Спрут: Калифорнийская история

           Derrick—yougetthename—Mr.Derrickmaynotbeabletogetaroundthisafternoon,buttogoaheadwithanybusinessjustthesame.”

           TheyoungmandepartedwiththepackageandLyman,spreadingoutthemapuponthetable,remainedforsometimestudyingitthoughtfully.

           Itwasacommissioner’sofficialrailwaymapoftheStateofCalifornia,completedtoMarch30thofthatyear.UponitthedifferentrailwaysoftheStatewereaccuratelyplottedinvariouscolours,blue,green,yellow.However,theblue,theyellow,andthegreenwerebutbrieftraceries,veryshort,isolated,unimportant.Atalittledistancethesecouldhardlybeseen.Thewholemapwasgridironedbyavast,complicatednetworkofredlinesmarkedP.andS.W.R.R.ThesecentralisedatSanFranciscoandthenceramifiedandspreadnorth,east,andsouth,toeveryquarteroftheState.FromColes,inthetopmostcornerofthemap,toYumainthelowest,fromRenoononesidetoSanFranciscoontheother,rantheplexusofred,averitablesystemofbloodcirculation,complicated,dividing,andreuniting,branching,splitting,extending,throwingoutfeelers,off-shoots,taproots,feeders—diminutivelittlebloodsuckersthatshotoutfromthemainjugularandwenttwistingupintosomeremotecounty,layingholduponsomeforgottenvillageortown,involvingitinoneofamyriadbranchingcoils,oneofahundredtentacles,drawingit,asitwere,towardthatcentrefromwhichallthissystemsprang.