The Main Chance

by Meredith Nicholson

  CHAPTER XXXIII

  A DISAPPEARANCE

  The iron thrall of winter was broken at last. Great winds still blew inthe valley, but their keen edge was dulled. Their errand was not todestroy now, but to build. Robins and bluejays, coming before thedaffodils dared, looked down from bare boughs upon the receding line ofsnow on the Porter hillside. The yellow river had shaken itself free ofice, and its swollen flood rolled seaward. Porter watched it from hiswindows; and early in March he was allowed to take short walks in thegrounds, followed by his Scotch gardener, with whom he planned thefloral campaign of the summer. Indoors he studied the alluringcatalogues of the seedsmen, an annual joy with him.

  Grant was still at home. He had not been well, and Evelyn kept him outof school on the plea that he would help to amuse his father. Porter wasmuch weakened by his illness, and though he pleaded daily to be allowedto go to the bank, he submitted to Evelyn's refusal with a tameness thatwas new in him. Fenton came several times for short interviews; Thompsoncalled as an old friend as well as a business associate, but he wasprone to discuss his own health to the exclusion of bank affairs.Wheaton was often at the house, and Porter preferred his account ofbank matters to Thompson's. Wheaton carried the figures in his head, andanswered questions offhand, while Thompson was helpless without thestatements which he was always having the clerks make for him. Porterfretted and fumed over Traction matters, though Fenton did his best toreassure him.

  He did not understand why Saxton should have been made receiver; ifFenton was able to dictate the appointment, why did he ignore Wheaton,who could have been spared from the bank easily enough when Thompsonreturned. Fenton did not tell him the true reason--he was not sure of ithimself--but he urged the fact that Saxton represented certain shareswhich were entitled to consideration, and he made much of the danger ofThompson's breaking down at any moment and having to leave. Porterdreaded litigation, and wanted to know how soon the receivership couldbe terminated and the company reorganized. The only comfort he derivedfrom the situation was the victory which had been gained over Margrave,who had repeatedly sent messages to the house asking for an interviewwith Porter at the earliest moment possible. The banker's humor had notbeen injured by the fever, and he told Evelyn and the doctor that he'dalmost be willing to stay in bed a while longer merely to annoy TimMargrave.

  "If I'd known I was going to be sick, I guess I wouldn't have tackledit," he said to Fenton one day, holding up his thin hand to the fire.The doctors had found his heart weak and had cut off his tobacco, whichhe missed sorely. "I might unload as soon as we can rebond andreorganize."

  "That's for you to say," answered the lawyer. "Margrave wanted it, andno doubt he would be glad to take it off your hands if you care to dealwith him."

  "If I was sure I had a dead horse, I guess I'd as lief let Tim curry himas any man in town; but I don't believe this animal is dead."

  "Not much", said the lawyer reassuringly. "Saxton says he's making moneyevery day, now that nobody is stealing the revenues. He's painting theopen cars and expects to do much better through the summer."

  "I guess Saxton doesn't know much about the business," said Porter.

  "He knows more than he did. He's all right, that fellow--slow but sure.He's been a surprise to everybody. He's solid with the men too, theytell me. I guess there won't be any strikes while he's in charge."

  "You'd better get a good man to keep the accounts," Porter suggested."Wheaton's pretty keen on such things."

  "Oh, that's all fixed. Saxton brought a man out from an Eastern auditcompany to run that for him, and he deposits with the bank."

  "All right," said Porter, weakly.

  Saxton came and talked to him of the receivership several times, andPorter quizzed him about it in his characteristic vein. Saxton was verypatient under his cross-examination, and reassured the banker by hismanner and his facts. Porter had lost his cocky, jaunty way, and afterthe first interview he contented himself with asking how the receiptswere running and how they compared with those of the year previous.Saxton suggested several times to Fenton that he would relinquish thereceivership, now that Porter was able to nominate some one to his ownliking. The lawyer would not have it so. He believed in Saxton and hefelt sure that when Porter could get about and see what the receiver hadaccomplished he would be satisfied. It would be foolish to make a changeuntil Porter had fully recovered and was able to take hold of Tractionmatters in earnest.

  Saxton had suddenly become a person of importance in the community. Thepublic continued to be mystified by the legal stroke which had placedWilliam Porter virtually in possession of the property; and it naturallytook a deep interest in the court's agent who was managing it sosuccessfully. Warry Raridan was delighted to find Saxton praised, and hedealt ironically with those who expressed surprise at Saxton's capacity.He was glad to be associated with John, and when he could find anexcuse, he liked to visit the power house with him, and to identifyhimself in any way possible with his friend's work. During the extremecold he paid, from his own pocket for the hot coffee which was handed upto the motormen along all the lines, and gave it out to the newspapersthat the receiver was doing it. John warned him that this would appearreckless and injure him with the judge of the court to whom he wasresponsible.

  Though Porter was not strong enough to resume his business burdens, hewas the better able in his abundant leisure to quibble over domestic andsocial matters with an invalid's unreason. He was troubled becauseEvelyn would not go out; she had missed practically all the socialgaiety of the winter by reason of his illness, and he wished her to feelfree to leave him when she liked. In his careful reading of thenewspapers he noted the items classified under "The Giddy Throng" and"Social Clarkson," and it pained him to miss Evelyn's name in the listof those who "poured," or "assisted," or "were charming" in someparticular raiment. Evelyn was now able to plead Lent as an excuse forspending her evenings at home, but when he found invitations lying aboutas he prowled over the house, he continued to reprove her for decliningthem. He had an idea that she would lose prestige by her abstinence; butshe declared that she had adopted a new rule of life, and thathenceforth she would not go anywhere without him.

  The doctor now advised a change for Porter, the purpose of which was tomake it impossible for him to return to his work before his completerecovery. Evelyn and the doctor chose Asheville before they mentioned itto him, and the plan, of course, included Grant. Mrs. Whipple stillsupervised the Porter household at long range, and the generalfrequently called alone to help the banker over the hard places in hisconvalescence, and to soothe him for the loss of his tobacco, which thedoctors did not promise to restore.

  A day had been fixed for their departure, and Mrs. Whipple was reviewingand approving their plans in the library, as Evelyn and her father andGrant discussed them.

  "We shall probably not see you at home much in the future," Mrs. Whipplesaid to Mr. Porter, who lay in invalid ease on a lounge, with a Romancomforter over his knees. "You'll be sure to become the worst ofgad-abouts--Europe, the far East, and all that."

  Porter groaned, knowing that she was mocking him.

  "I guess not," he said, emphatically. "I never expect to have any timefor loafing, and you can't teach an old dog new tricks."

  "Well, you're going now, anyhow. Don't let this girl get into mischiefwhile you're away. An invalid father--only a young brother to care forher and keep the suitors away! Be sure and bring her back without atrail of encumbrances. Grant," she said, turning to the boy, "you mustprotect Evelyn from those Eastern men."

  "I'll do my best," the lad answered. "Evelyn doesn't like dudes, andWarry says all the real men live out West."

  "I guess that's right," said Mr. Porter.

  She rose, gathering her wrap about her. Grant rose as she did. Hismanners were very nice, and he walked into the hall and took up his hatto go down to the car with Mrs. Whipple. It was dusk, and a man wasgoing through the grounds lighting the lamps. Mrs. Whipple talked withher usual vivacity of the New
Hampshire school which the boy hadattended, and of the trip he was about to make with his father andsister. They stood at the curb in front of the Porter gate waiting forher car. A buggy stopped near them and a man alighted and stood talkingto a companion who remained seated.

  "Is this the way to Mr. Porter's stable?" one of the men called to them.

  "Yes," Grant answered, as he stepped into the street to signal the car.The man who had alighted got back into the buggy as if to drive into thegrounds. The street light overhead hissed and then burned brightly abovethem. Mrs. Whipple turned and saw one of the men plainly. The car cameto a stop; Grant helped her aboard, and waved his hand to her as shegained the platform.

  At nine o'clock a general alarm was sent out in Clarkson that GrantPorter had disappeared.