“Who said it? What does it matter if M’sieu’ Marchand said it—it’s true. If I said it, it’s true. All of us in this room say it, and it’s true. Young Marchand says what Manitou says.”
The old man’s eyes grew brighter—they were exceedingly sharp for one so old, and he said quite gently now:
“M. Marchand said it first, and you all say it afterwards—ah, bah! But listen to me; I know Max Ingolby that you think is such a villain; I know him well. I knew him when he was a little boy and—”
“You was his nurse, I suppose!” cried the Englishman’s voice amid a roar of laughter.
“Taught him his A-B-C-was his dear, kind teacher, eh?” hilariously cried another.
The old man appeared not to hear. “I have known him all the years since. He has only been in the West a few years, but he has lived in the world exactly thirty-three years. He never willingly did anybody harm—never. Since he came West, since he came to the Sagalac, he’s brought work to Lebanon and to Manitou. There are hundreds more workmen in both the towns than there were when he came. It was he made others come with much money and build the factories and the mills. Work means money, money means bread, bread means life—so.”
The big river-driver, seeing the effect of the old man’s words upon the crowd, turned to them with an angry gesture and a sneer.
“I s’pose Ingolby has paid this old skeesicks for talking this swash. We know all right what Ingolby is, and what he’s done. He’s made war between the two towns—there’s hell to pay now on both sides of the Sagalac. He took away the railway offices from here, and threw men out of work. He’s done harm to Manitou—he’s against Manitou every time.”
Murmurs of approval ran through the crowd, though some were silent, looking curiously at the forceful and confident old man. Even his bent shoulders seemed to suggest driving power rather than the weight of years. He suddenly stretched out a hand in command as it were.
“Comrades, comrades,” he said, “every man makes mistakes. Even if it was a mistake for Ingolby to take away the offices from Manitou, he’s done a big thing for both cities by combining the three railways.”