The Main Chance Read online

  CHAPTER VIII

  TIMOTHY MARGRAVE MAKES A CHOICE

  There was a tradition that no one had ever been black-balled in theKnights of Midas, so when Timothy Margrave got Wheaton's signature to anapplication for membership the cashier was beset by no fear ofrejection. The citizens of Clarkson were indebted to Margrave for manyschemes for booming their town. He lectured his fellow business menconstantly about their lack of enterprise.

  "Look at Kansas City," he would say at the club, bending forwardponderously on his fat knees, "they ain't got half the terminalfacilities that we have, and there ain't any better country around 'em,but they're bigger than we are and ahead of us because they've got morehustle than we have; and hustle's what makes a town,--look at Chicago!But we've got a lot of salt mackerel business men here, so pickled intheir brine of conservatism that they won't do anything. There's BillyPorter; when we want to raise money to help boom the town, I'm alwaysdead sure that Billy will cough up, but you've got to show 'im;--tell'im all about it, and he likes to play with you and guy you and rub itin before he puts his name down. Now he may be a safe banker and allthat, but I say that there's such a thing as pushing conservatism toodamned far. We're going to be a long time getting over the panic andwe've got to give a strong pull and all pull together if we get in theprocession." His voice rose as he proceeded. "Look at little Sioux City!busted wide open and knocked over the ropes, but here they come waltzingup again, as full of sass as a fox terrier with a flea on his tail. Talkabout grit, the time a man wants to show that article's when he'sbusted. Any fool can be cheerful on a bull market."

  Then he would settle himself back with an air of complacency, as if hehad done all that he could do to arrest decay in the town; if his fellowcitizens failed to rouse themselves it was not his fault. Margrave heldno office in the Knights of Midas, but this was because he had learnedby political experience that it was much simpler to lurk in thebackground and manipulate the men he placed in power. It was on thishigh principle that he built up the order of the Knights of Midas anddirected its course from the office of the general manager of theTranscontinental. There was nothing incongruous to him in the annualball, which was the only public social manifestation of theorganization. It was he who directed that twenty members be chosen fromthe membership list each year, to conduct the purely social functions ofthe ball, and that these be taken in alphabetical order. Thus theAdamses and the Bakers and the Cummingses, who belonged in differentconstellations, found themselves in the same orbit. If they wereunacquainted or were enemies of long standing, this did not troubleMargrave when the fact was brought to his notice. It was time, he said,that the people of Clarkson got together.

  "We may as well get some work out of Jim Wheaton," he remarked to thegrand chief of the Knights of Midas. "He's pretty solemn, but Jim wassolemn when he was a kid and worked for me. Porter and Thompson havealways been too slow for this earth and if we pull Wheaton in, it maywake up the old chaps so they'll do something besides sit on the fenceand watch the rest of us hustle."

  "See here," said Norton, the grand chief, "what's the matter withshoving him in for the king of the carnival? We've got to make a strongpush this year to give tone to the show socially; that's the only way wecan keep up the town interest. Having these jays come in from thecountry won't do any good unless we can hold these eminently respectablepeople who think they're Clarkson society."

  "You're dead right on that point," said Margrave; "that's a big cardwith the jays,--they think they come to town and get right in the pushand are tickled to pay ten dollars a ticket for a taste of high life. Itell you what we'll do, we'll get Porter to let his daughter appear asqueen of the carnival, and if that ain't a big enough jolly, we can makeWheaton king. That's what I'd call giving the Clarkson National a runfor its money. If Porter don't double his subscription on the strengthof that--"

  He looked at Norton and they both laughed.

  A few days later Margrave called on Wheaton at the bank. He was a littleproud of having discovered Wheaton. Since his quondam messenger hadbecome a bank cashier he had begun to take notice of him.

  "I guess we're going to need you to take a star part in the carnivalthis year," he said, leading him into the empty directors' room andlooking carefully about to make sure that they were alone. "Yon see,we've been casting about to find a good representative from among theyounger business men to take the part of king in the carnival. The boardof control are unanimous that you're the man."

  "But I've just gone into the Knights,--there are plenty of oldermembers."

  "That's the point! we want new men and you're just the fellow we'reafter."

  He had been holding his hat in his hand and wiping his brow with hishandkerchief, and he now backed toward the door, saying, without leavingWheaton time for further quibble:

  "Keep it mum. You understand about that; we always want to jar thepublic. We'll put you on to the curves all right."

  "I'm sure I'm very much surprised," said Wheaton, "but--"

  "Oh, it's all fixed," said Margrave, moving off. "You're the only oneand we never let anybody decline. It would knock all the compliment outof it, if we let two or three fellows refuse before we caught one thatwould accept."

  Wheaton went back to his desk, surprised and flattered. Margrave's goodwill was worth having. Wheaton had never outgrown the impression heformed of Margrave when, as a boy, he had indexed letter books andreceived callers in the general manager's outer office. He knew that Mr.Porter was more respectable and stood higher in the community, but therewas something that took hold of even Wheaton's dull imagination in thebolder achievements of Timothy Margrave, who rolled over the country ina private car, dictating, when need arose, to the legislatures of achain of states, and looming large in the press's discussions of thosecombinations and contests of transportation companies which marked thelast years of the nineteenth century. Wheaton had acquired a banker'shabitual distrust of men who offer favors; but as this came on thepersonal invitation of one who had no dealings with his bank he couldsee no harm in accepting.

  Margrave winked at him a few days later when they met at the club.

  "The boys are all glad you're going to lead the show, Jim," said thegeneral manager; and Wheaton experienced a feeling of having fallen intothe larger currents of Clarkson life. Margrave was the man who, morethan any other, made things happen in Clarkson.