The kindly, rather innocent and futile old owner of the Altonia leaned on him pathetically, but the youth never overstepped; he never presumed for an instant on the man’s amiable familiarity; he maintained the delicate balance of their relationship.
He listened gravely when his employer told him things he already knew, and better than he did.
“I’m going to tell you something that’ll surprise you, Luke,” he said confidently. “I’m no business man. I’ve run the Altonia Mill, man and boy, most of my life, but that’s just because it was sort of wished on me by my father. I never liked it; I never—in a way, I mean—understood it; during my father’s lifetime, I depended on him, and after he left us, why, I just counted on my partner.”
“Yes, sir,” Luke listened respectfully.
“My partner, Mr. Oliver Parker, of Pasadena, you know.”
“Yes, sir.” Luke Manders said sir now, very handily, but it carried no servility with it.
“A fine man, Mr. Parker; mighty fine man! Great pity going as early as he did. I miss him, I can tell you! Only came on here once or twice a year, but when he did, well, things moved! Never saw anybody to equal him. Often wonder,” he mused, “whether that son of his—young Peter—has his father’s brains and his energy. Hope so, the Lord knows, now that he’s my partner!” He chuckled. “Reckon he’s not worrying much about the old Altonia! Typical millionaire’s son, from all I hear. This was just a drop in the bucket for Parker, of course. He dipped into everything—cotton, oil, mines—and pulled out a plum every time. But I reckon there won’t be many plums for the boy, way poor Minnie let things go, and old Ben kind of slowing down.”
“Well, we aim to pull things up, sir,” Luke Manders promised quietly.
“I hope to the Lord we can,” Mr. ’Gene Carey said fervently. “I certainly do hope to the Lord we can! I’ve got a young lady daughter coming on, and I want to do handsomely by her. I certainly do hope to the Lord we can make the old mill speed up, Luke.”
“That’s what we’re aiming to do, sir,” his new bookkeeper pledged again, gravely, and the senior partner went away heartened.