The World for Sale, Complete

rs. His black hair was flung in waves of triumph over his heavily-lined forehead; one hand was on

s mouth, and clenching his right hand as though it could not be loosed by an ear

from the bar-counter and show

ad merged them. This was a man who had got his position originally by nepotism, and represented the worst elements of a national life where the spoils system is roo

where that Ingolby is concerned till I had it in the palm of my hand. He's as deep as a w

l be the biggest day Manitou's had since the Indian lifted his wigwam

and a rumbling, ragged roar of

o do anything, and to-morrow when they've got sore heads they'll do anything. They'll make that funeral look like a squeezed orange; they'll show Lebanon

" whispered the other; but Marchand made no reply, save to make a wa

e front door. The noise of the crowd was increasing, the raucous shouts were so loud that t

face where long hours, greed and vices other than drink had left their mark. He never drank spirits, and was therefore ready to take advantage of those who did drink. More than one horse and canoe and cow and ox, and acre of land, in the days when land was cheap, had come to him across the bar-counter. He could be bought, could Barbazon, and he sold more than wine and spirits. He had

s shoulders. "The more spent to-night, t

. "There's going to be a riot to-morrow, and there's going to be a st

ked, his beady eyes fast

w forehead seemed to disappear almost, as he drew the grizzled

re they spend then, the less they'll have to spend by-and-by. It's no good. The steady trade for me-all the time. That is my idee. And the something els

almost at the door. "You're a nice Frenchman and patriot. That crowd'll be glad to h

er the bar-counter, and said with a snarl: "Go to hell, and say what you

d his mind, and before Barbazon could stop him, he sprang ov

on," he said over his shoulder

azon muttered stolidly,

st were mostly men above middle age, and of a fanatical and racially bitter type. They were not many, but in one sense they were the backbone and force

h and sharply checked the rougher element, who were inclined to treat the bar as a place for looting. Most of them, however, h

to each other. Manitou was a distributing point for all radiations of the compass, and men were thrown together in its streets who only saw one another once or twice a year-when they went to the woods in the Fall or worked the rivers in the Summer. Some were Mennonites, Doukhobors and Finlanders, some Swedes, Norwegians and Icelanders. Others again were birds of passage who would probably never see Mani

t all hoped for trouble at the Orange funeral on principle, and the anticipated strike had elements of "thrill." They were of a class, however, who would swing from what was good-humour to deadly anger in a minute, and turn a wind of mere prejudice into a hurricane of life and death wi

eck, and with loose corded trousers tucked into his boots. He had a face of natural ugliness made almost repulsive by

Manitou was a place to live in, now it's a place to die in! The factories, the mills, they're full of Protes'ants and atheists and shysters; the railway office is gone to Lebanon. Ingolb

"He's going to take the bread out of our mouths; he's going to put his heel on Manitou, and grind her down till he makes her knuckl

, who had a wife and children to support, and however parti

x Marchand about that. Look at him! That Felix Marchand doesn't try to take the bread out of people's mouth

orncob pipe. He was a French Canadian in dress and appearance, and he spat on the floor like a navvy-he had filled his pipe with the strongest tobacco that one man ever offered to another. As t

river with an oath. "Who's for giving Leba

for to-morrow. Let's get the Lebs by the scruff to-night. Let's bre

rough the room. There was a sudden movement towards the door, but the ex

it cried. "Wait a minute. Let

. "What's he going to say?" The

led old man beside the bar-counter with

ay about it, son?" he

stions first-that's all

ere, old cock," the

"It always is so. This isn't the first time I've been to Manitou.

e for ten years. I belong-bagosh, what do you want to ask? Hurry

ngolby," shouted so

sn't there?" quest

u knew him as we do, you'd know that it's at night-time he sits studyin' how he'll cu

rience in the world. Did you ever give that Ingolby a chance to tell you what his plans were? Did you ever get close to him and try to figure what he was driving

sh road-maker in the crowd. "We kn

er?" asked the old man lo

y West. He's after keeping us poor and making himself rich. He's after getting the cinch on two towns and three rail

f age, and then, with a sudden jerk forward of his head, he said: "Oh, it's lik

n his supreme place as leader, lunged

-it's true. If I said it, it's true. All of us in this room s

ey were exceedingly sharp for one s

! But listen to me; I know Max Ingolby that you think is such a v

e!" cried the Englishman's v

is dear, kind teacher, eh?"

ever willingly did anybody harm-never. Since he came West, since he came to the Sagalac, he's brought work to Lebanon and to Manitou. There are hundreds more workmen in both the

the old man's words upon the crowd, turne

e's done. He's made war between the two towns-there's hell to pay now on both sides of the Sagalac. He took away th

the forceful and confident old man. Even his bent shoulders seemed to suggest driving pow

was a mistake for Ingolby to take away the offices from Manitou, he

ger, fresher. "Not monopoly, but better management of the railways, with more wages, more money to spend on things to eat an

shouted a voice from the crowd. "He'

s he thrust his shoulders forward, it was

mbitious and he wants power. He tries to do the big things in the world because there is the big thing to do-for sure. Without such men the big things are never done, and other men have less work to do, and less money and poor

ig river-driver shook himself free of the eloq

"Let's go to Lebanon and make the place sing," he roared. "Let's get Ingolby out to talk for himself, if he wants to talk. We know what we want to do, and we're not going t

iver-driver represented their natural instincts, their native

ed. "He wants peace. If he gets rich here he won't get rich alone. He's working fo

out of your pocket and put them on the bar, the dollars Ingolby gives you to say all this. Put t

gh the crowd, and broke into the packed circ

He flung a hand out

-well, that's Ing

f, snatched the wig and beard away from his he

I am I

titude, to find things out for himself. He had succeeded, and his belief that Manitou could be swayed in the right direction if properly handled, was correct. Beneat

turn things might take. He was about to speak, but suddenly from

however, with that droll twist of his mouth which had won so man

ll, I've come down into a land of promise. I wanted to know just how you all feel without being told it by some one else. I knew if I came here as Max Ingol

and nodde

ing and the same national hope. As for your religion, God knows, I wish I was as good a Protestant as lots of you are good Catholics. And I tell you this, I'd be glad to have a minister that I could follow and respect and love as I respect and love Monseigneur Lourde of Manitou. I want to bring these two towns together, to make them a sign of what this country is, and what it can do; to make hundreds like ourselves in Manito

Spy!" cried

he voice leaped up on the counter. It was Felix Marchand. He

n the bed. I killed it before it stung me. There's a snak

up. The crowd heaved upon Ingolby. "One minute!" he called with outstretched arm a

way through the crowd towards where Ingolby was. The

back!" he ca

ont of and to the left of Ingolby seized a horsesh

forehead, and he fell to

mpty, save for Osterhaut, Jowett,

otionless figure in their arms,

ied with its gay blue ribbons, now stain

uck,"