The Colonel's Dream Page 17

  _Seventeen_

  By considerable effort, and a moderate outlay, the colonel at lengthsecured a majority of interest in the Eureka mill site and madeapplication to the State, through Caxton, for the redemption of thetitle. The opposition had either ceased or had proved ineffective.There would be some little further delay, but the outcome seemedpractically certain, and the colonel did not wait longer to set inmotion his plans for the benefit of Clarendon.

  "I'm told that Fetters says he'll get the mill anyway," said Caxton,"and make more money buying it under foreclosure than by building anew one. He's ready to lend on it now."

  "Oh, damn Fetters!" exclaimed the colonel, elated with his victory. Hehad never been a profane man, but strong language came so easy inClarendon that one dropped into it unconsciously. "The mill will berunning on full time when Fetters has been put out of business. We'vewon our first fight, and I've never really seen the fellow yet."

  As soon as the title was reasonably secure, the colonel began hispreparations for building the cotton mill. The first step was to sendfor a New England architect who made a specialty of mills, to comedown and look the site over, and make plans for the dam, the millbuildings and a number of model cottages for the operatives. As soonas the estimates were prepared, he looked the ground over to see howfar he could draw upon local resources for material.

  There was good brick clay on the outskirts of the town, where brickshad once been made; but for most of the period since the war such aswere used in the town had been procured from the ruins of oldbuildings--it was cheaper to clean bricks than to make them. Since theconstruction of the railroad branch to Clarendon the few that wereneeded from time to time were brought in by train. Not since thebuilding of the Opera House block had there been a kiln of brick madein the town. Inquiry brought out the fact that in case of a demand forbricks there were brickmakers thereabouts; and in accordance with hisgeneral plan to employ local labour, the colonel looked up the ownerof the brickyard, and asked if he were prepared to take a largecontract.

  The gentleman was palpably troubled by the question.

  "Well, colonel," he said, "I don't know. I'd s'posed you were goin' toimpo't yo' bricks from Philadelphia."

  "No, Mr. Barnes," returned the colonel, "I want to spend the moneyhere in Clarendon. There seems to be plenty of unemployed labour."

  "Yes, there does, till you want somethin' done; then there ain't somuch. I s'pose I might find half a dozen niggers round here that knowhow to make brick; and there's several more that have moved away thatI can get back if I send for them. If you r'al'y think you want yo'rbrick made here, I'll try to get them out for you. They'll cost you,though, as much, if not more than, you'd have to pay for machine-madebricks from the No'th."

  The colonel declared that he preferred the local product.

  "Well, I'm shore I don't see why," said the brickmaker. "They'll notbe as smooth or as uniform in colour."

  "They'll be Clarendon brick," returned the colonel, "and I want thisto be a Clarendon enterprise, from the ground up."

  "Well," said Barnes resignedly, "if you must have home-made brick, Isuppose I'll have to make 'em. I'll see what I can do."

  Colonel French then turned the brick matter over to Caxton, who, inthe course of a week, worried Barnes into a contract to supply so manythousand brick within a given time.

  "I don't like that there time limit," said the brickmaker, "but Ireckon I can make them brick as fast as you can get anybody roun' hereto lay 'em."

  When in the course of another week the colonel saw signs of activityabout the old brickyard, he proceeded with the next step, which was tohave the ruins of the old factory cleared away.

  "Well, colonel," said Major McLean one day when the colonel droppedinto the hotel, where the Major hung out a good part of the time, "Is'pose you're goin' to hire white folks to do the work over there."

  "Why," replied the colonel, "I hadn't thought about the colour of theworkmen. There'll be plenty, I guess, for all who apply, so long as itlasts."

  "You'll have trouble if you hire niggers," said the major. "You'llfind that they won't work when you want 'em to. They're not reliable,they have no sense of responsibility. As soon as they get a dollarthey'll lay off to spend it, and leave yo' work at the mos' criticalpoint."

  "Well, now, major," replied the colonel, "I haven't noticed anyunnatural activity among the white men of the town. The Negroes haveto live, or seem to think they have, and I'll give 'em a chance toturn an honest penny. By the way, major, I need a superintendent tolook after the work. It don't require an expert, but merely a goodman--gentleman preferred--whom I can trust to see that my ideas arecarried out. Perhaps you can recommend such a person?"

  The major turned the matter over in his mind before answering. Hemight, of course, offer his own services. The pay would doubtless begood. But he had not done any real work for years. His wife ownedtheir home. His daughter taught in the academy. He was drawn on jurynearly every term; was tax assessor now and then, and a judge or clerkof elections upon occasion. Nor did he think that steady employmentwould agree with his health, while it would certainly interfere withhis pleasant visits with the drummers at the hotel.

  "I'd be glad to take the position myself, colonel," he said, "but Ir'aly won't have the time. The campaign will be hummin' in a month orso, an' my political duties will occupy all my leisure. But I'll bearthe matter in mind, an' see if I can think of any suitable person."

  The colonel thanked him. He had hardly expected the major to offer hisservices, but had merely wished, for the fun of the thing, to try theexperiment. What the colonel really needed was a good foreman--he hadused the word "superintendent" merely on the major's account, as lesssuggestive of work. He found a poor white man, however, Green by name,who seemed capable and energetic, and a gang of labourers under hischarge was soon busily engaged in clearing the mill site and preparingfor the foundations of a new dam. When it was learned that the colonelwas paying his labourers a dollar and a half a day, there wasconsiderable criticism, on the ground that such lavishness woulddemoralise the labour market, the usual daily wage of the Negrolabourer being from fifty to seventy-five cents. But since most of thecolonel's money soon found its way, through the channels of trade,into the pockets of the white people, the criticism soon died anatural death.