Edgar Franklin Stearns

“ A man with a battery of Gatling guns might have attacked the harvester safely from a distance. Hayes possessed only a puerile pitchfork. With the Hawkins Harvester plunging wildly toward the bars of the young fruit orchard, Hayes made a wide détour for the barn—and for another short space I forgot him. ”

“ That man is after you! He'll be here in a second, and the Lord knows what he'll do! Get away before—"
The harvester paused momentarily. Hawkins's sardonic grin faced me around the corner of the smoke-stack.
"My dear Griggs," he said serenely, "I am perfectly aware of my exact rights, in this as in every other case. There are many things that I shall explain later: but here and now let me assure you that I know what I am doing. And if Hayes elects to get just a little bit gayer, he'll pay me cold cash for having this field mowed automatically and raked over, or— Holy Moses, Griggs!" ”

“ How on earth did you menage to smash an ice-machine in such a fashion that this whole building next door was filled?"
"Ice-machines don't smash in a plant that I run," returned the younger brother serenely. "Ours have been going without a hitch for the last six months."
"Then——"
"Where did the ammonia come from? How does this strike you?"
He raised his arm and turned on the gas-jet. A strange, lively hissing resulted, and he quickly shut it off again.
"I guess you'll smell a little more ammonia in a minute." he commented.
The cashier smiled in bewilderment. ”

“ The huge Graves slaughter-house continued a brisk enough business—even built a group of additions in the course of time, and eventually a big refrigerating plant—and some half-dozen smaller establishments still operated, but that was the extent of beef-dressing done at Harksbury.
However, the little town was not altogether idle in other directions. Shoe factories grew up, and a monster tin-plate plant. The population swelled from four figures to five, and progressed cheeringly into the 'teens of thousands, and Harksbury came to be in every way a satisfactory city. ”

“ He surveyed me with a grin, and:
"Well, you're not dead, Griggs, anyway; but I'd steer clear of having my head collide with a two-hundred-pound plow-blade hereafter."
"Am I—hurt?"
"Not so's you'd notice it," responded the doctor. "There are no bones broken—I don't know why. Able to drive your car home?"
Several blinks at the sunshine, and I announced the probability of such a proceeding. Then I began to look at Hawkins, sitting on the porch-steps with a bandage or two in evidence, and with the constable on one side and Hayes on the other. ”

“ I've been giving a bit of thought to the subject—naturally—and I can't see any real reason why there should be a run here. For one thing, we're the richest bank in town."
"Even so, the depositors have just that much more to get scared about."
"Very true, but there's another point as well, my boy—most of our depositors live out of town—in the cattle country and elsewhere."
"The shoe factory people don't."
"No, of course not. But a great part of the others do. News doesn't reach them so quickly."
"Maybe not, but when it does—phew! Won't there be a rush for Harksbury!" ”

“ Hayes started for the barn. I started for Hawkins. It's a horrible, hideous thing to see a man killed in cold blood; and if ever a mortal looked bent on murder, it was Hayes.
Therefore, I made after Hawkins at top speed. He was at the other end of the hay-field now. He had very literally cut a swath, and one some fifteen feet wide.
At the moment he was engaged in turning his strange engine; and before I came up with him the harvester was rushing down upon me and tossing hay to the four winds. ”

“ He waited for no denial.
"Primarily, she drives herself—the farm-horse wiped out of existence! Next, every operation takes place from the saddle here; the farmer himself runs it alone—and the farmhand is wiped out, too.
"And last, but best, the machine will plow, harrow, plant, mow, rake, reap, and bind every product of the field, and finally either pack it in the barn for winter or cart it automatically to the nearest market, whether it be two or two hundred miles distant from the harvest field!"
"Hawkins—" I began again. ”

“ Still"—his face grew grave—"it is very true that one can't tell."
"And suppose there was a run? Could you stand it?"
"Well"—the elder Janeway chewed his cigar—"it would depend very largely on the size of the run. Things are strained mighty hard just now, as you seem to be aware. We haven't much money, and we'd have to scratch like sin To get more. Nevertheless, we could stand any ordinary demands on us."
"If they come, they won't be ordinary—I'll gamble on that!"
"Look here, my pessimistic young brother," said the cashier, "will you kindly dry up about runs and such like cheerful things? ”

“ And the worst of it is that it's entirely unnecessary. This fiendish situation isn't going to last more than a day or two longer—I had wires from Chicago this morning stating that two or three of the big fellows are going to resume. The panic will be over at the end of the week—all over. And this bank needn't break at all unless the depositors go to work deliberately and smash it, as they did the Harksbury! Why on earth can't the fools realize that? Why can't they—oh, damn!"
Outside the broad window, two or three had taken note of the cashier's excited mien and commented thereon. ”

“ Brooks & Company and Phillips Brothers and three or four more resume to-morrow!"
"Did you get money?" the cashier inquired in low tones.
"One hundred and fifty thousand, right here! I didn't even wait to get detectives to come with me!"
Janeway leaped to his side and raised a hand for silence.
"Will you please form in line and present checks to me here?" he cried. "I think we shall he able to accommodate everybody. Jenkins and Brown, will you come here and give me and Mr. Burroughs a hand?"
Human nature, as some one may have observed before this, is a queer thing. ”

“ He watched the affair skim by his smoke-house, and his arm went up higher, and the stick flew up through the air—and the earth seemed to open suddenly and throw forth plows and harrows and mowing-machines in a single burst of flame, and—
I think that quite a space must have elapsed, because both Dr. Brotherton and the constable must have come all the way from the county town. ”

“ I sent Burroughs, the assistant cashier, up to Chicago on the two o'clock express. He'll get in too late to do anything much to-day. In the morning, I've ordered him to hustle about and raise all the money he can before the eleven o'clock train leaves. We'll have to shut up shop long before eleven o'clock, however, as things appear now—and he may not be able to get any money at that. ”

“ The cashier was trying hard to convince himself. "There's nothing to justify a run on this bank. We're fully equal to weathering even this crisis, if they'll let us alone. We're solid in so many ways——"
"Aha! ”

“ Now that derned mare o' mine's gone—and she'll break her neck before she ever gits back, not t' mention killin' the colt!"
"Why, Hayes—" gasped Hawkins.
"That's all right! I know ye've paid me good money t' let yer build the blasted thing in my barn over winter, and t' keep it secret—an' I've let yer dratted mechanics eat me outer house an' home fer five dollars a week, an' I've had the barn all messed up with tools an' grease, an' set on fire twice with yer forge, but—"
Interesting details seemed to be coming. The Hawkins Harvester had a past. I listened intently. ”

“ Regardless of the eighteen or nineteen hours of discomfort that must ensue, they formed in regular order along the wall, some lounging, some sitting on the pavement, some calling to passing boys to bring them sandwiches or some other refreshment. ”