Instead George put on his old clothing, crossed the bridge, and
worked all day with all his might trying to gather building
material out of the water, save debris from the dam, to clear the
village street. At noon he came over and got a drink, and a piece
of bread. At night he worked until he could see no longer, and
then ate some food from the cupboard and went to bed. He was up
and at work before daybreak in the morning, and for two weeks he
kept this up, until he had done much to repair the work of the
storm. The dam he almost rebuilt himself, as soon as the water
lowered to normal again. Kate knew what he was trying to do, and
knew also that in a month he had the village pitying him, and
blaming her because he was working himself to death, and she was
allowing it.
She doggedly went on with her work; the contracts were made; she
was forced to. As the work neared completion, her faith in the
enterprise grew. She studied by the hour everything she could
find pertaining to the business. When the machinery began to
arrive, George frequently spoke about having timber ready to begin
work on, but he never really believed the thing which did happen,
would happen, until the first load of logs slowly crossed the
bridge and began unloading in the yards. A few questions elicited
from the driver the reply that he had sold the timber to young
Adam Bates of Bates Corners, who was out buying right and left and
paying cash on condition the seller did his own delivering.
George saw the scheme, and that it was good. Also the logs were
good, while the price was less than he hoped to pay for such
timber. His soul was filled with bitterness. The mill was his
scheme. He had planned it all. Those thieving Bates had stolen
his plan, and his location, and his home, and practically
separated him from his wife and children. It was his mill, and
all he was getting from it was to work with all his might, and not
a decent word from morning until night. That day instead of
working as before, he sat in the shade most of the time, and that
night instead of going to bed he went down town.
When the mill was almost finished Kate employed two men who lived
in Walden, but had been working in the Hartley mills for years.
They were honest men of much experience. Kate made the better of
them foreman, and consulted with him in every step of completing
the mill, and setting up the machinery. She watched everything
with sharp eyes, often making suggestions that were useful about
the placing of different parts as a woman would arrange them.
Some of these the men laughed at, some they were more than glad to
accept. When the engine was set up, the big saw in place, George
went to Kate.