by A. Stone
CHAPTER IX
Five years went by before I again met Howard Byng. He was at theWaldorf in New York. After parting we had exchanged letters frequentlyand I advised him as best I could. He employed a college man toinstruct him and for two years kept away from New York and other largebusiness centers. Meanwhile his letters improved, indicating a greatchange for the better. Evidently he wanted to feel sure of himselfbefore again meeting with men of large affairs. Mrs. Potter, secondedby her mother, had scored on a plan conceived when they first metByng--the firm of Byng and Potter was now a fact and the business hadexpanded and prospered as expected. And more, a year before I met himagain, he had married her sister Norma and sent me her photograph.
She had, as I predicted, developed into a beautiful woman withoutbeing plagued by a self-consciousness of the fact. She was real, asuperb woman indeed, and Byng was rightfully proud of her. The detailsof the happy consummation, covering about two years, I do not know,but I have no doubt they were very exciting--to the Potter family.First of all a huge diamond in the rough had to be polished into agentleman, and a moneymaker, who should conserve the family fortuneand add to it.
Norma was carefully educated along broad, democratic lines andcarefully taught the true worth of the self-seeking contingent whoamble about, and simper their way along. Her marriage to Byng was,necessarily, managed with astuteness, for at no time would anyone havehad the temerity to meddle with the workings of Howard Byng's will anymore than that of a lion. Undoubtedly the seed of his great love wasplanted when he carried her in his arms, drenched and convulsive,from Alligator Island. After his marriage I considered his status inlife fixed and largely dismissed him from my mind. But it wasn't longbefore he insisted on seeing me, saying, that, as his godfather, I hadcertain duties.
He wanted me to go to his home, but as usual I balked at this. Icompromised by taking dinner at the hotel with him, together with hiswife and the Potters. Potter proved to be a fine fellow. Born to thepurple, he nevertheless admired the now handsome, big-hearted,transformed Georgia Cracker. Mrs. Potter had laid down her fat uponthe altar of common sense.
Norma surprised me, her photograph doing her an injustice. I couldhardly believe that the stately brunette, divinely molded, was thelittle Norma, who, five years before, I had seen limp and unconsciousin the arms of Howard Byng. At that time she appeared to be all legs,arms and a shock of black hair. We spent a delightful evening, mostlyrecalling the incident that had terminated so happily to allconcerned. Norma went home with the Potters and Howard remained totalk with me.
"Wood," he began with frank directness as soon as we were settled, "wewant you to name your salary and come with us, we need you. In a shorttime we will give you an interest."
I started to protest.
"Wait a minute, now, until I tell you. I have talked it over withPotter and he wants you as bad as I do. Again I want to inform you,that whether you accept or not, you are responsible for the fact thatI am better than a turpentine Georgia Cracker. Everything I've got Itrace to your advice. There's plenty of room and I want you to come.This is no charity matter--you'll be of valuable aid to the business."
I found it difficult to reject his alluring offer without offendinghim. He pressed me for reasons. I had to tell him that I liked mywork, that I was able to view the world from an eminence, my ownegotism, perhaps, and that mere business would not satisfy me. Alsothat prospects for exciting incidents of an international characterwere good.
"I was afraid you would tell me that. If you cared for money you wouldhave used the process, secret to you and me. You could be rich," hecommented, clearly disappointed. "Then you will have to continue yourrole of advisor without pay, for I must have advice from you," headded, resuming his cheerful smile.
"Only too glad, Howard, go ahead."
"I have no fault to find with the progress of my affairs since I sawyou last. But again we have arrived where the road forks. Both roadsinvite. The Georgia Assimulating and Manufacturing plant has been muchextended. It owns cotton fields as far as you can see and plenty ofstump land, with transportation, and cash surplus instead of debt, butwe need rail outlet badly. Existing roads say our freight is notsufficient to support a branch line, so the alternative is to build itourselves. This will take our surplus and quite a bit of borrowedmoney. We're making money, but lack of a deep-water harbor hampers us.You see, we have only eight feet of water at flood tide. With adeep-water harbor we could get into the world's markets withoutbreaking bulk, and bring the roads to our own terms on interiorshipments. Our bank will underwrite the bonds. They have a man whowill take all of them."
"What bank are you with?"
"The Transatlantic. It is big, and has treated us fine," he repliedconfidently.
"But, you know, it is foreign owned."
"I don't know. It may be, but that is of no interest to us. If theyfurnish the money we need to finance the railroad connection at adecent rate, and the necessary amount to handle the business while weare paying it off, which they will, then where is our worry to comefrom? I don't care where the money comes from. The point is, should wetake the venture, or go on the way we are now?"
"How much money will it require?" Howard fascinated me with thefamiliarity of his subject. He looked big enough to accomplishanything humanly possible.
"Well--to build the road and docks, and two deep-water vessels, willcall for about a million and a half. We want to own every stick andnail. We now have a half million surplus."
"You will have to borrow a million then?"
"Yes--perhaps a little more."
"You have not met the man the bank will send to take your bonds?"
"No--but the bank is reliable and will make good--at least they mustproduce him before we start--that's what their underwriting means," headded.
"Howard, you have put up a hard problem. I might introduce theinterrogation point and mislead you. I don't pretend to know much ofbusiness, especially of big business like yours--mine is looking fordeluded men--sometimes women--who try to make violations of theFederal statutes profitable. All I can do is to give you myimpression, and what facts I have that may bear on your case. Thenyou must decide for yourself." He nodded.
"I would like it better if you were hooked up with a straight Americanbank," I continued. "I mean one of the old-line National banks--but,after all, that may not be important. Perhaps you ought to let 'goodenough' alone. You are making more money now than you can possiblyspend. However, I can understand the lure of achievement--it's aboutall the real fun there is in living, without which a man is old at anystage, and would be better off dead and buried."
"That's it! You understand perfectly--make the so-called impossibilityyield," he interrupted, his aggressive nose twitching, his eyesdilating with eagerness.
"Howard, there are three crises in the average life. The first one weall know as 'getting started.' This usually happens in the earlytwenties. You passed yours just after leaving me on the wharf atSavannah. You say you cried and wished you were dead. Another onecomes about ten years later. Its form and length varies with theindividual. But for a time it's usually a pretty bad experience. Mennot only wish they were dead, but would try suicide were theyout-and-out cowards. They believe they will be consumed by the heatand enormity of things over which they have no control. This period isnot unlike the refining process of iron ore into good steel, and itsformation into a perfect-cutting, useful instrument. It is a processthat is melting hot, two thousand degrees and a blast behind it. Thencome the blows to make the shape; then the grindstone, and thewhet-stone to put on the final polish. There is another period in thelate forties that you need not be concerned about now. However,Cleveland is going to be elected--the first Democratic President sincethe war--and that event may disturb things for a time."
Byng glanced up searchingly. "Go on," said he, abruptly.
"I know you didn't expect a sermon but you may profit by it now; atleast you will recall it afterward, and with some relief, if youfollow the trend
of affairs logically. When I go after a man I want toknow his age the very first thing. You are about thirty now?"
"Yes, just about," there was in his eye a suspicion that I was raving,but that didn't keep me from finishing.
"And your wife is some over twenty--your partner a little older thanyou."
"Yes."
"You might do well to put up the sign, 'safety first,' though it's alying thing where generally used. I advise that you trim sail and keepin deep water for a while. No use getting excited at your age. Let thesituation be entirely clear when undertaking big financial stunts.Wait until the new President is well seated in his chair. I look forsqualls."
"It may be you are right--I will give your advice seriousconsideration," said he, soberly, but I felt that he was notconvinced.
"I don't like to send you home with a wet blanket around you, but youare too big, and have too much courage to shrink from the truth. Begoverned by foresight as well as hindsight. Wait and see how the timesare going to be before you touch anything requiring big borrowing. Solong, boy, I must be going."
"I knew you'd tell me what you thought," he exclaimed, wringing myhand good-bye.
I didn't see Howard Byng for many years after that.