THE IMPERIAL ENGINEER (15 page)

Harper's Weekly
- September 19

~~~

From mid- October until the middle of December, Lulu was so busy she hardly
had time to think. Publishing a weekly newspaper was far more complicated than she had
anticipated. Even though Lulu's role was that of coordinator, rather than publisher, she
might have failed without the able assistance of the Duniway family, all of who were far
more knowledgeable than she in what it took to accomplish the task.

For the first time in many years, she found herself with time to play, but with little
interest in doing so.
Have I forgotten how?
So one warm, sunny Sunday, when the
maples on the hillsides were a blaze of gold, she went for a hike into the hills behind
Portland. Although few trees had survived the loggers' axes, the native maples and seedling
firs that had invaded the naked slopes showed promise of a new forest to come. She
followed a well-trod trail up to an overlook, where she found a crude bench and a small,
hand-lettered sign warning visitors away from a crumbling edge.

The sun was warm and the bench dry, so she sat and pulled an apple from her
pocket. How strange it felt to have nothing demanding her attention, to have no place to be,
no task waiting for her. Munching away, she felt her body relaxing. There had been few
moments of such perfect peace in her life for a long time.

She yawned. The sleepiness that had plagued her for the past month had not, as
she'd expected, gone away with days of rest and long nights of sound sleep.

She still believed it was the result of burning her candle at both ends. Sooner or
later her body would decide it had slept enough and she'd be back to her usual energetic
self. "I guess I've overdone it more than I realized. I'll have to learn to pace myself
more."

Drowsily Lulu watched a crow flapping its leisurely way above the town. This
place reminded her of the Aerie, the high, rocky outcrop overlooking Cherry Vale. She had
spent many happy hours there with her brothers and the younger Lachlans. And Tao
Ni--
no, I've got to remember to call him Tony
. From what some of her acquaintances
had said, not all children got along as well as they had. She'd heard stories of terrible
sibling battles, of jealousy, of families divided by resentment, by convictions of favoritism,
and by pure orneriness.

"I don't remember a single time we didn't like each other, even when we were
fighting." All of their battles had been quick, hot encounters, soon over, with the air
cleared and strong friendships enduring. Even the summer the boys had decided to exclude
the younger girls from their society had not damaged the abiding love they'd all had for
one another.

She'd never doubted they would have pulled her out of the river before she
drowned, even if Pappa hadn't intervened. Besides, they'd gotten even. She still hadn't
forgiven them for cutting her hair off.

Nor Pappa, for refusing to punish them.

He'd decreed the score was even and no more was to be said. Of course, he'd also
said they had to admit the girls to their fortress. Lulu had always believed he shouldn't
have done that. It was like being handed a victory without deserving it.

Enough reminiscing! She'd vowed to think today about what she should do. If she
stayed in Hailey, she'd be tempted to forget her goals again. Good grief! How many times,
since that awful and wonderful night in September, had she found herself wondering if she
could have it all. What if she could live the way she'd chosen, free of the bonds of marriage
and family, and still have Tony as a lover?

Was this why chastity was so much touted? This hunger that a single taste of
passion and its incredibly satisfying result aroused?

Surely the hunger would fade, with time. If she stayed away until spring, perhaps
she'd be able to face him without wanting to lure him behind the nearest tree and have her
wicked, wicked way with him.

Stop it, you shameless hussy! Your mamma taught you to be a lady!
Even
Katie would be shocked at the raw need Lulu still felt for Tony, more than a month now
after she'd told him there was no chance for anything between them.

No chance? But...
Stop this childish crying for the moon! You have a choice, Lulu
King, and if you truly want to save the world, you have to make some sacrifices.

She buried her head in her crossed arms, unable to hold back the tears that came
from her burning eyes. From her breaking heart.

After that day, Lulu made sure to have work to occupy her mind, even on
Sundays.

Mrs. Duniway was full of praise for Lulu's work when she returned. "It was such a
relief to leave
The
New Northwest
in such capable hands. Now then, let
us talk about what we'll do with you for the rest of the winter."

"Actually, I had planned to return to Boise for Christmas, and perhaps remain with
my family for a while." Recently she had come to believe that there might be more to her
lack of energy than simple exhaustion. Surely six weeks of regular hours and proper
nutrition should have taken care of any lingering effects of a hectic summer and fall. She
needed to talk to Katie again.

She said farewell to the Duniways a week before Christmas and boarded the stage
for the long journey across Oregon. Although some snow had fallen in the Blue
Mountains, her worst fears were not realized, and they got across without undue delay.
Only as they descended the hill to Olds Ferry did the snow begin in earnest, and by the
time the stage let her off at Nampa, there was half a foot on the ground and more in
store.

* * * *

Tony had been too busy keeping the telephones working and getting the line
completed to Ketchum to notice the ugly mood at first. There had always been those who
spoke against the Chinese.

By the time Mr. Eagleton mentioned it, there was a strong swell of resentment and
anger directed at the Chinese community. "Why are you telling me this?" he said, when
Eagleton showed him the latest article in the
Wood River Times
.

Eagleton leaned back. "I'm a successful business man, Tony. I see opportunities
that others miss, and I keep my eyes open for ways to get the advantage."

Tony nodded, having noticed Eagleton was often far ahead of others in seeing
occasions and situations that might make him a profit. "But--"

Holding up a hand, Eagleton went on. "When you first walked in here, I saw there
was something different about your looks. The spectacles are a good disguise. So is that
little hint of Boston in your speech. I reckon you worked hard on that."

With the sick numbness of a trapped animal, Tony could only nod.

"A wise move. Anyhow, I watched you close, trying to see what it was that didn't
fit. Never did figure it out. There ain't just one thing says you're Chinese, so most folks are
going to take you at face value. You talk white, you act white. Best of all, you got a good
Dutch name. Are you adopted? Or a half-breed?"

"A-a-adopted," Tony managed.

"Well, I don't reckon it matters either way. It's nobody's business but yours. And it
doesn't matter to me. You're a good worker, and probably worth more than I'm payin' you.
That's not to say I'll be giving you a raise, mind. Not yet. But as soon as we get a hundred
telephone subscribers, we'll talk about it."

"Thanks." The word came out as a hoarse half-whisper. "Thanks, Mr. Eagleton,"
he repeated.

"Reason I showed you that article a while back is I don't want you blindsided
when this anti-Chinese thing gets out of hand. And it will. It's already happening some
places. Over in Washington Territory there's been some killings, and I heard last week a
mob killed thirty or so Chinese in Rock Springs and run the rest out of town. The Army got
called in to stop the riot."

"Great God!"

"Sooner or later it'll happen here. There's already bad feelings, as you can see from
today's paper. When it gets out of hand, I don't want you in the middle of it. You don't have
to pretend to like it, but you sure as hell can't speak out against any Chinese-baiting. Stay
out of Chinatown and pretend you don't see anything that goes on there."

Having already made this choice a long time ago, Tony nodded. "It's none of my
business," he said.

All the same, he couldn't help but wonder what Soomey would think. She'd kept
her ties with the Chinese community, but had never forced him to do so.

* * * *

Not having seen a newspaper since she left Portland, one of the first things Lulu
did when she arrived at the Savage Ranch was catch up on the news.. "Nothing like world
disasters to distract one from personal problems," she said, opening the oldest paper in the
stack Katie had kept for her.

"There's something positively unhealthy about your obsession with the news,"
Katie said. "As far as I'm concerned, if it doesn't affect me personally, I generally read the
headline and skip the details."

"Anything that happens affects us all," Lulu replied absently, most of her mind on
the article she was reading. She went on to the next, methodically reading from left to
right, from top to bottom. "Oh, my God!"

"What?"

"It's spreading. Look!" She held out the paper, pointing to the article telling of an
anti-Chinese riot in Tacoma, where several hundred people were driven out of their homes
into a drenching rainstorm. The article didn't say what happened to them. She assumed the
homes were burned, for that was the usual action of rioters.

"It's happening all over. Seattle, Alaska. Denver. Anywhere there's a big Chinese
community. So far there's been nothing like that here, thank God." Katie laid the dishtowel
aside. "Luke's waiting for me. Are you sure you don't mind cleaning up in here?"

Reluctantly Lulu put down the paper. "Of course not. And I'll fix supper, so take
your time."

As soon as she had the kitchen tidied, Lulu went back to her reading. Melanie
played quietly with her dolls, after Lulu promised her that tomorrow they would have a tea
party, complete with fancy sandwiches. By midafternoon she was sick inside. Furious. And
terrified.

At least the insanity hadn't spread this far yet. But it would, she was certain. She
wondered if a disaster like the one in Rock Springs in September could happen here in
Idaho.

Of course it could! Anywhere there's a Chinese community.

Once she had set the bean soup to warming, she went to Luke's office and built up the
fire. By the time she heard Katie and Luke returning, she'd compiled a list of people to
write to and had drafted a letter urging them to speak out against the Chinese persecution.
We are dedicated to universal suffrage and equal rights for all Americans, whether
native born or immigrants. We must make the public understand that actions against the
Chinese today could lead to anti-Irish or anti-German riots tomorrow,
she reminded
them, citing the depredations visited by the Klan in south Carolina as examples of where
such prejudice could lead.

* * * *

"There's a meeting tonight."

Tony looked up from the article he was reading. "A meeting? About what?"

Eagleton looked at the paper in his hand. "It says here that it's to discuss the
Chinese problem. I've a feeling it'll be well attended."

Tony sat back, fighting the sick sensation in his middle. "I guess I didn't really
believe it would happen here." He tapped his pencil on the desk. "I suppose I'd be
conspicuous by my absence?"

"I could make your excuses, say I'd given you an assignment that couldn't
wait."

"No. Thanks anyhow, Mr. Eagleton. I'll go, if only to find out just how bad it is.
But if they start to organize any sort of action, I'll... well, I just don't know what I'll do. I'd
like to stay as far out of it as I can. But..." He shook his head.

"A man's got to follow his conscience," Eagleton said. "I'll meet you here after
supper. We'll walk down together." Tossing the flyer on Tony's desk, he nodded and
left.

Was his employer going to support whatever action was taken against the
Chinese? Or oppose it? Tony shook his head. Even after six months in Abner Eagleton's
employ, he hadn't figured the man out.

After that Tony got precious little done. Of course, believing in what he was doing
would have helped. Eagleton was still insisting a steam plant was the best choice for power
generation in Hailey, and had assigned him to research possible designs. He'd written for
information and it was slowly trickling in. As he read he became more and more convinced
that the only possible source of electrical power for the area lay in the many high-gradient
streams pouring out of the mountains surrounding Hailey.

For such a smart, forward-looking man, Eagleton was curiously blind about some
things.

He ate supper at Mom's, a two-bit eating house where food was plain and
plentiful. It was not a place where members of the business community were likely to
congregate, which suited him just fine. He had a feeling he'd get a belly full of Hailey's
business community tonight.

There was a speaker, he saw when he walked into the meeting. A snake-oil
salesman, if Tony had ever seen one. He claimed to be a leading citizen of Rock Springs,
and a front line fighter against the Chinese menace.

He could talk, though. In a matter of minutes, he had the audience in the palm of
his hand.

"Imagine if you will, my fellow businessmen, your livelihoods stolen from you by
unscrupulous dealings, by prices so low your customers are lured away in droves." He
paced back and forth on the stage of the theatre, exhorting the audience like a seasoned
tent-meeting preacher.

"These coolies live on a nickel a day, and of that they spend four cents on their
vile opium... They lay away their money to send their bones back to China, instead of
investing in the communities in which they live...They come from a part of the world that
is the source of every vile plague and pestilence known to man... They have no loyalty to
our great nation, for they worship their ancestors and those ancestors are buried in the
sacred soil of China..."