"I have been thinking for a long time--before you came--of a Y.M.C.A. for our people in this town, but I have never spoken of it. But since I have known and talked with you, Miss Latham, and have seen the way our people are conducting themselves, I have been constrained to take up the effort of securing one." He said this very calmly, with no undue excitement. "Have you, Mr. Jacobs?" She made no attempt to use the clerical term. Her tone was eager, anxious. "Yes," he repeated. "I have decided to begin at once, regardless of the discouraging spectacle of Grantville." "Oh, I'm so glad," she sighed, relieved. He looked at her, but said nothing. He knew that she would be glad to hear it. He was glad, though, that she had spoken. "Yes," he resumed. "I have discussed the matter with the heads of three of the big trunk lines operating in and out of this town, and all of whom have shops here that hire black men, and, as you might, of course, expect, they are all in favor of it. They have, moreover, advised me that they will bring such a movement to the attention of the board of directors. They have further advised me, however, that I must not expect to exceed five thousand dollars from either, and not to be disappointed if the board failed to give anything at all. That, they explained, and I understood without explanation, was due to the financial conditions of the railroads. I have met the same response from other local interests. But by them all, I have been encouraged. Of course, the white Y.M.C.A. are agreeable to giving assistance as in other towns, and have given me to understand that they will put in twenty-five thousand dollars. And then the Chicago philanthropist, of course, has a like amount awaiting. But the time limit expires in six months." "From these, I have gone to our people." "You went?" She held her breath now. "To those others, the preachers." "And they were----" "Against it, almost to a man." "God be merciful!" "Of course, all of them did not say so in so many words--in fact, as you might expect, 'Yes, brother, this town sure needs a Y.M.C.A,' But when cooperation was suggested to that end, quibbling began. Most of them, not a bit original, put forward the same excuse, _too_ busy. All were preachers, yet too busy to save souls. Then, of course, the next excuse was their church was loaded up with debt; they were now preparing a rally to raise such and such an amount. And still others had just closed a rally, which meant their flock was strapped and would be until another rally. And there are three churches in this very town that cost equally as much as this thing, all told. "Next, I tried the teachers. The professors, of course, were full of the idea. I found only two, however, who had paid enough attention to the effort in Grantville, to know that the people were likely not to succeed. These, I was glad to hear, spoke of this fact, and we then discussed the matter from a serious point of view."