The Manager of the B. & A.: A NovelKester, Vaughan
General
The Manager of the B. & A.: A Novel
Kester, Vaughan
American fiction; Railroad stories
He waited five days for a reply, and, none coming, wired to learn if
his letter had been received. This produced results. Holloway wired
back that he had the letter under consideration, and requested Oakley to
remain in Chicago until he returned, but he did not say whether or not
his resignation would be accepted. Since there was nothing to be done
but await Holloway's pleasure in the matter, Dan employed his enforced
leisure in looking about for another position. He desired a connection
which would take him out of the country, for the farther away from
Antioch and Constance Emory he could get the better he would be
satisfied. He fancied he would like to go to South America. He was
willing to accept almost any kind of a post--salary was no longer a
consideration with him. What he required was a radical change, with
plenty of hard work.
It was not to be wondered at that his judgment of the case was an
extreme one, or that he told himself he must make a fresh start, as his
record was very much against him and his ability at a discount. While he
could not fairly be held responsible for the miscarriage of his plans at
Antioch, he felt their failure keenly, so keenly that could he have seen
the glimmer of a hope ahead he could have gone back and taken up the
struggle, but the killing of Ryder by his father made this impossible.
There was nothing he could do, and his mere presence outraged the
whole town. No understanding would ever be reached with the hands if he
continued in control, while a new man in his place would probably have
little or no difficulty in coming to an agreement with them. No doubt
they were quite as sick as he had been of the fight, and if he left they
would be content to count his going a victory, and waive the question of
wages. It was part of the irony of the condition that the new man would
find enough work contracted for to keep the shop open and running full
time for the next eight or ten months. But his successor was welcome to
the glory of it when he had hidden himself in some God-forsaken corner
of the globe along with the other waifs and strays--the men who have
left home because of their health or their accounts, and who hang around
dingy seaport towns and read month-old newspapers and try to believe
that the game has been worth the candle.
By far his greatest anxiety was his father. He watched the papers
closely, expecting each day to read that he had been captured and sent
back to Antioch, but the days slipped past, and there was no mention of
him. Holt, with whom he was in constant correspondence, reported that
interest in his capture had considerably abated, while the organized
pursuit had entirely ceased.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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