“I don’t blame you,” grinned Poppy. “And the thing for you to do, Mr. Lorring, as I see it, is to help us start up a regular pickle factory. Then we can release the church women, and your wife will do her cooking at home.”
“Um ...” the gray eyes twinkled. “A pickle factory, heh? Think you can make a go of it?”
“I don’t see why we can’t.”
“Would it surprise you,” Mr. Lorring then looked at us curiously, “to know that yesterday afternoon I had a long talk with Mr. Foreman Pennykorn?”
“About us?” says Poppy quickly, his voice touched with uneasiness. For he realized, of course, that we had been called into the bank on a matter of importance.
“Partly. But our talk was mostly about pickles and community interests. Now, I know how you boys feel toward the canning company. It’s your idea that they gave you a crooked deal, and so you’ve got it in for them. On the other hand they’re equally bitter toward you, because of your interference. So, in a way, it’s six of one against a half dozen of the other. And any sensible concession from their side ought to be matched by a similar concession from your side. That’s good business. Naturally, under the circumstances, you want to further buck them by starting up a pickle factory of your own. And if you decide to go ahead on that plan, getting financial backing elsewhere, I can’t stop you. But I’m not sure that it would be the best thing for you to do, or, even more important, the best thing for the town. You might make a success of your new factory; then again you might not. Everything is all right so far. And, to that point, you deserve a great deal of credit for what you’ve done, Poppy in particular. As you boys probably realize, I think a great deal of you. I’m proud of you, in fact. You’re just the kind of up-and-coming boys we need. So, keep it up. It’s good for you and also good for the community. To get back to the pickle proposition, though, I have been asked by Mr. Pennykorn to use my influence to bring you and the canning company together.”
“Never!” cried Poppy, with flashing eyes.
“And why not?” came steadily.
“I guess you don’t know everything they’ve done, Mr. Lorring. For if you did you’d realize how impossible it is for us ever to tie up with them.”
“Outside of the fact that you have a boyish hatred for them, are you afraid they’ll skin you?”