The Omaha guide., 1934-12-29

He continued to sputter and ragi
during the next week.
But they forced him to play golf, I'd
sail about Biscayne bay In a chartered
yacht. to sit for hours in the warm
sun on the beach.
He asked for and was refused news
Of conditions back at the mil.
They tried to keep his mind from
business.
They wouldn't even let him talk with
other textile magnates who were win.
tering in Florida.
The mill Is closed, ell? Shut down.
Folded up. That is why you will nut
let me hear the news, Ell? You thins
1t does me good? Perhaps now yoI
VIII believe when | say they cannot
keep going without the great III. r.
eh?'
They kept him there a month.
Then they let him 90 back.
IL was no use. He had improve.
but slightly. He was like a maniac,
ever thinking and talking about hli
mill.
The train bearing Fl. l. and his party
reached Boston late in the evening.
The great man scoffed at sugges-
lions to remain overnight in the city.
The sooner he reached Martinsville
the better.
He chartered an automobile.
They drove through the night,
passed through sleeping towns with
mills that were closed and dark: fac
tories looming On every hand like grim
spectres OF a once fourishing indusi
try.
II. /. squlrmed in his scat. became
morose.
At length they reached the outskirts
of MartInsyille. whirled up the main
street, came abreast of the mill. II. I.
started. blinked, rubbed his eyes.
The mill was lighted!
Every window Of every department
shone brightly. There was the hum OF
machinery. An atmosphere Of indus
try prevailed about the place.
II. /. climbed down from the auto
mobile. went alone into the office.
Maurice was there; Maurice and the
entire night force.
They looked at the great man in sur
prise.
There was also the merest trace of
annoyance In the glance they bestowed
upon him.
'The mill is running. Ell? Come.
what kind of a trick are you playing7
You are running and yet there are no
orders. There can be no orders with
out me here to see 70 things."
Maurice seemed surprised.
Things had been going along all
right. Orders? OF course. Why not?
IThe mill was running as il always had
run.
II. /. was i~ncredulous.
He sat down, looked through some
books, listened to tile reports Of vari-
Gus department heads, stood up, thrust
ibis hands deep into his pockets, strobe
lover to a window and stared out Into
the night.
And then suddenly the great real
cation anne. The mill had run will
out him
They had managed somehow with
out his guiding handi
He wasn't after all, as important a
he'd thought himself to be.
He'd had an exalted opinion Of hin
self.
He'd placed a halo about his head
thought he'd held the reinS OF prof
Iress In his hands.
' He'd believed that the mill and et
ieryone connected with it depended III
on him and him alone.
He'd come to think OF himself as
savior. as some kind Of exalted bein
Oh whom the world was depending 10
guidance.
Suddenly III. /. chuckied and for til
first time In months q twinkle oamI
into his eyes.
He wasn't, he reflected, important q
lal.
Things had progressed quite "a
smoothly as they always had. TIL
mill and Martinsville INC the who'll
world did and would continue to II
on whether he was around or not.
He vas such an Insignificant par
iof It.
There had been others before him,
Caesar, Napoleon, Cromwell, Alexan
lder-hundreds upon hundreds Of mes
who thought Of themselves as q Iittlt
more important In the scheme O!
things than the next man.
They had come and gone and the
world had gone on and on with scarce
1y a ripple in its progress.
H. I. turned sway at last and looked
mt Maurice, but Maurice had turned
back to his desk, had In fact, forgot
ten the great mans presence.
"What a fool" II. l. muttered, "a
mar La to think that anything depends
upon him alone to keep 1t going"
And the Great Fl. I. went out ana
climbed into his automobile and drovd
away toward home.
And as he rode along he began to
think how nice 1t had been down in tho
warm sunshine Of Miami beach where
he hadn't amounted to much.