"Because, if their earnings had been seventy millions, these men would still be in need of money," Mr. Perin said.

"Why so?"

"Because, as they wish to absorb all the carrying business of this coast-in fact, all sorts of business-they want money, money, money. They want to buy steamboats, ferry-boats, ocean steamers; street railroads and street cars; coal mines and farms; in fact, they want everything, and want it more when some poor devil loses his business thereby and goes, frozen out, into the cold world. So you see, to go into such a variety of business besides railroading and killing Tom Scott, it costs money. It takes millions and millions to kill and freeze out so many people."

"I hope they'll be disappointed in killing Colonel Scott," said Don Mariano. "That would mean death to many others."

"I hope so, too, but I hear that Mr. Huntington devoutly prays that a kind Providence may enable him '_to see grass growing over Tom Scott_,'"

Mr. Perin replied.

"Yes, my brother wrote me that Huntington does say that he hopes to worry Scott to death, and '_see grass growing over his grave_.' I fear he will see grass growing over many graves if he succeeds in killing the Texas Pacific," said Mr. Mechlin.

"He is trying hard to do that, and his associates are backing him up with millions," Mr. Perin said.

"Then Heaven help us poor people who have invested our all, believing that San Diego would have a railroad," said Mr. Mechlin, bitterly.

Next morning the three friends went again to the railroad office and sent their cards to Governor Stanford. In a few minutes the servant returned to say that the Governor was very busy, but if the gentlemen could wait he would see them as soon as possible. The gentlemen waited; they read the morning papers and looked over railroad guides to while away time.

Yes, they waited, but they would have spared themselves that trouble, and they would have never made that pilgrimage from San Diego to consult the oracle at San Francisco, could they have read what Mr. Huntington was about that time writing to his _associates_ concerning his _modus operandi_ in Washington to "_convince_" Congressmen to do as he wished, to defeat the Texas Pacific; writing all about sending an ex-Senator to "_switch off the South_," and there to pretend to be an anti-subsidy Democrat, and to state falsely that the Texas Pacific would injure the South. All this, however, was only known lately, when Mr. Huntington's letters were made public. At that time the three friends, thinking it impossible that the rights of Southern California would be so utterly disregarded, did not see any absurdity in interviewing the Governor.

While they waited they had an opportunity of hearing several instructive matters freely mentioned. One of these was the way of avoiding the payment of taxes, and how to fight the cases in the courts. The gentlemen who discussed the subject evidently understood it and were waiting to have an audience. Their talk suggested a very sad train of thoughts to Don Mariano, as he heard that the railroad people did not mean to pay taxes, and would resist the law. He thought how those millionaires would pay no taxes, and defy the law openly and fight to the bitter end, whilst he was not only obliged to pay taxes upon a too highly appraised property, but must also pay taxes for the land occupied by the squatter and on the improvements thereon! As a necessary sequence to such unjust, unreasonable, inhuman taxation, Don Mariano had been obliged to mortgage his rancho to raise funds to pay the taxes of the squatters. With the yearly sales of his cattle he had always been able to pay his own taxes as well as those of his unwelcome neighbors, but as his cattle were now lost, his only resource was his land. Not yet having the patent, he could not sell to advantage at all. He must therefore mortgage.

"If I were a railroad prince, I suppose I would not be forced to pay taxes for the squatters on my land," said Don Mariano to his friends, smiling sadly to hear how the taxes on railroad property were to be fought.

"If you were a railroad prince, you would not pay your own taxes, much less those of the squatters," said Mr. Holman.

"I think you ought not to hesitate to use the money that Clarence paid for your cattle. If they ran away, it was not your fault," Mr. Mechlin said.

"No, not my fault, but my misfortune; a misfortune which I have no right to put on Clarence's shoulders. I did not deliver the cattle; I don't take the pay. I am going to mortgage my land, but I can't avoid it," Don Mariano replied.

"It is certainly a very hard case to have to mortgage your property to pay taxes for the squatters," observed Mr. Holman.

"If these railroad men will only let us have the Texas Pacific all will be right, but if not, then the work of ruining me begun by the squatters will be finished by the millionaires-if they kill our railroad," said Don Mariano sadly, adding: "Our legislators then will complete their work. Our legislators began my ruin; our legislators will end it."

CHAPTER XXXIII.-_San Diego's Sentence is Irrevocable._

After waiting in the reception room for nearly two hours, Don Mariano and his two friends were at last ushered into the presence of ex-Governor Stanford. He was so well hid behind his high desk, that looking around the empty room, Mr. Holman observed:

"Well, I hope this is not to be a second stage of waiting."

Mr. Stanford arose, bowing from behind his desk, said:

"Be seated, gentlemen. Excuse my having kept you waiting." Then seeing that there were but two chairs near by, and only one more at the furthest corner of the room, he added, going to bring the chair: "I thought that there were chairs for you."

Don Mariano, too, had started for the same chair, now that its existence was discovered, but the Governor got there first, and brought it half way, then the Don took it and occupied it.

When all were seated, Governor Stanford said in his low, agreeable voice, which any one might suppose would indicate a benevolent, kind heart:

"What can I do for you, gentlemen?"

Don Mariano laughed outright. The situation struck him as being eminently ridiculous. Here was this man, who held pitilessly their destiny in his hands-held it with a grip of iron-and not one thought of the distress he caused; he, through his associate, Huntington, was lavishing money in Washington to kill the Texas Pacific, and thus snatch away from them (the three friends) the means of support, absolutely deprive them of the necessaries of life, and he asked them what he could do? and asked it with that deep-toned, rich melody of voice which vibrated softly, as if full of sympathy, that overflowed from a heart filled with philanthrophy, generosity and good will. This was a sad and cruel irony, which to Don Mariano made their position absurd, to the point of being laughable.

"This is like laughing at a funeral," said Don Mariano, apologetically.

"Please pardon me. What made me laugh was that I felt like answering you by saying, 'Governor, you can do for us all we ask.' But-but-"

"Say it out. But what?" said the Governor, smiling.

"But will do nothing for us," finished Mr. Holman.

"That is to say, for San Diego," added Mr. Mechlin, afraid that it might seem as if they came to ask a personal favor.

"Ah! it is of San Diego that you wish to speak to me? Then, truly, I fear I can do nothing for you," the Governor said.

"But you can hear what we wish to say to you," Mr. Holman interposed, with a sickly effort at smiling.

"Certainly. But really, gentlemen, you must excuse me for saying that I am very busy to-day, and can only give you a half hour."

They all bowed.

Mr. Mechlin and Don Mariano looked at Mr. Holman, as it was understood that he would be spokesman. But Mr. Holman's heart was leaping with the indignation of a lion, and then shrinking with the discouragement of a mouse into such small contractions-all of which he in no way must reveal-that for a minute he could not speak.

"I suppose the San Diego people wish me to build them a railroad, isn't that it?" said the man of power, slowly arranging some papers on his desk.

"Or to let some one else build it," said Mr. Holman.

The Governor colored slightly, in evident vexation.

"Tom Scott, for instance," said he, sneeringly. "Take my advice, gentlemen, and don't you pin your faith on Tom Scott. He'll build no Texas Pacific, I assure you."

"Then why don't you build it?" asked Mr. Mechlin.

"Because it won't pay," was the dry reply.

"Why won't it pay? We have plenty of natural resources, which, if developed, would make plenty of business for two railroads," Mr. Holman said.

"Only the San Diego people say so. No one else thinks of San Diego County, but as a most arid luckless region, where it never rains."

"That is the talk of San Francisco people, Governor, because they want all the railroads to come to their city, and nowhere else," said Don Mariano.

"We have less rainfall in Southern California, on an average, but on average, too, we get better crops than in the northern counties in dry years. How it is I can't tell you, unless it be that a given quantity of rain is all that crops require, and above that it is superfluous, or else that for certain soils a certain amount of rainfall is all that is required. It is undoubtedly true that in dry years more crops have been lost in some of the northern counties than in ours," said Mr. Holman.

"Perhaps, but when we have such magnificent wheat country in our northern valleys, it isn't to be supposed that we can give any attention to San Diego."

"If our county does not take the lead as wheat-growing, it certainly can take it as fruit-growing. We have no capital to make large plantations of vineyards or trees, but what has been done proves, conclusively, that for grapes, olives, figs, and in fact all semi-tropical fruits, there is no better country in the world."