Harvey Anderson.
The mansion all lit up—what's going on?
(They are silent)
It's a strange world, Cap, it's a funny world.
You throw a piece of bread down; it draws ants,
Red ants and black ants, little ants and big,
And if you'll keep it up you'll have them here
Building their hills about you; you know that.
Cap Saunders.
(Returning to the fire)
It's wonderful how much some men can do.
Harvey Anderson.
Well, men are ants, and Egerton he's had bread.
And he's kept throwing it down there in the valley,
First crumb by crumb and later chunk by chunk,
Until he's drawn them round him, thousands of them,
And when they've come he's put them all to work.
And to see them at it! I could spend my life
Sitting upon the mountains on some rock
That hangs above the town, watching them drudge.
'Get me my logs out;' and they get his logs.
'Now saw them; make me lumber;' and they do it,
'Build me my railroad;' and they blast the rocks.
'Now up with my big mansion on the hill,
And carve me all my ants upon the walls,
Some sawing logs, others with axes raised
Hard at the big round boles, some half cut down;
Make her look like a forest through and through.'
And they've tugged at it till they've got it done.
And all they've chopped and sawed and built is his,
And he puts it in his pocket and sits down
And they can't help themselves. They've got to eat,
And Egerton he's the man that's——
(He has risen and stands looking back through the darkness)