He talked for a time of the necessity of certain men's
surviving and growing constantly stronger and stronger in the industrial
world. "It's necessary for the good of the community," he said. "A few
fairly strong men are a good thing for a town, but if they are fewer
and relatively stronger it's better." He turned to look sharply at his
companion. "Well," he exclaimed, "we talked there in the bank of what we
would do when things went to pieces down at the factory, but there were too
many men in the scheme. I didn't realize it at the time, but I do now." He
knocked the ashes off his cigar and laughed. "You know what they did, don't
you?" he asked. "I asked you all not to sell any of your stock. I didn't
want to get the whole town bitter. They wouldn't have lost anything. I
promised to see them through, to get the plant for them at a low price,
to put them in the way to make some real money. They played the game in a
small-town way. Some men can think of thousands of dollars, others have to
think of hundreds. It's all their minds are big enough to comprehend. They
snatch at a little measly advantage and miss the big one. That's what these
men have done."
For a long time the two rode in silence. Tom, who had also sold his stock,
wondered if Steve knew. He decided he did. "However, he's decided to deal
with me. He needs some one and has chosen me," he thought. He made up his
mind to be bold.
Pages:
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207