He wore a diamond ring on
the left hand and it glistened in the sunlight. "Things have changed," he
declared, still pointing at the town. "Do you want to know who changed it?
Well, I had more to do with it than any one else. Steve thinks he did it
all, but he didn't. I'm the man who has done the most. He put through the
plant-setting machine company, but that was a failure. When you come right
down to it, things would have gone to pieces again if I hadn't gone to John
Clark and talked and bluffed him into giving us money when we wanted it. I
had most to do with finding the big market for our corn-cutters, too. Steve
lied to me and said he had 'em all sold for a year. He didn't have any sold
at all."
Tom struck the horse with the whip and drove rapidly along the road. Even
when the climb became difficult he would not let the horse walk, but kept
cracking the whip over his back. "I'm a different man than I was when you
went away," he declared. "You might as well know it, I'm the big man in
this town. It comes pretty near being my town when you come right down to
it. I'm going to take care of every one in Bidwell and give every one a
chance to make money, but it's my town now pretty near and you might as
well know it."
Embarrassed by his own words, Tom talked to cover his embarrassment.
Something he wanted very much to say got itself said. "I'm glad you went
to school and fitted yourself to be a lady," he began.
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