The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1914-10-29

| ria! IL ne stranger smiled, DrleI
wintry smile. Doctor, see. Do you
know Truitt?"
Well" Hedges spat ruminatlvely
that's pretty risky thing to say OF
any man, but l guess"
What do they think OF him here?"
They think he's a great man--and
it's his own"
Hes a great mechanic" said the
guest shortly.
e." drawled the doctor. know more
about men than mechanics, but"
What do you think of him?" the
guest interrupted again.
The doctor, hoping to complete at
drawl. Hes a man who's either los
ing himself or finding himself, I'm
not sure"
"Meaning?"
You wouldn't" chuckled the doe
tor. have time for the explanation"
He drew up before the little cottage.
"He lives here"
! Hardly" the visitor retorted. Il
take the three o'clock train. Much
obliged. He sprang. more briskly
than his rotundity promised. out Of
! the buggy.
The doctor drove away still chuck
! ling The chuckle would not have
died even had he known his passenger
TO be none other than that Henley
whose star, flashing with comet-like
swiftness and brilliancy above the hor-
lion of speculation, had In two years
achieved full planetary dignity and i'm
| portance. But the doctor was not a
student of Wall street astronomy.
| "Humph!" The luminary surveyed
the weather-beaten little cottage with
its unkempt yard and nearby smithy.
so he lives here. Affectation, OF
counsel"
He strobe up the path and salute6
| the old man on the stoop.
Mr.. Truitt lives here, | believer"
I'm Simon Truitt. But reckon
We want Mark, Mr.. Henley"
"Ha! You know me. His father.
l suppose?"
Yes. l saw we once, years ago,
when he was in the hospital"
Il remember" said Henley. who had
forgotten that incident completely. lie
| Truitt about?"
He's at church"
Church! Surely not a habit7"
He goes generly. since he come
back"
Hmm! Something new for Truitt."
Henley frowned. And my times short.
l suppose / may as we'll save some
of it by going over the plant now.
There's no objection, l suppose?"
NO; l." Simon ventured uncer
tainly, Il was jest about to go over
myself"
III be glad of your company" Hen
ley graciously replied. Shall we
start?"
An hour later Henley emerged from
the shadowy finishing mill, blinking
hard in the midday's sunshine and try.
ing to revise his estimate of the situa-
ton.
He followed Simon out on a tiny
cape that jutted into the river,
whence they could see other evidences
of Trtntt's lucidity-the hospital, the
| bank, the store, the cluster Of homes
cleaning white on the hillside.
And Henley saw-not as the experts
had seen, happy If they perceived all
that had been reduced to fact-but
with the eyes of one whose greatness
was TO see what might be, what could
| be. And as he looked part, at least,
| of Truths dream was unfolded before
him. The valley a teeming, throbbing
citadel of industry. The city Chamber
ing over the slopes, capturing the
heights, reclaiming other slopes from
the forest, until in length and breadth.
] in numbers and Importance. II rivaled
that other fastness where he, the mas
ter. had been known only as a lieuten-
ant. The creator I'm him. not yet
| killed. but only obscured by the mad
ness OF exploitation. thrilled at the
sight.
He sees big" he muttered. He
sees big. | didn't think II was In him"
He stood on the point, scanning
thoughtfully the noble valley, forget
ting his silent companion. Hes
picked out a great site. :" And
then to Henley came a vision of his
own.
That city and citadel his. creature OF
his genius and might, doing his bid
ding. yielding him homage and trib-
ute. carrying forth his fame to the
paling of lesser mems regulations, cap
ital OF an empire-his empire.
"By God!" he breathed aloud. by
Godl And It's possible-how
did the builders OF cities overlook this
placer II would be better
than doing takers tricks with stocks
and bonds"