his time that a few hours between trains was 
 all that he could spare Rosario. Sam was to meet 
 him at the station to bring him to lunch, and after 
 the meal they had planned to drive over the valley. 
 
 When the old spring wagon drew up and the 
 doctor alighted, he was met with an enthusiasm that 
 well repaid him for the long trip from Chicago. 
 Mary Coulters and her two daughters and Billy 
 Evans were all that were there to welcome him, 
 but they were so genuinely glad to see him that he 
 could hardly keep the catch out of his voice when 
 he spoke to them. They seated him on the porch, 
 pulled their chairs about his, and proceeded to ply 
 him with questions. 
 
 "You re all as bad as Sam," he protested at last. 
 "Ever since I left the cars I ve been trying to talk 
 of Rosario, but I m allowed to speak only of myself. 
 I know something of what has happened, and I want 
 to know the rest. Tell me about the Warners and 
 the Kraemers and the Scotts, about Clem Harding 
 and Dorothy Tibbetts, and all the others." 
 
 (341)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 "I suppose we must," said Mary. "But it ll cost 
 us all the gaiety of this reunion." 
 
 So they told him in detail everything that had 
 happened while he had been away. With serious 
 faces they answered questions until luncheon time 
 brought a respite to their distress. It was after the 
 meal was well started that Robert s name was intro 
 duced, for Ailing had noticed their unwillingness to 
 mention him. 
 
 "You ve not spoken of Hollington at all," he said 
 when he had exhausted every means to make some 
 one else introduce the subject. "I was very much 
 interested in that boy. I liked his personality and 
 admired his ideals and his cleverness. He s been 
 doing some research work on the plague that reflects 
 great credit. I used to hear about him very often, 
 for everyone was fond of him and had a good word 
 to say. Of late, however, I seem to have been out 
 of touch with him. What is he doing, and how is 
 he getting along?" 
 
 Ailing turned toward Sam for an answer. A hard 
 look had come to the eyes of the Rosarian, for the 
 once famous poker face could not be depended upon 
 when Robert was under discussion. Ailing looked 
 around the table. Billy and Ruth had dropped their 
 eyes to their plates and Frances was struggling un 
 successfully for enough self-control to enable her 
 to answer. Mary Coulters met her guest s eye with 
 a reassuring smile. She knew she must try to put 
 him at his ease, even though her efforts were obvi- 
 
 (342)
 
 THE LAST TRENCH 
 
 ously forced and awkward. So she asked the first 
 question that came into her mind. 
 
 "Tell us about the plague," she said, the sugges 
 tion coming from the safest part of his remarks. 
 "I ve often heard of it, but supposed it was under 
 control, or at least confined to Asia." 
 
 "There was a year when it took every fourth 
 person in Europe," he replied. "So you see it has 
 no geographical limitations. And it still levies a 
 fluctuating toll that will average perhaps a million 
 lives annually, so you can hardly regard it as under 
 control. It has a fascinating history that began 
 when the Jews left Egypt. Sometimes it will smol 
 der for years and then die out harmlessly, sometimes 
 it will skip entire centuries only to break loose more 
 virulently than ever. The fact that it has been quiet 
 for a long time is no guarantee that it will remain 
 so, nor is all our skill and knowledge anything like 
 sufficient protection. The whole world is at its 
 mercy, lulled into a sense of false security." 
 
 "I ve heard that it s carried by fleas and rats," 
 said Frances, taking her part now that she could. 
 
 "That s still a matter of conjecture. My personal 
 opinion is that the fleas carry the disease from rat 
 to rats, but not to mankind, for it s fairly well estab 
 lished that the pulex cheopis is too highly special 
 ized to leave a rat to bite a human being. But I 
 must confess that the consensus of the fraternity is 
 against me on that point. The plague is primarily 
 a disease of the rats, but we can take it from them, 
 and so can squirrels and guinea pigs, and most of 
 
 (343)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 the rodents. Other animals are subject to artificial 
 inoculation. Once you get enough of the bacilli in 
 the air and in our food, you will find that they 
 spread rapidly enough." 
 
 "Is the plague very deadly?" asked Ruth. 
 
 "It has been known to attack three persons in 
 every four throughout extended districts, and to kill 
 nine out of ten that contracted it." 
 
 "Is there no cure?" asked Billy. 
 
 "None that really amounts to anything." 
 
 "It sounds to me as though the discovery of one 
 would be about the greatest possible achievement 
 left to medicine." 
 
 "Hardly that, yet you are not so very far wrong." 
 
 When lunch was finished, Sam and Ailing pre 
 pared for their drive. They were to cover as much 
 of Eden Valley as was possible in a few hours, and 
 the doctor promised faithfully to save time enough 
 to see them all again before he left. No sooner 
 were the two men fairly started than Ailing again 
 spoke of Robert. 
 
 "I don t know what is between you two," he said. 
 "But I am going to see that boy. Leave me at his 
 office for half an hour, and then we ll go wherever 
 you wish." 
 
 For Robert Hollington this day marked the end. 
 A letter lay upon his desk, a half opened note, that 
 made impossible a longer stay in Rosario. Whether 
 he was to leave under a cloud, discredited and dis 
 illusioned, or was to step to the heights occupied 
 by men of world-wide fame was something that soon 
 
 (344)
 
 THE LAST TRENCH 
 
 must be disclosed. For the letter was from Wash 
 ington, from the department of the Interior, and 
 informed him, without even the courtesy of a reason, 
 that the government no longer required his services 
 in connection with the Cuyamaca Indians. 
 
 He had read that communication more than once. 
 He had pondered upon the effect that it was to have 
 on him, he had been over and over the ground seek 
 ing some escape from the inevitable conclusion that 
 it meant his departure. He had friends from whom 
 he could and would borrow if he left, but he was 
 too proud to think of doing such a thing while he 
 remained in California. For there was work await 
 ing him in the east, trivial, ill-paid work, but it would 
 enable him to repay, to buy food and clothes. But 
 at home, even with that federal position his watch 
 and personal effects had gone, and a bill of sale 
 lay against the contents of his office, his books, his 
 furniture and laboratory supplies, everything. 
 
 "I ve seen many a better man go before me, and 
 now my turn has come. We each have had to give 
 up something. If mine seems the hardest experi 
 ence of them all I must be broad enough to recog 
 nize that every one of the others has suffered his 
 special pain. Yet I m the only one who has left his 
 loved one behind, the only one who will not receive 
 as much as a word of farewell. I can t judge the 
 others, can t tell how much they suffered, but I know 
 that human misery can t go deeper than it has gone 
 with me. 
 
 "Are we men less the children of circumstances 
 (345)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 than these guinea pigs of mine? You poor little 
 devils, there are several dozen of you. Eight go into 
 one cage for control. They re to be safe and pam 
 pered, yet through no credit to themselves. Here 
 are two pens, each containing six, which are doomed 
 to a certain and painful death. Some are to have the 
 plague with pneumonia added, some simply bubonic 
 plague. They have no choice, they have done no 
 wrong, yet were they human humanity would strive 
 to blame them in some way. There are the others, 
 all with the disease in one form or another; their 
 lives depending solely on my skill and the accuracy 
 of my reasoning. They will fight and struggle, they 
 will act as though in some way they could control 
 their fate, could affect the doom that will either 
 overtake them or pass them by. 
 
 "Somehow it all reminds me of poor Rosario. 
 Translate Japanese into plague germs, and think of 
 the settlements that have not been touched. The 
 conception reminds me of dear old Clem; it is just 
 what he would have said, so that must be why I 
 thought of it, he is so seldom out of my mind. Poor 
 Clem ! I wonder if I can show a courage as great 
 as yours." 
 
 As Hollington had said, there was cage upon cage 
 of the rodents. All but one small group had been 
 infected with the plague germs, and many of the 
 animals were dying, slowly and horribly. A full 
 half of the entire number had been treated with a 
 serum worked up from the supra-renal glands of 
 ground squirrels that had contracted the disease and 
 
 (346)
 
 THE LAST TRENCH 
 
 recovered. The test had been exhaustive, the rem 
 edy had been administered in doses of various size 
 and in all stages from the. most critical on one hand 
 to pure prevention on the other. 
 
 At daylight that morning Robert had begun his 
 long vigil before the pens. Everything had been 
 timed to come to a head during the ensuing twelve 
 hours. Running true to form there were pens that 
 had been inoculated but not treated, and here, with 
 out exception, were the characteristic symptoms, 
 buboes or septicaemia as the case might be. 
 
 As the hours slipped by it became more and more 
 apparent that the serum was effective, not only in 
 most cases but in all cases. It had brought the 
 progress of the disease to an immediate halt, re 
 gardless of the condition of the victim. Modern 
 science demands more than conjecture. Nothing 
 short of absolute proof will satisfy it; and any man 
 who has been so roughly handled as had Robert 
 would surely be slow to believe in his own good 
 fortune. The evidence that was slowly unfolding 
 could not but be accepted by both. The year of 
 incessant study and work and experiments had borne 
 a fruit the results of which could hardly be over 
 estimated. Institutions would vie for his services, 
 societies would heap honors on him, with his youth 
 and health a great future lay before him. 
 
 He paced his room as these truths were borne 
 in upon him. Slow to realize and believe, he had 
 the imagination to accept the situation in all its 
 aspects. And yet, so far from bringing him happi- 
 
 (347)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 ness, he was spending the most depressing and mis 
 erable hour of his existence. 
 
 "I ve accomplished it," he said, "and now to what 
 can I look forward? It s the leaving that matters, 
 not the destination." 
 
 It was such thoughts as these that Dr. Ailing 
 burst in upon. "Robert, my boy," he said, "I m 
 glad to see you." The older man s whole heart 
 was in those simple words, and in the hand grasp 
 that accompanied them. He radiated his pleasure 
 in the meeting to such an extent that Robert re 
 sponded as though to a strong stimulant. The re 
 action from his depression was sudden and com 
 plete, for the poor fellow had seen no such cordiality 
 for many a day. 
 
 The contrast between the two became apparent 
 to both as they stood facing one another and ex 
 changing commonplaces. When they had last been 
 together it was Robert who had been more carefully 
 dressed, now it was Ailing. It was not exactly the 
 lack of care of clothing or person that the young 
 physician exhibited, but an indefinable something, 
 incongruities of one kind or another, that bore a 
 suggestion of the shabby genteel. The condition of 
 the rooms in the same way betrayed the absence of 
 prosperity, for a bit of dust here or an unnatural 
 arrangement there showed how little these offices 
 were used. 
 
 "I have lost my practice," said Robert, reading 
 the Chicagoan s thoughts. "Not only in part, but 
 absolutely. It seems incredible that while once 
 
 (348)
 
 THE LAST TRENCH 
 
 everyone for miles around was sending for me, to 
 day I have not a single patient." 
 
 "I was prepared for something of the sort, but 
 not for any such collapse as this. Tell me what has 
 happened?" 
 
 "I really do not know; I tried to model my career 
 on yours, and at first I succeeded beyond my expec 
 tations. Then little by little I lost my friends, I 
 suppose because they were too uncharitable and I 
 was too unyielding. Dr. Hill drives over from 
 Santa Rosa to care for the whites, the Japanese 
 have their own doctor, and today I have learned 
 that even my Indians have been taken away." 
 
 The medical practitioner sees more of the shad 
 ows of life than men in any other walk. He learns 
 to read human nature, he almost unconsciously 
 studies the men whom he meets, just as Dr. Ailing 
 was doing now, prompted by force of habit, not 
 suspicion. There was nothing about the young doc 
 tor that could account for his extremity; neither 
 vices nor an uneasy conscience were his. So Ailing, 
 giving the most careful attention and asking the 
 most searching questions, persuaded him to tell his 
 story. 
 
 "I admire your courage, Robert, and your devo 
 tion to ideals, which is more than I can say of your 
 judgment. You have had a bitter lesson, my boy, 
 so I will not preach. You have learned for your 
 self that man is gregarious and that you can t plunge 
 blindly forward without recognizing or making al 
 lowances for others. If you ran across a crowded 
 
 (349)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 ballroom floor while a dance was in progress, and 
 did not stop or turn for anyone, you would not be 
 very popular when you reached the other side. You 
 had certain plans which you were determined to 
 follow, but you had absolutely no elasticity." 
 
 "What would you have done if such things had 
 happened to you? Would you have drawn the color 
 line and said to yourself that your duty demanded 
 only so much of you, and no more?" 
 
 "When Roosevelt was asked, What would you 
 have done had you been president when the Lusita- 
 nia was sunk? Had I been president the Lusitania 
 would not have been sunk, was the reply." 
 
 "I suppose it s all my fault." 
 
 "To some extent, yes. You stayed here too long, 
 for one thing." 
 
 "I had my work, you know." 
 
 "Oh yes, on the plague. How is it progressing?" 
 
 "I ve discovered a cure, and this morning I ve 
 proved it." 
 
 "If that statement is correct, Robert, do you 
 know what it will mean to you?" 
 
 "In a way I do. It s all so new that I haven t 
 had time as yet to think it out." 
 
 "Do you care to tell me about it?" 
 
 "Yes, and I want you to be as sceptical as you 
 can. I ll go over it all while you concentrate on a 
 search for flaws." 
 
 Then it was that Robert had his hour of triumph. 
 The elation that had not come when he was alone 
 followed quickly in the wake of Alling s growing 
 
 (350)
 
 THE LAST TRENCH 
 
 admiration. Step by step the details of the gruel 
 ling work were unfolded, the history was revealed 
 of whole months of experiments that had to be 
 thrown away as useless. There was related the 
 story of the birth of the great idea, and the reason 
 ing that lay behind its conception. Preliminary work 
 seemed to substantiate it, so the present exhaustive 
 series of tests was staged. 
 
 From pen to pen the two doctors went. Every 
 animal was separately examined, its condition care 
 fully noted on a rough chart, and every added entry 
 proved that Hollington had won. When the work 
 was completed and the last blank had been filled, 
 both studied the paper with great care. 
 
 "There is no room for question, positively none," 
 was Alling s verdict. "Your demonstration that 
 this serum will cure guinea pigs must be accepted 
 by the profession. There remains, however, to 
 show that it will be as effective in the case of human 
 beings." 
 
 "Yes, but that is a pure formality, for it s exactly 
 the same disease with us as it is with them. It must 
 work in every case." 
 
 "Have you ever thought of what use you will 
 make of this discovery?" 
 
 "Not beyond publishing it." 
 
 "You will probably be sent to San Francisco or 
 to the Orient by the Rockefeller institute, to prove 
 it more thoroughly and to teach and improve your 
 technique. After that you ll have a future so much 
 
 (351)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 broader than mine that I feel honored in being in 
 your confidence." 
 
 "If all this is so, I know that nothing can ever 
 give me more pleasure than you re giving me now. 
 You re the master whom I have tried to follow, 
 and your approbation means more to me than the 
 praise of strangers." 
 
 "It s all true enough, Robert. I m going to in 
 dulge myself in a little reflected glory by loaning you 
 some money, taking you east with me, and introduc 
 ing you and your discovery. By the way," he added, 
 "I ve a newspaper with me which contains an article 
 on the plague. I noticed the headline, but did not 
 have time to read it. Perhaps it will interest us to 
 see what was said." 
 
 He took a San Diego morning paper from his 
 pocket, turned over the sheets until he found the 
 title for which he was looking, and both men read 
 the quarter column of text. It told of a discovery 
 by a doctor in Baltimore of a positive cure for the 
 plague, and outlined precisely the same theories that 
 Robert had been expounding to Ailing. It told 
 something of the labor that had preceded the dem 
 onstration, and was profuse in its prophesies of the 
 honors which would be heaped upon the latest ar 
 rival in the medical hall of fame. 
 
 The two turned to each other in consternation. 
 
 "I ve never been thrown against a more damna 
 ble piece of ill luck. Robert, I m more sorry for you 
 than I can tell." 
 
 "It means that all this work has been wasted," 
 (352)
 
 THE LAST TRENCH 
 
 said the other, incredulously, still hardly able to 
 grasp the full meaning of the situation. "I could 
 have accomplished just as much in five minutes by 
 reading that article. We have nothing here that 
 is not known to the whole fraternity, and my posi 
 tion is the same as though the whole thing had been 
 a flat failure." 
 
 "It is too bad," was all that could be said by the 
 man of ready words. 
 
 (353)
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII 
 IRVING STANHOPE S SERMON. 
 
 TT was Sunday morning. Gone from the valley 
 -*- were the week day sounds, the creaking of 
 wagons and the clanking of plows. No anvil filled 
 the air with the ringing of steel on iron, the staccato 
 vibrations of no gasoline motor came with char 
 acteristic short, sharp, irregular puffs. Peace at 
 least there was on earth, and good will there also 
 seemed to be as lark and finch, linnet and mocking 
 bird, finding their first timid notes no longer 
 drowned, burst into a riot of untrammeled song. 
 Even the steady west wind was subdued, adding 
 merely a gentle rustle as it stirred the grain stalks 
 and orchard leaves. 
 
 Upon this sometime sacred repose came the call 
 to worship. No one can say that it was only in 
 the imagination of those who heard, that this, the 
 last time a Christian church was to hold services in 
 Rosario, the tones of the bell were sadder than had 
 been their wont, that the swelling sound was more 
 wistful and more appealing than it had been before. 
 Certain it is that the accustomed worshipers had 
 felt no such thrill on other Sunday mornings as they 
 felt today when the strokes with lessened strength 
 told of the approaching end of Christian worship 
 in Eden Valley, the mocking echo, flung back from 
 
 (354)
 
 IRVING STANHOPE S SERMON 
 
 the mountains, proclaiming the final triumph of pa 
 ganism. 
 
 A saddened congregation filed silently through the 
 doors. Every white man in Eden Valley was pres 
 ent, yet the numbers were so few that it was with 
 difficulty the service was conducted with the usual 
 formalities. 
 
 It was to worship the God of their fathers in 
 the land which had been given them for that purpose 
 that this Rosarian remnant of Christian civilization 
 had assembled for the last time. They were too 
 intent on the sorrows of the situation to give much 
 heed to the details of what was passing about them. 
 But little by little the spell of the music and the 
 environment of sanctity brought them out of them 
 selves and carried them away from the things of this 
 world. But by the time the minister commenced 
 his discourse the congregation was ready to hear. 
 
 It was not the Reverend Irving Stanhope whom 
 
 (they knew so well, but a younger, stronger Stanhope, 
 who now addressed them. True, the thin, grey 
 locks were there, and the wrinkled face, but a new 
 fire shone in the eyes, a new energy was manifest 
 in the wasted frame, which though but momentary 
 was none the less impressive. 
 
 "There has never been a time," he said, "that a 
 Christian church so well entrenched and so long 
 established as ours has been driven out by pagan 
 ism, and left without hope of returning. For well 
 over a hundred years one church or another that 
 acknowledged Jesus has been supreme in Eden Val- 
 
 (355)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 ley, but after today there will be no organized wor 
 ship here, save the worship of idols and of ancestors. 
 I wonder if any of us realizes what this change 
 means to our country. The fate of Rosario alone 
 may be of little importance, but as typifying the 
 potential fate of the United States it means much. 
 Hanba boasts that at no time has he had over twelve 
 thousand dollars invested in Eden Valley. The first 
 lesson we are taught is that in no settlement not 
 superior to Rosario in this country can the church 
 maintain itself against the onslaught of a crafty 
 paganism which can control twelve thousand dollars. 
 And if with twelve thousand dollars Rosario can 
 thus be destroyed, certain millions can capture the 
 United States. 
 
 "Why? Our little church building and the main 
 tenance of the minister is an example that will do 
 as well as any other. We must take more than a 
 bare living out of the soil. We lose money under 
 conditions where the invader is making a profit. 
 Give him his due, he is clever and hard working, 
 qualities which carry far. The white brain is the 
 stronger of the two; the white physique can endure 
 more, but the white engine needs the larger supply 
 of fuel. We can stand the competition of the Indian 
 and the negro, of the Mexican and the Hindu, be 
 cause though their standards of living are even 
 lower than the Japanese, their mentality and their 
 output is so far below his that there is no real com 
 petition. There is no need of argument, no need 
 of proving these statements, for you yourselves are 
 
 (356)
 
 IRVING STANHOPE S SERMON 
 
 at once the argument and the proof. So the one 
 point I will make while I am closing this edifice, 
 while I am taking presumably never to return the 
 word of the Father and the Son from this valley, 
 is that the closing was not voluntary, but forced. 
 The loss of one small church is of little importance, 
 but if that loss is a test of strength between two 
 cults and two cultures; if it prove that paganism can 
 overrun Christianity at will, if it prove that idolatry 
 and ancestor worship can point to any church of 
 ours and claim it for a victim, the incident becomes 
 pregnant with significance. 
 
 "And it has proven, at least as far as any rural 
 community is concerned, that without different laws 
 our civilization and our church alike are helpless. 
 Nowhere in this country could a people be found 
 I make but one exception who could have fought 
 more nobly or more courageously than have the Ro- 
 sarians. Nowhere could a people be found again I 
 withhold one name who could have less to look 
 back upon with regret, who could have left less un 
 done to save their homes and their religion." 
 
 The impassioned voice became quiet. Over the 
 speaker there came a change so great that some 
 half rose in their seats as if to go to his assistance. 
 He waved them back; for though old and weak he 
 held himself under control. 
 
 In no one s ears had his words a more sinister 
 meaning than in those of Frances Coulters. She 
 looked again at Robert s accustomed seat, now va 
 cant. She wondered if he had been advised to re- 
 
 (357)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 main away while he was being denounced from the 
 pulpit. And while she waited until Stanhope should 
 regain his strength, there came to her the knowl 
 edge that she was going to the man she loved in 
 the moment of his degradation, that he was to take 
 what benefit he could from the sympathy and the 
 love that she could bring. 
 
 "I cannot preach a farewell sermon. I cannot 
 preach at all." The fire and the life were there, but 
 the man was old and battle-worn, and he was plead 
 ing. "It is not enough that I should tell you what 
 your lives must be; and I can no longer show you, 
 I can no longer ask you to follow me. My people, 
 I have passed my seventy-eighth birthday, and yet 
 I am but a child who craves to put his head on his 
 mother s breast, a child made weary by his own con 
 science and who wants to confess and be forgiven, 
 even though punishment intervene. 
 
 "For twenty years I have exhorted you from this 
 same pulpit, but now, the last time I shall ever stand 
 in it, I shall reverse the roles, I shall lay bare my 
 soul to you that you may judge me, and condemn 
 me if you will, for only by so doing can I hope to 
 make my peace with mankind and with God. 
 
 "When our beloved townsman, Clem Harding, 
 stood by the ruins of the home for which he had 
 fought, and sinned; when the handcuffs were 
 snapped about his wrists and he was led away to 
 serve the sentence that means more than death to 
 him, he was not beaten. I have done my damned 
 est, he said, and angels could do no more. Oh, 
 
 (358)
 
 IRVING STANHOPE S SERMON 
 
 my brethren, if only I, a minister of the gospel of 
 Christ, within the sacred precincts of this building 
 dedicated to his worship, standing upon the plat 
 form erected to expound the teachings of him who 
 died to save us, and speaking with all reverence, 
 could I but apply to myself the words of that unfor 
 tunate man ! Could I but say with him that I had 
 done my best. 
 
 "Such is my confession. The commandments 
 given to us at Mount Sinai I have kept every one. 
 Mine is not the story of some one act atoned for; 
 my sin covers the twenty years I have been with 
 you, and stretches back years before that. 
 
 "I wrought with the spirit to save souls. Early 
 in my work I was rebuffed. Everyone had vices 
 that would not be relinquished, and my youthful 
 zeal overwhelmed me. I had set my ambitions high. 
 I began with what was nearest, and I worked for 
 my end with heart and soul. Thirty-five years later 
 I came to Rosario so badly beaten that I tried no 
 longer to do more than my bare duty. Sometime 
 during those thirty-five years my spirit had been 
 broken; little by little I had found how hard and 
 cold a world is ours, how monstrous its inertia. It 
 was satisfied, it did not want what I had to offer, 
 I could not force it to accept my ideals. So I al 
 lowed a feeling of delicacy and my natural sensi 
 tiveness to encrust me until at some period early 
 in that thirty-four years I had reached a state where 
 I was doing nothing more than what came to me ; 
 
 (359)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 the world, its troubles and its follies, were passing 
 to one side. 
 
 "Such I say is my confession; for fifty years I 
 admit my life to have been a failure; that instead 
 of fighting I have done nothing but drift. The half 
 of a century, or ever since the civil war I have had 
 no part in the changes that have taken place; I have 
 been an idle spectator during a period of the world s 
 greatest progress. Had I tried and failed I would 
 not be ashamed; for failure is often a preliminary 
 of success. But I did not try, I made no effort to 
 do my share for the general uplift. 
 
 "There are two men in Rosario, and only two, 
 who hold postgraduate degrees. Both are doctors, 
 one of divinity and one of medicine. To which of 
 them, think you, fell the duty of searching the se 
 cluded spots for those who needed guidance, of 
 bringing succor to those who could not stand alone? 
 One of them went on in the even tenor of his way 
 and made no effort, the other fell from the first 
 position in this valley to a level so low that scarce 
 a soul will admit his friendship; fell because regard 
 less of consequences, he tried. Which of them, 
 think you, is the real failure? The outcast who did 
 not vary from what he thought was right, who 
 shirked nothing for the sake of expediency, who 
 compromised nothing with his conscience, or the 
 man who speaks to you, the pillar of society, and 
 the head of the church who had no part in this 
 magnificent failure, who preached what others 
 should do but who did nothing himself? It is not 
 
 (360)
 
 IRVING STANHOPE S SERMON 
 
 success that discloses a man s character; it is not 
 as you see him in his hours of ease that you can 
 correctly judge him. My friends, you have been 
 put to the test as have few communities in our 
 country; and of you all, of those present and of 
 those who one by one have dropped from among 
 us, I alone have failed to give a proper account 
 of myself. That I could have done nothing had I 
 tried is no excuse. Neither the convict nor the fallen 
 idol accomplished anything, neither the charity of 
 our women nor such self-sacrifice as that of Sam 
 Coulters was of material profit, for our loss is com 
 plete. But think of how souls have been strength 
 ened and proved, while I 
 
 "People, when adversity comes to a common 
 wealth like ours some meet their fate one way, some 
 another, some succumb to weakness, or are over 
 taken by folly, or are ruined by credulity. Some 
 disclose strength, some go to their doom fighting 
 nobly; others only after exhausting all their strength 
 in a struggle for the better life. Honor those vir 
 tues, for they have been tried under fire, and have 
 sustained searching tests. 
 
 "Be charitable to faults; remember the law of 
 averages, that in any given number there must de 
 velop just so many who will do wrong. Think you 
 it is possible, when all are exposed, that not even 
 one young woman will be injudicious? Think you 
 it is possible when all are tempted that not even 
 one man will try to save himself by crime? We, 
 
 (361)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 survivors for the moment, have seen our number 
 decline. Do not forget that we once represented 
 human nature in the aggregate, that about so many 
 of us were bound to succumb in one way, about so 
 many in another. Try to realize that those acts 
 upon which we look back with regret were inev 
 itable, admit that among so large a number every 
 experience we have had was certain to occur, then 
 say that the particular individual destined to fill any 
 given role was not a matter of accident. 
 
 "When I bespeak charity, I plead for myself. 
 If my reasoning is correct, there had to be one to 
 stand aside and do nothing. I seek no exoneration, 
 I do not offer this in extenuation, there is less excuse 
 for me than for any who have failed, the least 
 excuse and the greatest blame. I hope that in time 
 your bitterness may turn to charity, more I cannot 
 expect. 
 
 "Such has been my short-coming. With this con 
 fession behind me I feel better and freer, but my 
 usefulness as your leader has come to an end. There 
 is but one further act I am fitted to perform; there 
 is the refuge of saint and sinner alike. Will you 
 follow me in the Lord s prayer, and bring to an end 
 divine worship in Rosario?" 
 
 The prayer was said; the minister sank back in 
 his seat exhausted. The farewell hymn was sung 
 and the congregation dispersed. The first to reach 
 the minister was Frances, bringing him sympathy 
 and cheer. Her father was but a step behind, while 
 
 (362)
 
 IRVING STANHOPE S SERMON 
 
 her mother persuaded the poor old man to come 
 to their Sunday dinner. There was not a soul who 
 had listened to Stanhope but who managed, in spite 
 of diffidence and awkwardness, to convey to him 
 the assurance that he had in no wise fallen in the 
 general estimation. 
 
 (363)
 
 CHAPTER XXIX 
 
 LOVE S CLEARING HOUSE 
 
 "ENHANCES slept fitfully that night. And when 
 she awoke her mind was still in confusion. 
 
 She would have gone to him if he had been de 
 nounced from the pulpit, even to this victim of the 
 needle; for in that moment when she had thought 
 he was to be cast out of human society she had been 
 betrayed into admitting to herself that she loved 
 him. Loved him in spite of everything, loved him 
 with a passion that asked nothing for herself, and 
 cared nothing for what he had done, loved him 
 with an unreasoning desire to stand beside him and 
 shield him as a mother her child. 
 
 If Stanhope had made the gulf between them so 
 broad and deep as to be impassable, she would have 
 made it passable and have gone to him. Too hon 
 est to deny this, once she had been forced to acknowl 
 edge it, too honest to deny that it was pride which 
 stopped her now, she fought the temptation while 
 the dawn came stealing into Rosario. And all the 
 while the colors deepened in the picture of herself 
 standing beside him. She would not go to him, she 
 could not. Maidenly pride forbade it; self-respect 
 would not endure the thought of it. And so she 
 went to him. 
 
 Love appears under varied aspects, as in physical 
 desire, in propinquity, or even a consciousness with- 
 
 (364)
 
 LOVE S CLEARING HOUSE 
 
 out cause of existence. Love is a longing to share 
 all, to break down every barrier, content with the 
 knowledge that the other mind is in harmony. Love 
 is an insatiable craving for companionship; it will 
 tolerate no division of interest, it will endure long 
 separations for moments of fulfillment. Love is the 
 melting of two into one, the creation of a family 
 from individual units, due perhaps to friendship, to 
 admiration, to affection, to numberless everyday 
 emotions. But it s not of these, not in its full blown 
 realization, not in that transcendant development 
 that comes, perhaps, only to a few, that came to 
 Frances Coulters when she realized that she was no 
 longer an entirety in herself, but had become a part 
 of a new and concrete existence. 
 
 What need to follow the emotions awakened by 
 one mistaken idea? The Arabian fisherman could 
 no more have replaced the genii within the bottle 
 than could poor Frances have controlled the desire 
 to go to Robert which now obsessed her. She said 
 she would not go, even as she dressed herself with 
 unusual care. She proved to herself that she could 
 not go, even as she left the house on an errand 
 which may or may not have been necessary. She 
 told herself that no harm lay in her going home past 
 his office, for it was hardly out of the way. But 
 she did not even pretend to have conscious control 
 over her actions when she turned down the pathway 
 and opened the door of his reception room. 
 
 Robert, with no delay, had flung open the door of 
 his laboratory, but, recognizing Frances, he stopped 
 
 (365)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 on the threshold, spellbound. Coatless and collar- 
 less he was, his hair rumpled over his forehead, one 
 sleeve rolled above the elbow. In his left hand he 
 held a letter, his right still was on the doorknob, as, 
 speechless with surprise, he looked at his caller. 
 She did not miss the flash of triumphant happiness 
 that came to his eyes, came and went with the speed 
 of thought. 
 
 "How do you do?" he said. "I hope it is not you 
 who needs my services." He thought his profes 
 sional manner best calculated to put her at her ease. 
 
 "Robert, are you sure it s not you who needs 
 mine?" 
 
 "I don t understand." 
 
 "I m offering you a helping hand. I thought per 
 haps if I talked to you a little I might start you on 
 a road that would lead you back to to " 
 
 "To what, Frances?" the question was asked in 
 the kindest manner. 
 
 "Oh, I can t express it in words, but you know 
 there has been a great change in you since you came 
 to Rosario." 
 
 "To what particular do you refer?" 
 
 "Robert, I came here to offer you serious help, 
 not to bandy words. How am I to " 
 
 "Frances, we are at cross purposes once more. 
 Please tell me what you mean." 
 
 "Very well, then, I will. I came here to per 
 suade you to discontinue the use of morphine." 
 
 Robert came into the room, closing the door be 
 hind him. "Please be seated," he said, offering a 
 
 (366)
 
 LOVE S CLEARING HOUSE 
 
 chair. "This is serious. I know you would not ac 
 cuse me of such a thing without good reason. Why 
 do you believe that I am addicted to the use of mor 
 phine?" 
 
 "Everyone knows it. How? Look in your mir 
 ror, compare what you see with what you were when 
 we first met. Study the lines in your face, your 
 dishevelled appearance, the condition of your cloth 
 ing. I never realized before how much you must 
 have fallen in your own esteem." 
 
 "Frances, I am going to prove to you that I have 
 had nothing to do with morphine or any other 
 drug." There was a strength and vitality in his 
 voice that in itself belied the accusation of degen 
 eracy. "Look at my eyes, make a mental picture of 
 my pupils " 
 
 "Oh Robert, I know I was wrong, and I m so 
 glad." 
 
 "I m going to tell you the truth about some things, 
 because even that is preferable to having you be 
 lieve that I ve lost my self-respect. I am packing to 
 leave, and I have to save my coat and collar. If my 
 linen is torn and soiled it is because I m inexperi 
 enced at sewing and washing. And if my face has 
 developed lines they have not come from opiates, but 
 from hunger." 
 
 "Hunger?" 
 
 "Yes, I simply haven t been getting proper food. 
 Every cent of my money is spent. You must not 
 go yet." 
 
 (367)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 "I came only because I thought you needed help 
 to break a bad habit." 
 
 "And now that you are here," he laid a detaining 
 hand on her arm, "there are some other things you 
 must know. We are both going away from Rosario, 
 to opposite corners of this continent. I have told 
 you too much to stop now; if you and I are to sep 
 arate with you fully aware of the circumstances to 
 which I am reduced, then you shall also learn why 
 I ve been brought to this condition. I m too good a 
 doctor to starve; there are friends and opportunity 
 awaiting me in New York, but not even the com 
 bined spleen of a whole community has been able to 
 drive me from Rosario. Do you know why? Re 
 gardless of the rights of any others I m going to 
 tell you. It s because I love you, love you as I did 
 that Sunday afternoon. My God, how the months 
 have dragged since then, and every minute that was 
 spent away from you was separate torture ! It 
 hasn t been hope that kept me here; it wasn t an 
 occasional glimpse of you that offset poverty; there 
 was nothing to counterbalance the suffering. I 
 stayed on, not because I wanted to, but because I 
 couldn t leave you, because it was impossible for 
 me to force myself away. I m trampling the rem 
 nants of my pride underfoot " 
 
 "You said you were speaking regardless of the 
 rights of others." Her quiet voice checked him. 
 "You mustn t do that, Robert. Besides, I have to 
 hurry home, for I ve a good deal to do since Ruth 
 left." 
 
 (368)
 
 LOVE S CLEARING HOUSE 
 
 "Is Ruth away?" he asked mechanically, from a 
 sense of politeness. 
 
 "Do you mean to say that you have not heard 
 that she was married last Wednesday, and has gone 
 to Mexico?" 
 
 "Why no, whom did she marry?" 
 
 "Billy Evans, of course." 
 
 "Billy Evans?" he repeated incredulously. "Billy 
 Evans?" The possibilities of the situation were 
 coming to him. "Billy Evans !" he fairly shouted. 
 "Why, there s no one else who has any rights." 
 
 "Except Mrs. Richardson." 
 
 "She s been gone for " 
 
 "Yes, but" 
 
 "Did you know that I didn t see her once during 
 the last month she was here?" 
 
 "No," 
 
 "Do you care to know why?" 
 
 "Why, really" 
 
 "I m going to tell you that, also. It was because 
 of something she said about you. We talked of you 
 a great deal." 
 
 "You d no right ever to bring in my name." 
 
 "Every right in the world. That s why I was 
 with her so much." 
 
 Frances took time to digest this remark. Two 
 wonderful eyes looking steadily at Robert began to 
 radiate a glorious light, but the hurt had been too 
 deep and of too long duration to disappear in a 
 moment. So Robert again took up the conversation. 
 
 "Not at any time, Frances, was either of us the 
 (369)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 least interested in the other. We were both playing 
 a game, and we both understood. I was hungry for 
 someone to tell me about you, of how you looked 
 and what you said, and where you went. So I was 
 drawn to her, until one day I found that jealousy and 
 vanity were prompting her to undermine you. There 
 is nothing she said that I can repeat, no single word 
 of criticism, no expression of disdain, but the time 
 came when I saw through her. Since then I ve been 
 more lonely and more hopeless than seemed hu 
 manly possible. I knew that Billy Evans was with 
 you all the time oh, you cannot understand." 
 
 "You are mistaken, Robert, for I do understand 
 perfectly." Then she abruptly turned to another 
 topic. "Dr. Ailing told us that you had just missed 
 becoming famous." 
 
 "I wonder what he thinks of me?" 
 
 "He didn t say much, because " she stopped, 
 with a touch of confusion. 
 
 "Because your father wouldn t allow it," he fin 
 ished for her. 
 
 "Father has never forgiven you for taking the 
 part of the Japanese." 
 
 "I know, and probably he never will. They came 
 between you and me, too. But only a memory sep 
 arates us now. I was right, Frances, but if you 
 judge me wrong, can t you come to me knowing that 
 I ve more than atoned for any error, and that it was 
 one that cannot be repeated?" 
 
 He held out his arms to her. The further en 
 treaty that he might have voiced was written on his 
 
 (370)
 
 LOVE S CLEARING HOUSE 
 
 face. Desire, heart hunger and loneliness, need of 
 her, and newly awakened hope demanded no words 
 to establish magnitude or sincerity. And ever there 
 came to her face more of softness, her eyes half 
 closed, her lips parted slightly with a smile of con 
 tentment. And then, neither ever knew how, they 
 were in each other s arms. 
 
 "I do love you, Robert," she heard herself saying, 
 "and I do not judge you. There is nothing between 
 us now, for if there were, I could not be so happy." 
 
 So in the supreme moment they buried the com 
 plications that had come to them. Their irrecon 
 cilable attitudes on the Japanese question at one 
 time had appeared insurmountable, but now that the 
 foreigners could no longer be an issue the subject 
 was scarcely remembered. Circumstances, personi 
 fied by the small yellow man, had intervened to save 
 them. 
 
 Robert was the first to come back to earth. 
 
 "I hardly have the right to speak as I ve done," 
 he said, "I m too poor." 
 
 "Is that all?" She took her head from his breast 
 to ask the question, then snuggled into his arms 
 again. 
 
 "It s too serious to be turned aside." 
 
 "You will have to take up that work in New 
 York." 
 
 "The salary is almost nominal, and there is no 
 prospect of advancement." 
 
 "We ll talk it over some other time," she said. 
 But seeing that he was not satisfied, and being de- 
 
 (371)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 termined that there should be no disappointments on 
 this day of days, she added, "Show me your labora 
 tory, and tell me about the discovery that should 
 have given you a world wide reputation." 
 
 They went into the adjoining room. The walls 
 were covered with shelves holding bottles and chemi 
 cals, and there were the conventional bookcases and 
 the paraphernalia of a practicing physician. But 
 the implements of the profession were pushed to 
 one side to make room for a large work bench. 
 Frances noticed with a pang that no access had been 
 saved to the glass sterilizing stand which held his 
 instruments, and that a coat of dust had settled over 
 it, even to the knob of its door. 
 
 On the bench were eight or ten cages and row 
 after row of racked test tubes. The pens were 
 empty, though they bore evidence of recent occu 
 pancy. Nearly all the glass tubes were plugged 
 with absorbent cotton. 
 
 "This is the scene," said Robert. "I have cleaned 
 away everything except those racks, but they are 
 still a veritable magazine of death." 
 
 "Tell me what s in the tubes." 
 
 "Beef broth. Sometimes we add agar threads or 
 gelatine, and we have many combinations and names, 
 but the principal is juice from meat or some other 
 food." 
 
 "And the cotton?" 
 
 "Air circulates freely through it, but solids no 
 matter how minute, do not. You see, we sterilize 
 our culture media, and keep it pure with these plugs. 
 
 (372)
 
 LOVE S CLEARING HOUSE 
 
 Then we can plant anything we choose. For in 
 stance, everyone of my tubes contains pure colonies 
 of the bacillus pestis." 
 
 "It s very deadly, is it not?" 
 
 "In many respects it is the most terrible of all the 
 disease germs. It has certainly killed a billion men." 
 
 "I wonder how it would feel to hold so much 
 death in one s hand. May I pick up a tube?" 
 
 He nodded assent, and she lifted one of the glass 
 cylinders with her left hand, the right being other 
 wise engaged. 
 
 "It frightens me, yet it fascinates," she said, care 
 fully holding it to the light. "It looks harmless " 
 
 How it slipped from her fingers can never be 
 known. The upper part was broken when the light 
 tube crashed to the bench, but the lower part, pro 
 tected by its contents, remained intact. It was roll 
 ing so rapidly towards the edge of the table that even 
 though she snatched at it without the slightest hesi 
 tation, she was barely able to save it from going to 
 the floor. 
 
 Frances tendered the fragment to the doctor, 
 who at once plugged it with cotton. He reached 
 for a bottle of alcohol and carefully washed her 
 hands and his own, and poured a cupful or more on 
 the bench. 
 
 "There are no cuts or sores on your hands?" he 
 asked. "Not even hangnails?" 
 
 She told him there were not, though even as she 
 answered she noticed a tiny particle of glass impaled 
 on her wrist. This she kept carefully concealed by 
 
 (373)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 her sleeve, partly because she did not like to mention 
 it after having said there was nothing, partly because 
 she did not choose to worry him. It was all too 
 trivial to deserve a thought on such a day as this. 
 She had no conception of the risk she was taking, 
 and she had been too excited and frightened to give 
 much heed to what she was saying. 
 
 But the little accident had startled the pair suffi 
 ciently to bring back the actualities of life. Frances 
 had been entrusted by her mother with a parcel for 
 Irving Stanhope, so Robert walked with her to the 
 rectory. Then he left her, after arranging to come 
 over in the evening. 
 
 In the middle of the afternoon the Coulters 
 Mexican farm hand brought him a note : 
 
 "Dearest Robert," he read, "I told Father and 
 Mother something of what happened this morning, 
 and I m afraid things are not to be as we wish. I 
 love you, Robert, I always will, and I know that 
 such a love as ours cannot lead to permanent sep 
 aration. But as long as I am under my father s 
 roof I must respect his feelings, when they are as 
 strong as they are on this subject. 
 
 "You and I are to have no communication beyond 
 this note, which I have promised to make as formal 
 as possible. 
 
 "Robert, dear, I know that our morning was not 
 intended to be fruitless, I know that in some way 
 this complication will adjust itself. For I believe 
 in you, Robert dear, and I am sure that you will 
 come for me. When you do, whether the time be 
 
 (374)
 
 LOVE S CLEARING HOUSE 
 
 short or long, you will find me waiting, Robert, wait 
 ing for you. 
 
 "Dear heart, will it help you any to be told that 
 the reading of this note cannot bring more unhappi- 
 ness than writing it has done? 
 
 "Always yours, F. C." 
 
 (375)
 
 CHAPTER XXX 
 
 HANBA COERCES SAM COULTERS 
 
 AM COULTERS was at home as he had prom- 
 ised to be. He was seated on his porch, making 
 at least a pretense of reading the morning paper, 
 when interrupted by the sound of someone in the 
 garden. 
 
 "How do you do, Mr. Coulters," said Hanba, 
 raising his silk hat and making a most elaborate bow 
 before mounting the steps. 
 
 Sam allowed the hand that held his paper to fall 
 by the side of his arm chair. He very deliberately 
 uncrossed his knees, very slowly turned his body un 
 til he was directly facing his caller, then fastened 
 upon him a steady, inquisitive stare. The cold 
 blooded rudeness of this reception fairly swept 
 Hanba off his feet. He had expected his conde 
 scension in being the one to make the call to be rec 
 ognized, he had expected to have a seat offered him, 
 and refreshments urged. He had even gone so far, 
 while walking towards the Coulters place, as to run 
 over in his mind some of the phrases to be used in 
 the preliminary exchange of compliments, translat 
 ing them tentatively into English, so that they would 
 be the more available. And here he was like a truant 
 schoolboy before his master, ill at ease and utterly at 
 a loss for words, forced almost to apologize for his 
 presence. 
 
 (376)
 
 HANBA COERCES SAM COULTERS 
 
 "Those others, they come to me or go to Mr. 
 McGowan," he found himself saying, "but you are 
 a big man, Mr. Coulters, and I have come to you." 
 Hanba smiled happily; surely now everything would 
 be all right. 
 
 "So I see." Sam s tone was hardly more gracious 
 than his words. Ever that cold, superior stare, that 
 half tolerant, half supercilious awaiting of an ex 
 planation. Irritated, Hanba dropped the role of 
 diplomat for that of master. Why endure such 
 treatment, under the circumstances? His whole de 
 meanor changed, and his features hardened as he 
 turned squarely toward the American that he might 
 return rudeness for rudeness. 
 
 Hanba s eye met the other s bravely enough, but 
 almost coincidentally with the shock of the conflict 
 it wavered and fell. Let us not blame or belittle 
 the Japanese. He was a foreigner, handicapped by 
 unfamiliarity with language and custom, and he was 
 facing Sam Coulters. 
 
 Thoroughly displeased, Hanba again found him 
 self forced to speak, so he tried to say what he had 
 originally planned, although the interview was not 
 proceeding at all as he had intended. 
 
 "Mr. Coulters, you re a big man and I m a big 
 man." Hanba did not miss the fleeting shadow, the 
 momentary catch of the breath. So far from being 
 flattered, the farmer was surprised into showing 
 just a color of the disgust and resentment that came 
 with the coupling of their names on any basis of 
 equality. Hanba concluded that any further attempt 
 
 (377)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 at finesse would be a waste, so he bluntly stated his 
 proposition : 
 
 "Rosario is not large enough for two big men; I 
 want you to go." 
 
 Between them there now took place a mental 
 struggle in which one mind was yielding to the other 
 as absolutely as though the two were in physical 
 contact. Coulters was unconscious of this, for he 
 had domineered his way through life and had always 
 been accustomed to the acceptance of his ideas. 
 Hanba, on the contrary, was acutely aware that he 
 was encountering a will stronger than his own, a 
 fact which had taken him greatly by surprise, for 
 he, too, unless in the presence of an official superior, 
 had habitually seen his opinions override all others. 
 
 The Japanese was afraid; he was honest enough 
 to admit as much to himself. So far from having 
 the upper hand, he was learning, as had many a 
 man before him, that not only was it impossible to 
 frighten the hardy old pioneer, but the mere making 
 of threats to him entailed insurmountable obstacles. 
 The strength and fearlessness of Hanba were con 
 spicuous among a race famous for these qualities, 
 and yet there could be no doubt that his reluctance 
 to force the issue and to make his demands, sprang 
 from fear. It was not physical, for the smaller man 
 knew he would not be attacked, and it was not moral, 
 for according to his teachings and his convictions his 
 position was defensible. He was not a coward, so, 
 having a definite task to perform, he resolutely set 
 
 (378)
 
 HANBA COERCES SAM COULTERS 
 
 about it, in spite of being possessed of fears where 
 he had expected to ride at ease. 
 
 "We Japanese are in a majority in the valley, Mr. 
 Coulters. So when there is another meeting of the 
 Rosario Mutual water company we will elect at 
 least four directors. Mr. McGowan has told me 
 how to do that." 
 
 Still not a word from Sam, only that steady ex 
 pectant look which Hanba could not endure. 
 
 "They elect you one director," continued the lat 
 ter. "Me, I am the other four." 
 
 After a moment or two he went on, there seemed 
 to be nothing else to do. "Saishoto and three others. 
 They do what Saishoto tells them, and he does as I 
 direct. You see, I read your American magazine; 
 I become captain of finance." 
 
 "I suppose you think you can manipulate the 
 stock. What are you going to do, nickel plate the 
 pipe?" Sam was very angry, and his choler was fur 
 ther fed by the returning complacency of the other. 
 
 "No assessments, Mr. Coulters, for we, too, 
 would have to pay. Can you not see that unless 
 you leave the water company there will always be 
 discord?" 
 
 "I think I shall continue to serve as long as I am 
 elected," said Sam, quietly. 
 
 "But if we lease your farm you will not remain in 
 Rosario." 
 
 "You can t lease it. I must stay here to help my 
 friends." 
 
 "I know, but we ll lease their places, too." 
 (379)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 "I m sorry to disappoint you, Mr. Hanba, and 
 interfere with your plans for a final clean-up, but 
 none of us will rent to you." Coulters elaborate 
 sarcasm passed unheeded. "Your countrymen have 
 earned a reputation for squeezing a farm for its last 
 dollar and at the same time allowing it to go to 
 ruin." 
 
 "You see, we can t buy anything more, Mr. Coul 
 ters. Our money is all spent." 
 
 For the first time, Sam s features relaxed, and a 
 smile broke out upon his face. 
 
 "So we will lease all the farms left in Eden Val 
 ley," the Japanese continued. "Perhaps some time 
 we buy. We ll lease with an option." 
 
 "No one would give you such an option," Sam 
 replied. 
 
 "And we will pay one-sixth of the crop " 
 
 "What are you trying to get at, Hanba? You 
 know as well as I that that is not half enough." 
 
 "And we will" 
 
 "Your plans will not work, Hanba. You know 
 you cannot lease for more than three years, and in 
 that time 
 
 "We will lease for twenty-one years." 
 
 Sam smiled indulgently. "Ask your friend Mc- 
 Gowan about the law." 
 
 "I did so, and he told me we could have seven 
 different tenants and consecutive leases, each of 
 three years. One commences when another expires." 
 
 The blow went home. If McGowan had said so, 
 it probably was true, and if that were so the anti- 
 
 (380)
 
 HANBA COERCES SAM COULTERS 
 
 alien land law, California s only protection, might 
 as well be repealed. Sam was silent for the mo 
 ment, readjusting himself to the altered situation, 
 and fighting the disappointment. How he had 
 worked for that law, and how he had counted on its 
 forever putting an end to such aggression. There 
 came from the housetop the notes of a mocking bird, 
 imitating the whistle of some young turkeys. Sam 
 remembered how originally the incident had not only 
 amused him but had also upset the mother of the 
 brood. He could see her yet, flustered and uneasy, 
 trying to collect her offspring, and never quite sure 
 whether or not one of them was missing. A homely 
 little incident, but this was home, and it was en 
 dangered. 
 
 The way the Rosarian turned in his chair was 
 enough to shatter Hanba s complacency, was enough 
 to undermine the elation that had come to him when 
 he felt that the hardest part of the struggle lay be 
 hind and that he had become master of the situation. 
 
 "I will not retire from the board nor will I lease 
 my farm. Is there anything else you wanted to say 
 to me?" Sam s attitude was a virtual dismissal. 
 
 It required all the courage the other could muster 
 to answer. 
 
 "You ve forgotten, Mr. Coulters, that even if 
 there be discord, the directors of the water company 
 will still obey me." 
 
 "What can they do?" asked Sam uncompro 
 misingly. 
 
 (381)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 "There is the distribution of the water, for in 
 stance " 
 
 "Wait for me a minute; I want my copy of our 
 by-laws." Coulters stepped into the house. He 
 called for Frances, and as she came from another 
 room he viciously snapped at her, "Where are the 
 books of the water company?" 
 
 She looked at her father amazedly, so palpably 
 hurt that he hardly had the heart to continue. 
 
 "Here they all are," she said, handing some vol 
 umes to him. He picked out one, and as he did so, 
 contrived to speak to her in a low tone. 
 
 "I want you and your mother to slip off your 
 shoes, and overhear the rest of this conversation. 
 That caller of mine may spend a good part of the 
 next few years in jail." 
 
 As Sam came back to the porch he was turning 
 over the pages. "You were speaking of the dis 
 tribution of the water," he said. "Let me read you 
 a few rules from this book, and you will see that 
 the water must be divided fairly and equally and 
 there must be no discrimination." 
 
 "Mr. McGowan tells me that no matter what that 
 book says, that we Japanese can use almost all the 
 water. We can let our share run until nearly the 
 end of the month, then allow you others to draw 
 yours." 
 
 "You mean that we have to stand all the leak- 
 age?" 
 
 "Mr. McGowan says that we could give you your 
 water the first few days of one month, and the last 
 
 (382)
 
 HANBA COERCES SAM COULTERS 
 
 few days of another. What would be the effect on 
 your trees of their going unirrigated nearly sixty 
 days?" 
 
 "Is that what you propose to do unless we lease?" 
 
 "That is one of the things Mr. McGowan tells 
 us we might do." 
 
 "When we controlled the water we were careful 
 to give you exact justice. Do you feel under no 
 obligation to reciprocate?" 
 
 "Mr. McGowan says " 
 
 "Yes, I know, but between man and man, Hanba, 
 there are some things which are not done. I m 
 not asking for myself, but those people down the 
 valley put their savings into these places and made 
 them their homes. Can t you understand that such 
 a thing as jockeying their water supply is simply 
 not to be considered?" 
 
 "Mr. McGowan" 
 
 "Are you going to go as far as he says the law 
 permits? Are you a human being or a machine? 
 Have you or the people for whom you work no 
 other consideration, no higher ideals, than just the 
 one of money returns? 
 
 "Hanba, you must have some soul, or you could 
 not belong to a race which will make such sacrifices 
 as yours. You have your ideals, we have ours. The 
 directors of that water company are put on their 
 honor to handle it fairly, you are succeeding to the 
 trust. You can see that what you propose is virtual 
 stealing. Have you no conscience? No sense of 
 right and wrong?" 
 
 (383)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 "A man might pay out a few dollars that way, 
 Mr. Coulters, but this is a case involving a good 
 many thousand. I can do far more with that much 
 money than spend it to satisfy some ideals which are 
 yours, not mine. Mr. McGowan told me to be very 
 careful to make no threats, not even to tell you what 
 we were going to do, for you might have me ar 
 rested if I did. He told me to give you these leases, 
 he said that once you understood the matter thor 
 oughly, you and the others, that all of you would 
 sign." 
 
 Hanba brought a handful of papers from an in 
 side coat pocket. Sam looked them over carefully; 
 like all McGowan s work they were accurate and 
 precise. There were spaces for a great many sig 
 natures, Sam noticed, and he knew that all the other 
 names would follow as a matter of form once his 
 own was subscribed. He looked again at that smirk 
 ing face standing beside him, he saw the blunt end 
 of a fountain pen extended to him, and once again 
 he was seized with red hot passion, with the lust of 
 fight. His fingers itched to grasp that little yellow 
 neck, to go down with it into a death grapple, to 
 end forever the enmity and the menace. 
 
 But there were other considerations and other 
 people. There was no alternative but to add to the 
 long list that had preceded one more sacrifice, and 
 the noblest of them all. Satisfied that Hanba would 
 and could carry out his threats, having exhausted 
 every resource and finding himself thwarted at every 
 turn, Sam took the pen and went over the leases 
 
 (384)
 
 HANBA COERCES SAM COULTERS 
 
 word by word. While he was making such changes 
 as he wished, his fertile brain was seeking some ave 
 nue of escape, but when he had consumed as much 
 time as he decently could, he affixed his signature 
 and walked into the house for Mary s. Forcing 
 himself to violate every fibre of his nature he handed 
 the executed agreements to Hanba, and watched the 
 Japanese depart with pockets bulging from the fruits 
 of victory. 
 
 Sam dropped into his chair again, tired from the 
 strain and feeling his years as he had never done 
 before. On the western horizon some clouds were 
 banked to catch the setting sun. Unseeing and un 
 thinking, he watched the great orange globe slip 
 into its couch. He knew Mary was on the side of 
 his chair, knew that her arm was about his shoulder 
 and her cheek against his head, knew that she too 
 was watching the coming of the night. 
 
 The ball of fire dropped behind the dark curtain, 
 yet flung a semi-circle of long, straight beams as a 
 promise of its return. Along the edge where the 
 clouds were not so dense as to be opaque, there came 
 a fringe of celestial light, brilliant beyond anything 
 mundane. As the heavens grew darker and de 
 veloped areas of deep, blood red, the contrast be 
 came stronger, and there came to the couple on the 
 porch a barely recognized yearning to exchange their 
 dismal surroundings for the glories beyond their 
 grasp. 
 
 (385)
 
 CHAPTER XXXI 
 
 THE BUBONIC PLAGUE 
 
 AM COULTERS was pacing up and down his 
 garden. One more trouble had come to him, 
 for Frances lay in her bed stricken as with typhoid 
 fever. Even now Dr. Hill was making his daily 
 visit, while the anxious father waited to hear the 
 latest report. 
 
 Sam had seen enough of the ups and downs of 
 life to have proved his character to himself as well 
 as to others. He was fully aware that he had a big 
 fighting heart, and an unusual courage, both physical 
 and moral. But he also knew his limitations, knew 
 that he could do justice to himself only when stand 
 ing on his feet and fighting. In the long series of 
 misfortunes which had recently overwhelmed him, 
 he had usually found his hands tied when he tried 
 to strike. He had been compelled to yield peace 
 fully, but he had not done so with resignation, for 
 the passion of battle which had found no outlet 
 burned all the more fiercely within. Pent up anger 
 was making him desperate and he struggled against 
 it fiercely and unreasonably like a wild animal caught 
 in a trap. 
 
 When Hollington opened the gate and swung 
 down the path Coulters turned to him with savage 
 joy. Here at last was someone on whom he could 
 vent his feelings without danger of injury to others. 
 
 (386)
 
 "When barely two yards separated them, Robert s hand 
 shot out of his coat pocket."
 
 THE BUBONIC PLAGUE 
 
 The doctor was slightly disconcerted, for he had not 
 expected to meet anyone before reaching the house, 
 so Sam was the first to speak. 
 
 "You re not wanted here, young man." 
 
 "I came to see Frances, because " 
 
 "I ve no interest in why you came." 
 
 "Listen, Sam" 
 
 "I ve told you to leave; this is my private prop 
 erty." 
 
 "Will you hear what I have to tell you?" 
 
 "I will not. You are ordered off my place." 
 
 "It s about Frances." 
 
 "I will choke you before I let you mention her 
 name to me. You pose as a man who would have 
 sacrificed a whole community before he would have 
 done anything not absolutely right; and now you 
 trespass on my farm, violating good taste and the 
 law as well." 
 
 "It s not typhoid that she has " 
 
 "I have tried everything else," said Sam, picking 
 up a convenient mattock handle. The remnants of 
 his temper were gone, completely and absolutely. 
 He advanced slowly on Robert, giving him every op 
 portunity to leave peacefully, but there was no doubt 
 of the menacing attitude, nor of what would happen 
 should the younger man remain. 
 
 When barely two yards separated them, Robert s 
 hand shot out of his coat pocket, and Sam found 
 himself looking into the muzzle of a very business- 
 like revolver. His anger and his frame of mind 
 were such that even a threat to shoot would not have 
 
 (387)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 stopped him. But an old ingrained habit did, a 
 respect for firearms engendered in the frontier days 
 brought an instant of hesitation which Robert was 
 quick to seize. 
 
 "I couldn t kill you, Sam, you know that. But if 
 you come a step closer I ll put a bullet through your 
 leg. I have come here to do certain things. I shall 
 carry out my purpose in any event, and it rests en 
 tirely with you whether or not you lie here with a 
 useless leg while I m doing it." 
 
 Sam. leaned on his hickory club and studied his 
 opponent. It was the crafty Sam of old, cool and 
 collected once again, now that the issue was fairly 
 defined. He looked calmly at the thirty-eight, he 
 noticed that its chambers were loaded, that the hand 
 which held it was too steady to pull the trigger 
 prematurely. He saw Robert lower the weapon, 
 and knew by that act alone that the young man was 
 in earnest, for if the play had been staged in a spirit 
 of bravado the gun would have been kept in evi 
 dence as much as possible. The older man looked 
 into the other s face, and read there that this much 
 of the affair was a disagreeable incident, read there 
 the truth of the spoken words. 
 
 Then the front door was opened by Dr. Hill. 
 Robert increased the distance between himself and 
 Coulters by backing down the pathway. Then he 
 suddenly turned and covered the other doctor with 
 his revolver. That fat and pompous little gentle 
 man crumpled with terror. 
 
 "Pick up your bag and stand beside Mr. Coul- 
 (388)
 
 THE BUBONIC PLAGUE 
 
 ters," Robert ordered, and when he had been obeyed 
 he continued, "Are you treating Miss Coulters for 
 typhoid fever?" 
 
 For one moment a lifelong devotion to medical 
 ethics made Hill forget his fear: "Sir, I cannot dis 
 cuss my patient," he said. 
 
 "You can and you will. Answer me." 
 
 The other wilted. "What do you want to know?" 
 
 "Are you treating her for typhoid?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "Are you satisfied with your diagnosis?" 
 
 "Certainly." 
 
 "What have the temperatures been?" 
 
 "From a hundred and four to a hundred and 
 five." 
 
 "When were you called?" 
 
 "Yesterday." 
 
 "Splitting headache?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "Delirium?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "Eyes inflamed?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "Tongue dry?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "Are her lungs affected?" 
 
 "No." 
 
 "Any blood in her sputum?" 
 
 "No." 
 
 "Or septicemia?" 
 
 "No." 
 
 (389)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 "Have you noticed any swelling in the glands?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "Where?" 
 
 "In the neck and under her shoulders." 
 
 "What size?" 
 
 "As large as my thumb, or larger." 
 
 "Bluish black in color, with a dash of dull red?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "She has the bubonic plague, Sam, and she will 
 be dead in forty-eight hours unless something is 
 done." 
 
 Coulters had been listening to the conversation 
 with an absorbed interest. He was still resting on 
 the handle of his mattock, poised, tense, and mo 
 tionless, his mind alert while he patiently awaited 
 the outcome of the discussion. Now he turned to 
 Hill, and abruptly demanded if Hollington s state 
 ments were true. 
 
 "Certainly not," said the doctor. "She has ty 
 phoid and nothing else. It is a tricky disease, and 
 often runs to peculiar complications. Besides, how 
 on earth could she have contracted the plague?" 
 
 "By breaking a test tube of bacilli pestis in my 
 laboratory. She must have had a scratch or a sore 
 that I failed to see." 
 
 "I am thoroughly tired of this conversation," said 
 Dr. Hill, whose courage was returning. He had 
 fully decided that Robert was bluffing, for he was 
 deceived by the calm and quiet manner which told 
 Sam that the boy was more dangerous and more in 
 earnest than ever. 
 
 (390)
 
 THE BUBONIC PLAGUE 
 
 "You have not heard the last from your high 
 handed methods," continued the little man. "You 
 shall be severely disciplined for this, sir, very se 
 verely disciplined. I m going back to the house " 
 
 "You re going out of the front gate," said Rob 
 ert, "and you re not coming back. From now on 
 I will have charge of this case." 
 
 Hill s face turned a pasty white when he realized 
 how grievous had been his error. He picked up 
 his medicine case, which had fallen to the ground, 
 and disappeared incontinently among the shrubbery. 
 Sam watched him with an air of disgust, then turned 
 to Mary, who was coming from the porch. 
 
 "I ll have this highbinder arrested," he said to 
 her, "and bring Hill back the first thing in the 
 morning." 
 
 "But Robert is right, Sam," she said. "I ve over 
 heard every word, and I know. Frances showed me 
 where she had taken a splinter of glass from her 
 forearm." 
 
 "Look at him," Sam answered impersonally, "it s 
 all the raving dreams of a drug fiend. You know 
 what a fetish he has always made of never doing 
 anything that violated his ironclad code of ethics. 
 You know that neither for himself nor for us nor 
 for Rosario would he ever compromise at all. You 
 know he was always careful of his appearance, 
 respected all the conventions of society, and fairly 
 worshipped those of his profession. Do you believe 
 that he would have drawn a gun on me, would have 
 threatened Hill as he did, if he had been himself?" 
 
 (391)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 Mary looked into Robert s eyes. He was restive, 
 for he didn t know how to counter Sam s passive 
 resistance, and so didn t meet her scrutiny as well 
 as he could have wished. But she was searching 
 his soul, in utter disregard of his appearance or his 
 actions. It was of her daughter that she was think 
 ing, and knowing more of what had passed between 
 the young people than did the father, she realized 
 that there were other things than drugs that would 
 account for the change. Furthermore, Frances had 
 convinced her that the stories about Robert, espe 
 cially those referring to morphine, were without 
 foundation. It was true that there was an abun 
 dance of evidence to substantiate Coulters opinions, 
 the haggard and desperate face, the stubby growth 
 of beard, the rumbled hair and hatless head, the 
 soiled and wrinkled clothing. 
 
 Yes, Robert had fallen, but when she caught the 
 gentleness that joined determination in those clear 
 grey eyes, when she read in his half parted lips the 
 longing to have her become the only mother he 
 had ever known, the rough exterior faded; she saw 
 only the soul within. When his revolver was slipped 
 back to his pocket, showing her that even in this 
 extremity there could be no violence in her pres 
 ence, she knew that however greatly mistaken he 
 might be, his motives and his sincerity were not 
 open to doubt. When he tacitly admitted that hers 
 was the final arbitrament, she could only compare 
 his knowledge and efficiency with the self-sufficient 
 egoism of Dr. Hill, the special skill of one man 
 
 (392)
 
 THE BUBONIC PLAGUE 
 
 with a diagnosis which she fully believed to be 
 faulty. What was best for Frances was the only 
 consideration; to questions of friendship or enmity 
 or medical ethics she was alike indifferent. She 
 freely accepted her responsibility to decide, and 
 acted so quickly as to astonish both men. 
 
 "Come with me, Robert," she said, "I ll take 
 you to Frances room." 
 
 But Sam, though ready to sacrifice anything to 
 his daughter s welfare, was yet so far under the in 
 fluence of passion and prejudice that he believed 
 Dr. Hill was right; believed in all sincerity that 
 what Mary proposed would subject Frances to great 
 danger. So his anger flared up once more, and 
 again he became the primitive male whose strongest 
 instinct was to protect his household. 
 
 "Mary, this man is crazy and he shall not go near 
 her. He is our enemy, he is unworthy and unfit, 
 and we will not be accessories to his crime." 
 
 "But Frances will die, Sam." 
 
 "So he says, but I believe the sane doctor. Mary, 
 do not be insistent, for I ve decided, as in a case 
 of this kind is my right." 
 
 "Your right! Yours! Is there no other who has 
 rights? Who bore that child? Who nursed her in 
 her tender years and brought her up to woman 
 hood? Sam, are you going to carry your personal 
 dislike so far " 
 
 "I must follow the dictates of my judgment, 
 Mary." 
 
 "You come with me, Robert," she said, her voice 
 (393)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 cold as ice. "If you have to, you may use your 
 revolver." 
 
 "All right, then, shoot," said Sam. "I ll call your 
 bluff if it is one. If it s not well, I ve a duty to 
 discharge regardless of consequences." 
 
 "It is not a bluff. And it is unnecessary for you 
 to be injured in order to have revenge. Dr. Hill 
 will have me expelled from the medical fraternity, 
 state and national. I will probably never be able 
 to practice again. If that s not enough, I give you 
 my word that I will take my own life at once in case 
 Frances dies, if in return for that promise you con 
 sent to my going to her. It may be hard for you 
 to realize that she means more to me than she does 
 either to you or to her mother. If she had typhoid 
 she is now in no particular danger, but if she has 
 the Black Death she is certain to die unless my serum 
 will save her. You have read enough to know that. 
 Do you understand why I am going to her, regard 
 less of consequences? Do you not think that you 
 had best accept my offer?" 
 
 "I do. But I ll make you keep it, my fine fellow." 
 
 "I ll not be giving much," said Robert, with a 
 sigh; "I ll pay it gladly." 
 
 In the darkened sick room was Frances, in a con 
 dition bordering between sleep and unconsciousness. 
 Robert pushed up the sleeves of her loose night 
 dress, and exposed the horrible buboes in her arm 
 pits. He opened the gown in front, to disclose a 
 chest dotted with purple spots, and he made a cur- 
 
 (394)
 
 THE BUBONIC PLAGUE 
 
 sory examination of her face, especially her eyes 
 and mouth. 
 
 "It s the plague," he said briefly, drawing from 
 his pocket a carefully prepared package. Rubbing 
 her arm with a piece of gauze saturated in alcohol, 
 he inserted his hypodermic needle. 
 
 Four days later, he was again speaking to Mary 
 in the sick room. "I m getting so faint that I m apt 
 to drop at any moment. If I do, watch Frances. 
 At the slightest change, wake me. Use this hypo 
 dermic if I don t respond to ordinary means. I 
 have already taken far more stimulant than is safe. 
 Watch her, and at the slightest change " and for 
 the first time in over a hundred hours he closed his 
 eyes. 
 
 Mary looked at him and smiled. "I always did 
 like that boy," she said to herself. "Whatever Ro- 
 sario may have done to us, it certainly has made a 
 man of him." 
 
 Minute after minute passed. Sam tiptoed beside 
 her and held her hand how long neither of them 
 knew. And they waited and watched for the change. 
 Time and again they thought it was coming. Twice 
 Sam even rose to wake the sleeper. Then it did 
 come, quickly and unmistakably and Robert, sup 
 porting himself with both hands on the foot of the 
 bed, was staring at the hectic face. 
 
 He staggered across the room and dropped upon 
 the couch. He was crying, not with the suppressed 
 weeping of a man, but with utter abandonment. 
 Mary crossed the room and slipped his revolver 
 
 (395)
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 from his coat pocket. Handing it to her husband, 
 she put her hand gently on Robert s shoulder. 
 
 "Is there no hope?" 
 
 "Hope? Why, mother, the girl is well" and he 
 fainted dead away. 
 
 Doctors Barton and Reed were asking for Rob 
 ert. Dr. Barton, his card showed, was head of the 
 state board of medical examiners. Dr. Reed, it 
 appeared, was chairman of the board of trustees of 
 the California hospital. They looked at Robert, 
 when Mary told them that he had fainted twelve 
 hours before. Dr. Barton assured her that all was 
 well, and that the sleeper would wake before long. 
 Mary asked them to see Frances. They pronounced 
 her free from fever, and on the road to rapid re 
 covery. Then Dr. Barton s eyes fell on the chart, 
 after which everything else was forgotten by both 
 men. 
 
 Two hours later Robert awoke. He went in to 
 see Frances, and then was introduced to his callers. 
 
 "I see you re from the state board," he said. "I 
 had almost forgotten Dr. Hill. You can do no less 
 than your duty, and I know what that means." 
 
 "If you will excuse my saying so, Dr. Hollington, 
 we would hardly be here in person to settle a dispute 
 between two country doctors, though it s true that 
 we first learned of this case through Dr. Hill. We 
 represent the California Hospital, and came because 
 we heard that you were administering your serum 
 to a plague suspect for the first time in history. 
 
 (396)
 
 THE BUBONIC PLAGUE 
 
 Your patient and your chart prove that yours is a 
 triumphant success, that the Black Death is now 
 under control. But we re convinced that technique 
 is half the battle; we offer you a position on our 
 hospital staff at your own salary." 
 
 And Sam was the first to congratulate him. 
 
 (397)
 
 A 000038728 2 
 
 WHITE HOI 
 
 Sfl< FRANCISC 
 
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