"If you neglect the rudiments of
business it seems to me that you have only yourselves to blame. In your
case, Lawler, it is rather astonishing. You have quite a reputation for
intelligence; you own one of the biggest ranches in the state; you are
wealthy; and last year you tried to tell the people of the state how to
run it. You even went so far as to make a speech in the convention,
naming the man you preferred for governor."

Lawler smiled, though his gaze was level.

"Don't be unpleasant, Hatfield. You understand I am not here as a
politician, but as a mere citizen petitioning you to act in this
railroad case. What I have done or said has no bearing on the matter at
all. The railroad company will not provide cars in which to ship our
stock East, and I am here to ask you to do something about it."

Hatfield appeared to meditate.

"Warden offered to buy your cattle, you say?"

Lawler nodded. But he had not mentioned to Hatfield that Warden had
offered to buy the cattle--Hatfield had either surmised that, or had
received information through other sources. Lawler suspected that the
railroad commissioner had been informed through the various mediums at
his command, and this was evidence of collusion.

"And Simmons says there are no cars," mused Hatfield. "Well, that seems
to leave you shippers in a bad predicament, doesn't it? Can't you drive
to some other point--where you can arrange to get cars?"

"Five hundred miles, to Red Rock, over the Tom Long trail--the worst
trail in the country."

"What price could you get at Red Rock?"

"The market price--about thirty dollars."

"And what did Warden offer?"

"Twenty-five."

"H'm. It seems to me, considering the inconvenience of driving over the
Tom Long trail, you'd be better off taking Warden's offer. It's
remarkable to what lengths you cattle owners will go for a few dollars."

"Five dollars a head on a herd of eight thousand amounts to forty
thousand dollars, Hatfield," Lawler reminded him.

"Hatfield, this isn't a question of dollars, it's a question of
principle. This situation is a result of a scheme to hold up the cattle
owners of the state. It's mighty plain. The railroad company refuses
cars to the cattle owners, but will supply them to buyers like Warden.
The buyers must have some assurance of getting cars, or they wouldn't
buy a single hoof. What we want is to force the railroad to supply
cattle owners with cars."

"Why not hold your stock over t