II.--ARCADIA WAKES UP
It was a large room with bare floor, painted walls and a flatsounding-board of a ceiling. Across the end was the platform, andimmediately above the platform table hung a large brass lamp whichcould be lowered by a chain that ran along the ceiling and down theadjoining wall. Around the main walls and between the windows weresmaller lamps in wire brackets, which burned with a steady, yellowlight, and occasionally gave off a thin trickle of smoke that filledthe room with the sharp odor of soot. On the platform sat Clark andFilmer on either side of the table, and on the table stood an enormousjug of water and one glass.
At five minutes past eight the hall was crowded. Manson was there,sitting in the front row, and leaning forward on his heavy oak stickwhich seemed a very bludgeon of authority. Beside him sat his wife,small, slight and gentle, the very antithesis of her dark andformidable husband. Manson's eyes roved from Filmer to Clark and backagain to Filmer, but the two looked over his head and seemed no whitdisconcerted. A little further back were the Dibbotts, the formerturning his big gray-coated body, and every now and then surveying thegrowing audience with his small blue eyes, while his lips pushed in andout, which was in Dibbott a certain sign that he was thinking hard.Mrs. Dibbott, tall, slim, and square shouldered, turned her kindlycapable face toward Clark, and felt the first intimation of that keeninterest he always roused, especially in the women who met him. Heseemed so alert, such a free agent and, it must be confessed, sodisgracefully independent of the gentler sex. Then there was Belding,the young engineer who had had charge of the town's work at the canal.It was not Belding's fault that the money ran out, but he had ceasedoperations with an unshakable sense of personal blame that, of late,worked poisonously in his brain. There were also the Bowers, and Mrs.Bowers' ample and genial person was full of a pleasurable glow, for ifthe mayor's plan went through they would have at last a roof over thefront porch on which she spent so many hospitable summer evenings.Bowers himself already saw in Clark a possible and important client,and his brain was full of half formulated propositions.
At seven minutes past eight the mayor began to speak. He had beensomewhat at a loss just how he might introduce Clark, for, as a matterof fact, the only information he had about the visitor was what thevisitor himself had volunteered. But here, as always, Clark'stremendous personality had expressed itself. Filmer glanced at hisalert but motionless figure, and perceived that the other was a man ofmuch greater experience and power than himself, and in this the mayorwas subject to exactly that influence which Clark was in the habit ofexerting without any effort whatever. So thus reinforced, and mindfulas well that the half yearly interest and sinking fund payments wouldbe due on the town debt in three months, he fastened an authoritativeeye on Manson, the town pessimist, and commenced.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I have asked you to come here to-night becauseit seems that there is now an unexpected opportunity to secure greatbenefit for the town. You are all aware that we tried to do somethingand failed, and that the result was an increase of one hundred andthirty thousand dollars in the debt of St. Marys." At this pointManson rammed his oak stick against the floor with disturbing effect.The mayor glanced at him with a smile and went on. "I do not wish toput before you the proposal Mr. Clark makes to the town, he will dothat himself. I can only say that I have gone into it very carefullywith him, and that I am satisfied that it is more than fair to us, andthat I believe he is in control of the necessary money to carry out hisplans. If he does not carry them out we are no worse off, and if hedoes it will put St. Marys definitely on the map. He will speak forhimself and I hope you will give a careful hearing, for I don't believesuch men get off the train every day."
Clark was on his feet at once and began to talk in a curt, incisivetone of great penetration. Behind it there moved a suggestion ofsomething quite new to the folk of St. Marys. The moment offered noopportunity to analyze this, but it held them motionless with attention.
"I have come," he said, "to make you a proposal which has already beenput before Mayor Filmer, and which I am glad to tell you meets with hisapproval. I appreciate the opportunity, and with your cooeperationgreat things will yet be done in St. Marys. Now I am going to ask thattwo windows be opened and that you listen with me for a moment."
There followed an instant of universal surprise shared by the mayor,after which Clark gathered Dawson and Belding with his magnetic eye,and the two pushed up the windows nearest them. The cool night airbreathed in and set the big oil lamps flickering, but with it therecame the dull monotone of the rapids. Clark leaned slightly forward,and, smiling, began to speak again.
"What you hear is a voice in the wilderness, and, ladies and gentlemen,you have heard it for years. I, too, have heard it, but for somethingless than eight hours, and there is a difference in our hearing and Iwant to make that difference clear to you. I listen with a stranger'sears, being a stranger, and therefore not accustomed to that voice, Idetect in it something which possibly some of you may have recognized,but certainly none of you have fully appreciated."
There followed a little silence during which Mrs. Dibbott, her eyestwinkling with intense pleasure, nodded to Mrs. Worden. Herimagination was already at work, and, of them all, she first caught thesubtle trend of Clark's address.
"It is hardly necessary for me to remind you that your town has made acertain brave attempt and failed completely in its venture." ("Hear!Hear!" from Manson.) "This attempt was from the outset bound to fail."At this point Manson stamped approvingly, and Clark's gray eyes restedon his big frame for a moment while the least suggestion of a smiletraversed his lips. "The reason is very simple. You lacked experiencein such undertakings. You partly heard the voice but only partly, forto answer it fully and successfully you must answer it in millions andnot in thousands of dollars."
At this point he paused impressively, while there spread through theaudience the dun colored reflection that the entire town, ifobliterated, could be rebuilt for much less than a million, and sodefinite was the reaction that the speaker proceeded to intensify it inhis next remarks.
"You have at present, as the result of this ill-fated enterprise, aliability of one hundred and thirty thousand dollars--I think it is."He turned inquiringly to Filmer who nodded, and with him the entiremale section of the audience. There was no question about thosefigures.
"This liability imposes a heavy tax upon an unproductive community,although if you were producers it would be a bagatelle. As againstthis liability you have, as assets, a certain piece of property andcertain water rights secured from the Dominion government, rights whichthough at present very limited, might be made the basis of furtherexpansion. And that is all you have--a debt, and against it somethingthat is of no use to you."
A chilled surprise trickled through the town hall and Filmer himself,who had been quite unaware how Clark would state his case, began tothink that the thing had gone far enough, when the penetrating voicewent on.
"Now as to the town itself. I have failed, after a careful survey, tofind any evidence of growth. I have seen no new buildings, nor, underthe conditions which at present exist and which there is nothing youcan do to change, do I see any reason for growth. You do notmanufacture or import anything. You have, so to speak, to live on eachother, so why should any one come here to settle down?"
Although Clark had said several striking things, there had not beenanything which went as straight home as this. All had watched thegreat procession which passed up and down the river, and wondered whythe population of St. Marys remained so stationary, but never had theinescapable truth been thrown so blatantly in their faces as by thismagnetic stranger whose clear voice announced those truths which eachhad been secreting in his heart year after year. They began to wonderwhy a man of his type should be interested in the town. But the factthat he was interested clothed him with a still more compellingattraction. Visions of a decaying and moss covered settlement werefloating through their minds when the voice took on
a new note.
"The condition I have touched on is due to lack of threethings,--experience, money and imagination, and in such isolated pointsas this there is little opportunity to acquire any of the three. Thereis in the rapids unlimited power. It must be developed, and developedon this side of the river. The age of electricity has come. But letus ask ourselves what is the use of power unless there is somepractical purpose to which to put it. There is but one answer. Largeworks--enormous works must be established at the rapids; works thatwill utilize all the power that is developed, and draw their rawmaterial from the surrounding country. I have an idea that you mayconsider the district to the north and west a wilderness, but,gentlemen, you are mistaken. I firmly believe it to be a veritablereservoir of wealth."
Here Clark stopped, glanced thoughtfully at Filmer, and poured out aglass of water, while the entire audience took an imaginary journeyinto the bush to the north in an attempt to discover the reservoir ofwealth. This resulted in numerous quiet smiles, each of which died outwith a look at the intense earnestness on the speaker's face. Therewas a certain amount of fur, it was admitted, but the trapping wasfalling off. There were scattered patches of spruce for pulp wood, butso far as most of them knew the land was poor and rocky and there hadbeen no discovery of valuable mineral. However, silently concludedClark's hearers, the man might know, and probably did know a good dealmore than he said, and just as this opinion was gaining ground, thespeaker struck an inspiring note and came to his point.
"Now for my proposal. I believe in the future of this country, in itslatent wealth and its possibilities, and I am prepared to take on thetown's uncompleted enterprise and assume its one hundred and thirtythousand dollars of liability. Gentlemen, what I have in mind goesfurther than any of you have ever imagined, and it needs more millionsthan you have conceived. Millions will be forthcoming. In thefinancial markets of the world, capital must be assured of certainfundamentals. These fundamentals established, there is no difficultywhatever in securing as much money as may be required. That is myexperience, and if you accept my proposition St. Marys will, within ayear, begin to feel the influx of money which is seeking investment.Within that year you will hardly be able to recognize your town. Yourproperty, your houses, your farm products will greatly increase invalue, and local trade will experience a remarkable impetus. If youask what are these basic industries which will mean so much, I needonly point out that I am assured of an ample supply of pulp wood forvery large mills which I propose to erect, and there is, without doubt,iron ore in these hills of yours. This is only a part of my plan."
Again Clark paused, playing with all his power on those who had alreadygrasped something of his vision. Ore had never been found in that partof the country, though innumerable prospectors had toiled through thehills in search of it, but now it seemed that the folk of St. Marys hadcast aside their difference and unbelief, and were becomingincorporated in the speaker's high assurance. A little murmur ofenthusiasm arose, to be hushed instantly.
"I only want your cooeperation. I do not ask that you put in onedollar. There is ample money for the purpose, and I tell you franklythere is no room for yours. It is not my intention to bring in for thepurposes of the work anything the town itself can supply, and the moreyou can organize to supply amongst yourselves, the better pleased I andmy associates will be. All I hope is that you participateintelligently and profitably in that which will shortly take place.And first of all it will be my duty and pleasure to supply the townwith water and light on terms to be arranged with your council. Thiswill be the smallest and to me the least profitable of ourundertakings, but I regard it as an obligation to the town. Ladies andgentlemen, a new era is dawning for St. Marys. Have I your support?"
Had he their support? There followed a moment of half dazed silenceduring which Filmer's blood flushed up to his temples, and Clarkfinished his glass of water and sat down with a swift glance of hisgray eyes that seemed to take in the entire assembly. As thoughgalvanized by an electric shock, the folk of St. Marys rose to theirfeet and began to cheer. The ladies' handkerchiefs were in the air,with a babel of voices both small and deep. Mrs. Dibbott, her eyesdancing, caught those of Mrs. Worden and nodded vigorously, her cheeksflushed, for to men and women alike the invigorating, magnetic appealhad gone home. Then above the clamor Manson's deep bass becamegradually audible.
He was leaning forward, gazing straight out at the two on the platformand booming his utter unbelief in all he had heard. Clark, it struckhim, did not know what he was talking about, and who was Clark anyway?Had a single man in the room ever heard of Clark before that afternoon?The town had made one blunder, and it would be wise to keep out ofanother.
Thus far he got when the astonishment of the audience becametransformed into indignation and boiled over. Clark had not moved andindeed only smiled in an absolutely friendly way, but now there wereshouts that Manson sit down. He was putting the town in an unfortunateand undesirable position. Finally, Belding and Worden dragged himexpostulating into his chair, whereupon Dibbott and Bowers veryearnestly, and with much applause, expressed what the meeting reallyfelt. After which the resolution was put calling upon the town councilto confirm the agreement, and without any delay whatever. And thisbeing carried unanimously with cheering, the meeting broke up andstreamed down the wooden stairs with much trampling of feet, while Mrs.Dibbott asked Mrs. Bowers if she had noticed that every one was sointerested that the two windows which were opened had not been closedagain in spite of the fact that three lamps had been blown out. Allthis time the visitor sat still, a satisfied light in his eyes, andwhen Dibbott and the rest asked to be introduced, the mayor exclaimedthat the speaker of the evening was so occupied with momentous mattersthat he was obliged to postpone the pleasure of meeting them for a dayor two. This, of course, added to the spell of fascination cast by theremarkable stranger.
A day or two later, he was to disappear as suddenly as he came, but inthe meantime he avoided the people of St. Marys and was extremely busy.To his room at the hotel there had mounted a small procession ofvisitors, mostly lumbermen, who, being for a few moments admitted tothe shrine of mystery, reappeared with their eyes more bright and theirlips pressed tight. They had been discussing business matters, andthis was for the present about all they would say. The town council,without a dissenting note, accepted Clark's proposal, and the latterbecame a legal debtor for one hundred and thirty thousand dollars andthe owner of the abandoned works, and so simply and smoothly was thebusiness carried out that to the council there seemed something magicaland portentous in the transaction.
That afternoon Clark sent for Belding, and the young engineer came withan expectant thrill. By this time St. Marys was aware that the visitorwent to no one, but every one came to him. It was typical of methodswhich he adopted from the very first, so that almost immediately hispersonality, which was entirely new to this remote community, began tosuggest every phase of power and authority.
Belding had brought his plans and blue prints with him, and spread themon the small bedroom table. Followed a little silence, broken by acrisp interrogation.
"How much power have you figured on developing?"
"Five hundred horse power."
"Capable of any expansion?" Clark's lips took on a quizzical curve.
"Yes, to one thousand."
To this there was no comment. Belding himself rather liked the soundof a thousand horsepower. It seemed well rounded.
"Your water rights, I mean my water rights," went on Clarkthoughtfully, "permit the use of water for such works as I may erect."
"Yes," the engineer hesitated a moment and added, "sir."
Clark smiled almost imperceptibly, that is his face expressed an inwardamusement because a number of tiny lines wrinkled into being at thecorners of his gray eyes, and his lips pushed out ever so slightly.Presently he forgot all about the plans, and stared out of the windowwhere the first leap of the rapids was just visible.
"And y
our technical experience, Mr. Belding, tell me about that."
Belding told him, and did his best to dilate on work that now seemed ofa minor character. There was that about Clark which curiouslyminimized the young man's accomplishments.
Clark nodded once or twice. "Do you owe any money?"
"No, sir." Belding's voice roughened a shade.
Came one of the stranger's rare and unmistakable smiles. "Forget allabout these plans and start new ones. I have no use for a thousandhorsepower, or five thousand, or ten. We will begin with twentythousand. I say begin with that. Now listen. You are appointed mychief engineer. I said last night I did not wish to import that whichthe town can furnish, and I mean it. But being my engineer you aremine, and no one else's. The plans you will make are for me, and mealone, as is all information connected with them, and I may tell youthat my engineers carry out my plans and not theirs. Your positionwill be highly confidential, more important than you can at presentimagine. You will be the repository of much that many people wouldlike to know, but I will do whatever talking is necessary."
There were a few added instructions after which Belding went downstairsin a somewhat dazed condition. Then, suddenly, he remembered that nomention had been made of salary. Turning back he rapped at Clark'sdoor.
"There is one thing we did not discuss," he said a little awkwardly.
"What's that?"
"What are you willing to give me a month. I'm apparently engaged andI'd like to know where I stand."
Clark laughed shortly. "My invariable practice is to pay every cent myemployees can earn; the more I pay the better I like it. Good evening."
Later that afternoon the engineer walked thoughtfully up to the powercanal. It seemed incredible that it should no longer be abandoned.Staring at this uncompleted effort, he felt infused with a hot andoverwhelming loyalty. Whatever was good in him he would put into thework. He did not dream of the magnitude of his coming trust, but had asensation that the curtain was about to rise on a new scene. He was,perhaps, more than the rest impressed with the visitor's force andhypnotic power which seemed prophetic and almost mystical. Then hisglance, wandering down stream, caught a trace of smoke where theafternoon steamer was disappearing round a bend.
Clark had gone off by the afternoon boat, explaining to Filmer that hedesired to get a glimpse of some other parts of the country. Now hesat immovably in a corner of the deck, wrapped in a thick overcoat andspeaking to none. In his hand was a copy of the town agreement. Heran over it musingly till he came to the clause which set forth his newobligations, and at this point his lips tightened a little. Had he atthat moment been able to realize every worldly possession he had hemight have cleared up twenty-five hundred dollars but certainly notfive thousand. A glint came into his eyes as he read. The agreementset forth in Bowers' best phraseology that Robert Fisher Clark ofPhiladelphia, financier,--and at the sound of the last word Clarksmiled a little,--hereby undertook to spend in various works not lessthan three million dollars in the next five years, failing which histitle to the town's former holdings would automatically lapse.
The vessel moved smoothly on. Reviewing the last few days with perfectplacidity, he sent his mind back to other notable occasions whensuccess had been snatched from him, it seemed, at the very last moment.The review did not depress him. He was not of that kind, but wasfilled rather with a new and inflexible determination.
The dream and the vision broadened. As the vessel swung into the longturn that leads round the first big bend, he glanced back and caughtthe wide white line of foam below the spidery bridge. As he gazed thewooded ground to the north of the rapids seemed to be covered withgreat stone buildings whose walls lifted like mystic battlements in thegreen wilderness. He saw railways plunging into the forest and heardthe rumble of trains that drew up to his phantom factories. He saw theriver and the lakes furrowed with ships that came to St. Marys withforeign cargoes and, charged full with his products, turned their slimbows to distant lands. All this and much more passed in royalprocession before his thoughtful eye. Then something seemed to leapthrough his brain and he stood erect, masterful and undaunted.
"And now," he said to himself with a touch of grim humor, "now perhapsI'd better find some money."