“Don’t be scairt. We hain’t f-f-figgerin’ on hurtin’ you.”
With that both of us got into the room and walked over toward him. He didn’t say a word, but just stared and scowled.
“We come to see you on b-b-business,” says Mark, “but they wouldn’t let us in. We had to see you, so here we are.”
“I see you’re here,” says he, sharp and savage. “Now let me see you get out again. Quick!”
I was ready to turn tail and skedaddle, but not Mark. He walked right over to that president just like he was anybody common and says:
“I’m s-sorry, sir, if we b-bother you. But I’ve got to t-talk to you a minute. We can’t get to see anybody, and if we can’t get f-fixed up we are goin’ to bust.”
The man scowled worse than ever and took a step toward Mark, but Mark never give back an inch.
“I’ll have you thrown out,” says the man.
“If you say you won’t t-t-talk to us,” says Mark, “and if you can feel down in your heart that you’re doin’ right, why, we’ll go without b-bein’ thrown. But we was sure that a man couldn’t get to be p-president of a whole railroad unless he was fair and square. That’s why we come right to you. We sort of had confidence, sir, that you was goin’ to see that what was right was done.... But if you don’t feel that way about it, why, we’ll be g-g-goin’ along.”
He turned then and went over toward the door. The man didn’t say a word till we were almost there, then he says, “Hold on there!”