“Tom,” Geron said, after arising and moving around aimlessly, “you are
going to waste your time. The trusts are too strong for any one man to
undertake to down them.”
Tom, who had been sitting with his chair tipped back, reached out to the
table to balance himself before he answered, then he stood up,
stretching out his arms and yawning, said, “I am not trying to down
them. You remember the story of the lion and the mouse, don’t you,
Geron?”
“Yes.”
“Well, for the sake of the case at point, I will liken the masses to the
lion; I will merely pose as the mouse, as it nibbled the cord that let
the lion go free.”
Just then Mrs. Vivian, who had been looking after the comfort of the
room by poking at the fire in the grate, asked: “What lion are you
talking about, Tom?” This caused all the family to roar with laughter.
“He is trying to convince Geron that he is as harmless as a mouse,”
Scoris replied.
The two men left the room laughing, Geron saying that he was going out
to smoke.
Then Scoris explained it to her mother: “Geron thought that Tom was
trying to break the trusts, and Tom took that way of explanation, for he
is merely showing the people how to live independently of the trusts.”
“Tom promised to explain to me what you are all doing in the society,
but he has not had time yet,” the mother said. “I wish you would tell me
something about it. Geron says it will fail, he knows it will.”
“Well, it will not,” Nellie answered, her eyes flashing, as she changed
her seat to get nearer to Mrs. Vivian, “Tom never fails.”
“No,” Scoris exclaimed, she also resenting Geron’s idea; “and if he did,
some one else would take it up! The people are ready now to free
themselves from the trusts. They have only been waiting for a leader,
and Tom is that man.”
Nellie had arisen and was standing by Scoris. Helen raised her head, for
she had been absorbed in a new poem, and Nellie’s voice had actually
sounded sharp.
Geron’s wife looked apologetic. She stood up, then sat down, not knowing
exactly what was expected of her, for it looked for a second as if there
was going to be a family dispute. Mrs. Vivian looked distressed until
Scoris laughingly asked:
“How much do you know about it, mother?”
“Not much,” she answered; “only Geron says that each member pays only
one dollar per year for membership, and that no society could be kept up
on such a cheap basis; that Tom intends to build immense hotels and
factories, and he can’t see where the money is coming from to do it
all.”
“Mother, dear,” Scoris answered, “you only know a very small part of it.
The fee is small so as to reach the very poorest class. They can start
as members on twenty-five cents per week, after the membership fee is
paid, ’tis true, but it is not their money that we value, but their
labor. They can become members by their labor alone. The poorest member
must secure one share each year, which only amounts to twelve dollars.
We have two hundred such members, but we have one hundred that are
securing twelve shares yearly, besides two hundred more that are ranging
from twenty shares each year to many thousands, invested already.
Considering that the society is only one year old that is encouraging.
The society also owns a number of automobiles that we have been using
instead of cars. I am sure that don’t look like failure. We employ a
large number of men to manufacture bricks, and what is more, they did it
by hand labor, the old-fashioned way, using horses to turn the
machinery. The men were those that had been crowded out of employment by
the age limit. Two men, seeing the advantages of the society, advertised
for such men, explained the advantages of the society to them, then
secured the clay land suitable for bricks. The results are that there is
enough to start the first apartment house in the spring. They have also
made artificial stone to beautify the buildings. Another man has been
burning lime stone on his own place. These are the principal building
materials and they are either found already or will be by some member,
for all are contributing either their labor or money to secure the
success of the society. Mother, dear, you cannot imagine how many poor
souls were glad to get the work to do, especially when they knew they
were not expected to work more than six hours each day and that they
were provided with shelter and food besides being able to save for the
future. Some who had always been accustomed to digging and hard work
will dig the foundations in the spring. Now this is the strange thing
about it. The men who gave them the work did not have to pay them one
dollar in money. They were only too glad to secure a permanent home for
at least this winter. Every one of them has scrip and shares in the
society as a result of their summer’s work.”
“Well, that is a good thing for poor men, but how did the society get
the benefit of those two men’s labor who superintended the work, as well
as using their capital in paying the rent for the brick-clay land,
buying horses, and feeding them as well as the men?” her mother asked.
“The society bought the bricks from them, exchanging farm produce, and
shares as well as scrip, in payment for two-thirds of their value. The
balance was paid in money; don’t you see?”
“Where did the society get the money?”
“Why, it was taken out of the permanent shares. I forgot to tell you
that we issue two kinds of shares. The ones of which all members have to
secure at least one each year are the permanent ones. They are paid to
the society in money or labor, and the money representing them can only
be used for buildings or any kind of permanent wealth. These same men
are going to set the workmen to putting up roughly made buildings on the
farm we have secured, to store ice in for the summer, as well as a house
for themselves to live in. They are not particular where they live, poor
fellows, so long as it is a shelter and that their food is sure, as well
as clothing. These two men I mentioned have secured materials from the
wrecking companies in the city, for the buildings will be only temporary
ones, boarded inside and out, and filled in between with sawdust.”
While listening to Nellie’s account Mrs. Vivian had been anxious when
Scoris began, but gradually relaxed as the explanation advanced. “How
very simple after all,” she remarked. “It is like a broken stitch in a
stocking. Stitch by stitch we draw the thread in and out until it is
whole again!” But she started up, exclaiming, “Who is going to redeem
the scrip?”
“Tom is,” Nellie answered. “At present he has charge of all produce, and
the different members are providing for all kind of exchanges.”
“Well, girls,” their mother said, “don’t think me stupid for not
understanding all about it, but how is Tom to derive an income from what
he sells to the members and redeem the scrip besides?” Scoris and Nellie
exchanged glances to see which would explain. Scoris motioned to Nellie
to proceed, feeling that she knew more about it.
“Our immediate income,” Nellie answered, “is from what Tom sells to the
members, and we have five hundred members besides their families that
consume food. Tom has been buying it from the farmers at wholesale and
selling at retail. It has been enough to keep us so far, and we take
charge of the first farm next week, so then we will be able to buy to
better advantage and have no rent to pay besides, for the society
provides that by the $1.00 membership fee. You see we have over five
hundred members, and they represent that amount. You know Tom sold out
his law partnership. Well, he has used the money to buy with. Besides
vegetables and fruit, we have charge of the milk which he sells to the
dealers, who allow the members a percentage on all they buy. The members
bought our scrip, then Tom used the money to secure the milk; he then
redeems the scrip as payment for the milk consumed.”
“Well, I hope it will be a success,” Mrs. Vivian declared, with a sigh.
“Why, it has already,” both the girls exclaimed together. “No one had
ever imagined that it would succeed so soon. We all hoped it would in a
few years, but it is growing so fast that it is taking nearly all of
Tom’s time just to manage it. That is how I happened to become his
secretary,” Nellie said.
During the conversation some young people had called, and Mira had shown
them into the library until her mother and sisters had finished their
talk, then joined the rest. Jack Mobray was there and it was hard to
remember afterwards how he and Mira could have had a chance to talk over
their arrangements to leave the old home as they afterwards did, but
when the young are in love they find a way.
In a few days the two girls had returned to the city. Tom and Nellie to
the farm that the society had secured to start the colony, and, as the
mother had predicted, Mira left her also a few days afterwards, although
she had never thought of her child marrying so young, nor did she
suspect the attachment between them. She did think that Mira might wish
to go to the city. The whole family had become restless as they grew up;
even Geron had hinted that he was tired of living all his life on the
estate.
Tom and Nellie were settled in the farm house, for though it was in the
fall of the year they had decided to take up their residence then so as
to get ready for the spring building. Materials were being collected so
as to cause no delay. The past year Tom had gone in different directions
from the city looking the country over before this place had been
selected. In this way it gave him an opportunity of locating just the
kind of land needed for the many uses that would be required of it.
A large lake was on one side with clear, cool water, an abundance of
large trees on its edge, sufficient to make a pleasant place for a
summer resort and yet not interfere with the farm. This lake was not
very far from the farm buildings and was not on the road but partly on
the next farm adjoining, with sufficient, however, on the society’s
property to enable them to control or have the use of it.
They had not intended to take up the land in the fall, but Tom had seen
the advisability of securing it while it was in the market. The owner
had died suddenly, leaving it to his widow, and she being anxious to go
to the next town to her children who were married, it was arranged that
the rent would not begin until the following spring. The house was not
large or of much account, but it answered the purpose, and the land had
been obtained cheaper on that account. It was the land and fruit that
had first attracted Tom’s attention after he had proved the nature of
the soil. He had secured a lease for ninety-nine years with the
privilege of buying the whole of it at any time at a set price, of
erecting any kind of buildings that the society might deem proper, the
said buildings to belong to the society exclusively.
They enjoyed their new home, these two enterprising people, because they
liked to know that they were making a start for many hundreds, if not
thousands, of others to live happily and contentedly in years to come.
There, however, I will leave them for the present and go back to the
beginning of the society before Tom’s marriage.