Another and greater enterprise was diverting Mr. Gwynne's attention from the delinquencies of his debtors, namely: the entrance of the National Machine Company into the remote and placid life of Mapleton and its district. The manager of this company, having spent an afternoon with Mr. Gwynne in his store and having been impressed by his charm and power of persuasive talk, made him a proposition that he should act as agent of the National Machine Company. The arrangement suggested was one that appealed to Mr. Gwynne's highly optimistic temperament. He was not to work for a mere salary, but was to purchase outright the various productions of the National Machine Company and receive a commission upon all his sales. The figures placed before Mr. Gwynne by the manager of the company were sufficiently impressive, indeed so impressive that Mr. Gwynne at once accepted the proposition, and the Mapleton branch of the National Machine Company became an established fact.
There was no longer any question as to the education of his family.
In another year when his boy had passed his entrance examinations he would be able to send him to the high school in the neighbouring town of Easton, properly equipped and relieved of those handicaps with which poverty can so easily wash all the colour out of young life. A brilliant picture the father drew before the eyes of his wife of the educational career of their boy, who had already given promise of exceptional ability. But while she listened, charmed, delighted and filled with proud anticipation, the mother with none the less painful care saved her garden and poultry money, cut to bare necessity her household expenses, skimped herself and her children in the matter of dress, and by every device which she had learned in the bitter school of experience during the ten years of her Canadian life, made such preparation for the expenses of her boy's education as would render it unnecessary to call upon the wealth realised from the National Machine Company's business.
In the matter of providing for the expense of his education Larry himself began to take a not unimportant part. During the past two years he had gained not only in size but in the vigour of his health, and in almost every kind of work on the farm he could now take a man's place. His mother would not permit him to give his time and strength to their own farming operations for the sufficient reason that from these there would be no return in ready money, and ready money was absolutely essential to the success of her plans.
The boy was quick, eager and well-mannered, and in consequence had no difficulty in finding employment with the neighbouring farmers.
So much was this the case that long before the closing of school in the early summer Larry was offered work for the whole summer by their neighbour, Mr. Martin, at one dollar a day. He could hardly believe his good fortune inasmuch as he had never in all his life been paid at a rate exceeding half that amount.
"I shall have a lot of money, mother," he said, "for my high school now. I wonder how much it will cost me for the term."Thereupon his mother seized the opportunity to discuss the problem with him which she knew they must face together.
"Let us see," said his mother.
Then each with pencil and paper they drew up to the table, but after the most careful paring down of expenses and the most optimistic estimate of their resources consistent with fact, they made the rather discouraging discovery that they were still fifty dollars short.
"I can't do it, mother," said Larry, in bitter disappointment.
"We shall not give up yet," said his mother. "Indeed, I think with what we can make out of the farm and garden and poultry, we ought to be able to manage."But a new and chilling thought had come to the lad. He pondered silently, and as he pondered his face became heavily shadowed.
"Say, mother," he said suddenly, "we can't do it. How much are you going to spend on your clothes?""All I need," said his mother brightly.
"But how much?"
"I don't know."
"How much did you spend last year?"
"Oh, never mind, Lawrence; that really does not matter."But the boy insisted. "Did you spend thirty-one dollars?" His mother laughed at him.
"Did you spend twenty?"
"No."
"Did you spend fifteen?"
"I do not know," said his mother, "and I am not going to talk about it. My clothes and the girls' clothes will be all right for this year.""Mother," said Larry, "I am not going to school this year. I am not going to spend thirty-one dollars for clothes while you and the girls spend nothing. I am going to work first, and then go to school. I am not going to school this year." The boy rose from his chair and stood and faced his mother with quivering lips, fighting to keep back the tears.
Mother reached out her hand and drew him toward her. "My darling boy," she said in a low voice, "I love to hear you, but listen to me. Are you listening? You must be educated. Nothing must interfere with that. No suffering is too great to be endured by all of us. The time for education is youth; first because your mind works more quickly and retains better what it acquires, and second because it is a better investment, and you will sooner be able to pay us all back what we spend now. So you will go to school this year, boy, if we can manage it, and I think we can.
Some day," she added, patting him on the shoulder, and holding him off from her, "when you are rich you will give me a silk dress.""Won't I just," cried the boy passionately, "and the girls too, and everything you want, and I will give you a good time yet, mother.
You deserve the best a woman ever had and I will give it to you."The mother turned her face away from him and looked out of the window. She saw not the fields of growing grain but a long vista of happy days ever growing in beauty and in glory until she could see no more for the tears that quietly fell. The boy dropped on his knees beside her.
