The Gibson Upright Part 9

CARTER: No! She spends all her days at the factory; you might think she was running the whole place! What's worse'n that, you know they elected me chairman o' the governing committee, and she's all the time trying to 'lectioneer me out. What she wants is to git Simpson in for chairman; that'd be jest same's her bein' chairman herself, the way she runs Simpson! That's the only thing that worries me. Everything else is just splendid, splendid!

GIBSON: I understand you don't blow the whistle any more. What hours are you working now?

CARTER: Well, first we thought we ought to work about six; but we got on such a good basis a good many of them are talkin' how they think that's too much. It'd suit me either way. _That_ ain't the trouble over at that factory, Mr. Gibson.

GIBSON: What is the trouble over at that factory?

CARTER [_with feeling_]: Mr. Gibson, it's the inequality. Look at me now, and look at Simpson. Simpson and his wife haven't got a child, and I got seven, every one of 'em to support, and my married daughter lost her husband and got a shock, and I got her and her three little ones pretty much on my hands. And Simpson draws down every cent as much as what I do; just exactly the same. And if the truth was told he don't work as much as what I do. Then, look at them bachelors; they ain't got _n.o.body_ to support! Well, that's got to be settled!

GIBSON: How are you going to settle it?

CARTER [_cheerfully_]: Oh, the committee meetin' settles everything by vote. I'd of put a motion about these matters at some o' the meetings long ago except I'm chairman and they worked a rule on me the chairman can't put motions. But some of us got it fixed up to git it put over at the meeting to-morrow. That's the _big_ meeting to-morrow--the monthly one. Don't misunderstand me, Mr. Gibson; I ain't makin' no complaint about these here details, because everything else is so splendid and prosperous it seems like this here New Dawn Mr. Mifflin called it in his article.

GIBSON: Nothing else worries you then, Carter?

CARTER: Nothing else in the world, Mr. Gibson. Except there might be some of 'em don't take their responsibilities the way I could wish.

Fact is, there's so much talkin' gits to goin' over there sometimes you can't hear yourself work. Me? I'm an honest worker, if I work for you or work for myself. But I can't claim they're all that way. Some that used to loaf, you can't claim they don't loaf more than they did; yes, sir!

GIBSON: They get just the same as you do, though, don't they?

CARTER: Oh, yes! That's the _sinee que none_; it's the brotherhood between comrades. I don't mean to complain, but they's one thing that don't look to me just fair. It took me four years to learn my trade and I'm a skilled workman, and now some Hunnyacks that just sends strips along through a chute--and it's all they do know how to do--they used to git two and a half a day to my six, but this way we both git just the same. I says something about it didn't seem right to me, and one them Hunnyacks called me a boor-jaw. Well, then I talked to Miss Gorodna about it.

GIBSON: What did Miss Gorodna say?

CARTER: Miss Gorodna says: "But you both get enough, don't you?"

GIBSON: Well, don't you?

CARTER [_scratching his head_]: Yes, plenty; and it _sounds_ all right, them and me gittin' the same; but I can't just seem to work it out in my mind how it _is_ right. [_Cheering up._] Mr. Mifflin says himself, though, it's just wonderful! And we certainly are makin' great money!

GIBSON: Then all you poor are getting rich?

CARTER: Yes; looks like we will be.

[_During these speeches_ NORA _has appeared, or rather her head and shoulders have, above the hedge. She has come along the hedge and now stands halting at the gate. She wears a becoming autumn dress and hat, in excellent taste; carries a slim umbrella. She has a beautifully bound book in her hand._]

NORA [_opening the gate_]: Do you mind my coming in the side gate, Mr.

Gibson?

[GIBSON, _startled by her voice, turns abruptly from_ CARTER _to stare at her, speaks after a pause, slowly._]

GIBSON: No, I don't mind what gate you come in.

NORA [_coming down to join them_]: How do you do! [_Gives him her hand._]

GIBSON: How do you do!

CARTER [_on the other side of her_]: How do you do, Miss Gorodna!

NORA [_for a brief moment confused that she has not noticed_ Carter]: Oh--oh, how do you do, Mr. Carter! [_Turns and shakes hands with him.

She turns again, facing_ GIBSON.] I just heard you were here. I wanted to bring you this copy of Montaigne--if you'll forgive me for keeping it a year.

GIBSON: I gave it to you. Don't you--remember?

NORA: Yes, I--remember. But things were different then. Please. I think I oughtn't to keep it now. [_He takes it, places it gently upon the table; they sit facing each other; she speaks more cheerfully and briskly._] I came to see you on a matter of business, too.

CARTER: Well, then, I'll just be--

NORA: Oh, no! Please stay, Mr. Carter! It's a factory matter. [CARTER _coughs and sits._ NORA _continues, not pausing for that._] It was about that great stock of wire you had your purchasing agent buy just before the--before you went away, Mr. Gibson.

GIBSON: I'm glad to see you looking so well, Miss Gorodna.

NORA: Thank you! If you remember, you must have ordered him to buy all the wire of our grade that was in the market at that time. At any rate, we found ourselves in possession of an enormous stock that would have lasted us about three years.

GIBSON: Yes. That's what I wanted.

NORA: As it happened it turned out to be a very good investment, Mr.

Gibson, because in less than a month it had gained about nine per cent.

in value, and three weeks ago a man came to us and offered to take it off our hands at a price giving us a twenty-two per cent. profit!

GIBSON: Yes; I should think he would.

NORA: So of course we sold it.

GIBSON [_checks an exclamation, merely saying_]: Did you?

NORA: Naturally we did! Twenty-two per cent. profit in that short time!

Now it just happens that we've got to buy some more ourselves, and we can't get hold of any, even at the price that we sold it, because it seems to have kept going up. I thought perhaps you might know where to get some at the price you bought the other, and you mightn't mind telling us.

GIBSON: No; I wouldn't mind telling you. I'd like to tell you.

NORA: You think there isn't any?

GIBSON: I'm sure there isn't any.

NORA: Then I'm afraid we'll have to get some back from the people we sold to. Of course I'm anxious to show the great financial improvement as well as other improvements. That's partly my province and Mr.

Carter's, our committee chairman, besides our regular work.

GIBSON: Mr. Mifflin tells me that you had a sort of general manager for a while at first.

CARTER: Oh, that was Hill, the head bookkeeper. He left. He was a traitor to the comrades.

GIBSON: Hill? He knew quite a little about the business. Why did he leave?

CARTER: Why, that Coles-Hibbard factory went and offered him a big salary to come over there; more than he thought he could get cooperatin'

with us.

NORA: Hill was always a capitalist at heart. We certainly haven't needed him!