A Cheat and a Liar, page 41
The church was almost full. Some folk who had not heard George speak previously but had heard how well he had coped when asked to act at short notice previously, all seemed to have arrived.
George had asked the organist to choose hymns for the service, and the scene was set.
There was quiet as George entered the pulpit, welcomed everyone, gave a brief reading, and asked everyone to bow their heads and pray together, and then the first hymn. The children heard their message, prayed, sang, and left, and soon George was in full cry with his sermon. He was a man who could be gentle, he could talk quietly, and he could command like a sergeant major on the parade ring. ‘Don’t you tell me you are the best. Don’t you tell me you have given the most money away this year,’ he bawled. ‘Let me hear from other people the compassion you have shown others; the love you have shown your wife, your family, and the community, and then I will know you belong in the house of the Lord,’ and it went like that for twenty minutes; you could hear a pin drop.
Then it was finished. They sang the last hymn and filed out into the cold midday air. If they could or had been allowed to clap, they would have. Men clasped George’s hand; others patted his arm. Everybody said thank you. Everybody smiled.
‘Well done again, George,’ said Edward. ‘If someone was looking for a happy place to be on a Sunday morning, where they would hear a few shots fired straight from the hip; this is the place when George is in control.’
Ladies, too, smiled and nodded and thanked George as they left. Then Nettie was beside him. ‘How do you do it?’ she asked. ‘You had ladies in tears and men nodding their heads in agreement with what you were saying. If there had been a band of non-believers here today, you would have converted them all. That was wonderful.’
Soon, it was all over, and they were back at the Nichols’ home. Helen was feeling better and was out of bed, sitting in a soft chair. She said she would have a little to eat and a hot drink, and once that was arranged and the others were about to sit down, George suggested a prayer. They bowed their heads, and George thanked the Lord for assisting Helen with her recovery, for the food she and Nettie had provided for lunch, and for the strength he had been given to deliver his morning service.
The routine for the next several months was much the same. As for Nettie and George, it was work Monday to Friday, and occasionally Saturday. Church, Sunday morning and most often the remainder of that day together with Nettie’s parents. Helen continued to recover from unwell to quite well. Whilst the weather was warm, Nettie’s health was quite good. The damper and colder it became, the more poorly she became. Her lungs seemed to be the worst part of her body, causing great difficulty for her to breathe.
Every evening, George would ponder over his plans. He had a drawing board, a set square, T-square, protractor, and a set of compasses to allow him to accurately design his and Nettie’s proposed new home. He would spend three or four hours drafting, changing, and deleting what he proposed. It was all taking shape in his mind, but Nettie found it difficult to imagine from a plan on a piece of drawing paper what their new home might be like. It was only as George was able to show her illustrations—western perspective, northern perspective, etc.—that she could appreciate what it may be like. She had a little input too; could that window be larger, could that wall include a door? Often, her wish could be granted; sometimes the fairy godfather could not oblige for good reason. The final draft, though, was not far away.
Once George had the plan that suited him and Nettie, he set out to calculate quantities; so he needed to draw a plan of the frame—sub-floor, walls, ceiling, and roof. In time, that would be expanded to include floor, weatherboards, interior linings, ceilings, and then finishing lines: architraves, windows, eaves, baseboards, and roofing. It was a long laborious job, but it had to be calculated. As a mill worker, he would be entitled to discounts on all timber lines, but the expense still meant a loan would be required before building could start.
George’s best man, of course, was the man to approach. Stopping work and building the house once summer arrived would, of course, be the ideal but was not an option. If he was to quit his job, he would have no income and therefore could not repay a mortgage. To quit his job at the mill and find other better-paying employment would be fine, but he would not be able to take advantage of staff discounts, and work hours elsewhere may still not allow him much time to build.
Of course, when he purchased the cottage from Edward, he had to borrow, so that had to be considered first. It was a discussion he did not want to have with Nettie. Because it was winter, and the nights were long, and daylight short, he resigned himself to completing his plans, and the actual build would have to wait. He would perhaps purchase timber from the mill as and when he could afford, paying from money he could save. What he purchased he would keep a record of and, with the consent of Edward, store it on the ample timber racks indoors at the mill. Perhaps, once he had purchased and paid for the frame, he would take some time and erect what he could. He would just wait and see. I just have to be patient, he frequently told himself. You have to finish the plans yet and calculate timber prices before you start anything, Georgie boy. You will get there.
So winter turned to spring, trees grew leaves again, the grass started to grow, and spring flowers bloomed. Best of all, Nettie’s mother, Helen, felt her health improve hugely. It was a great relief to Edward and the family. She was able to go out, be it well wrapped with coat and scarf.
George and Nettie still found troubled families needing help: men losing jobs through businesses unable to handle the struggling economy; or worse still because men were not arriving at work, and employers had lists of others wanting work, so dismissed those who were persistently truant. The fact that Washington State had a dry drinking policy did not prevent those who wanted to drink from finding alcohol supplies easy to seek out.
George had conducted the Sunday services at the church, occasionally only. The Reverend Thompson, of course, had been ill but was jealous of George’s popularity and had returned probably a week or two, sooner than he should have done. There was talk that the reverend may retire before next winter.
George had told Edward, who was on the church vestry, that he would always stand in when the appointed minister was unavailable for services or funerals, but he did not want people to look upon him as the residential pastor.
The year seemed to be acting as would a horse; it had slowly walked through winter, started to trot as spring broke through the clouds, and was now in a good canter as summer approached. It was a year since George and Nettie had married: two years since Britain declared war on Germany, and local gossip and cryptic newspaper writings all indicated that if the allies had not won the war by the end of the year, America would join in and float the fleet of battleships that were sliding down slipways at shipyards around America.
That in itself might change the home economy. Many young men would need to quit their jobs as they were conscripted. With a smaller workforce, the economy could shrink; less folk may be able to build homes, demand for timber would slow, and generally hard times for everyone may be the call of the day.
Christmas came and went. Rumour was rife. The United States has maintained diplomatic relations with Germany, even though Britain had declared war in 1915, but Pres. Woodrow Wilson had earlier in 1916 threatened to sever relations with the German government unless they refrained from attacking all passenger ships and allowed the crews of merchant vessels to abandon their ships prior to any German attack. That was agreed upon until the end of 1916, when the German Navy convinced the Kaiser that a resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare could help defeat the British and their allies. The German chancellor at that time protested, as he believed continuing with submarine warfare would draw the United States into the war. However, despite those warnings, the German government chose to continue with submarine attacks, deciding that by doing so they would have defeated the allies long before America’s troopships would have reached Europe.
By February 1917, President Wilson had severed diplomatic relations with Germany but did not ask Congress for a declaration of war. Public opinion seemed evenly balanced, but when German submarines continued to target and sink several American ships, with huge losses of seamen and civilians, Wilson asked Congress for authority to arm US merchant ships with naval personnel and equipment.
Germany was meanwhile trying to put together an alliance with Mexico. If that country would support Germany, then Germany would help Mexico recover territory lost following the Mexican-American War.
It was not until 4 April 1917, after Pres. Woodrow Wilson had gone to Congress to request a declaration of war against Germany, on the grounds that Germany had violated its pledge to suspend submarine warfare in the North Atlantic and in the Mediterranean, and its attempts to entice Mexico into an alliance against the United States, that they declared war on Germany.
Young men were feeling anxious; not so much for the fact that they might be about to fight a war; that had an element of excitement. Like many young men, they could only think, I am bulletproof. The anxiety was, Will we still have work when we come home? Those who were married, naturally, were going to miss their loved ones, but just as important was income so those at home could survive; and, Would there be work for me when I come home? Yes, young men were anxious.
The mill was going to lose perhaps twelve of its workforce. Many other businesses in the town had able-bodied males who could be called into the conflict also. The New Year had certainly brought a new kind of world to America.
New world indeed. Thousands of able-bodied men were likely to see military service overseas, but another enemy was about to confront the good people of America: influenza.
It attacked everyone it could possibly reach; it was highly contagious; everyone who came in contact with the virus was laid low very quickly. Those who had been healthy were laid low for on average a week, but lingering after-effects usually confined those who contracted it for several more days. Those with underlying chest and bronchial problems were the hardest hit and took much longer to return to good health. Helen, in particular, who suffered every winter, was an early victim and remained in bed for nearly a month. Nettie, who, of course, was much younger, had, it seemed, inherited her mother’s weak resistance when it came to colds and respiratory complaints and, after attending her mother for a week or so, soon found she, too, was a victim. That meant the two husbands became part-time nurses to their wives and, inevitably, then became victims also. The two men, however, found that by confining themselves to their respective homes and avoiding contact with others, they felt improvement in their health within five or six days and were able to shop for necessities, medicines, and food within a short while after that.
Almost the entire population of Bucoda fell ill, and newspapers told similar stories and numbers suffering in other towns. Things were bad enough for the Red Cross to decide to establish a hospital in the town, and by late 1919, the citizens of Bucoda could celebrate that although every family had been affected and almost every citizen had suffered, not one life lost in Bucoda could be attributed to the influenza pandemic.
However, that was how things were at home. More than eighty thousand men had initially been sent to Europe, but that was only the beginning. Newspapers were bold in their praise, but, by the end of the war, the previous year, 1918, two million Americans had fought in France, and while those at home had battled influenza, those returning in many instances had that battle to fight themselves on their return.
The talk back then was ‘Home to the calm after the storm.’ No reports had been received of any men from Bucoda being lost whilst away fighting. Armistice Day, 11 November 1918, had passed. The winter was getting colder. ‘Was the resistance of our returned men strong enough to fight off this rampant flu?’ ‘Oh, why could our men not have come home last summer?’
The government was working hard too. Thousands of men needed to be retrained. Some who returned would not be able to find work in their previous trade or in their previous occupation. Newspapers speculated about the effects of war. ‘Admire, support, and reward our men for their courage’ was the theme of many papers across the country. ‘When will the last of them reach home?’
Although it seemed too slow for many families, soldiers were returning. None of the United States contingent had been away much longer than two years. Much had been spent on the war effort, but what had been lost, both in lives and destruction, meant much, much more. What stories would those coming home have to tell their families; or would they simply remain silent, keeping their thoughts to themselves, wishing and praying that no future conflict would draw on their sons to experience what they had seen? Would the world learn from the folly of war? One could only hope and learn from the bloodshed and terror, the waste and the sorrow that such action causes. Nobody wanted what had just passed to ever be repeated.
The Allies celebrated worldwide, tempered, of course, with the grief of losing many, many wonderful young men and women who were only answering the call to serve their country; but those who did return rarely spoke of what happened; to them, to never discuss what they had seen was to shut a living nightmare out of their lives. They would always remember the fallen but tried desperately not to remember what caused them to fall.
Nations everywhere needed to rebuild, and economies needed to grow. New businesses emerged, employment for everyone was front of mind; and so it was, even in the small town of Bucoda.
Through 1919, new businesses opened. The Centralia Meat Company purchased a building in Main Street and opened a shop. A millinery shop also started to trade. Mr Morgan opened a paint and wallpaper store where Joe Dootsen had once had his saloon.
Then a new building was erected, and two men opened a motor garage, and yet farther down Main Street, a barber shop opened.
However, the big event for Bucoda was the announcement that the company in which the Nichols brothers held shares had made the decision to rebuild the mill, which, of course, had been previously destroyed by fire in 1912.
The machine shop attached to the mill where George was employed was also to be extended. Overall, that would allow output to be hugely increased, and not only in Bucoda but also throughout much of Washington State, many, many more homes and buildings could be constructed.
So, like much of America, the pace of life was increasing in Bucoda. No longer was it going to be the sleepy little town of pre-war times.
As for George and Nettie, the rebuilding of their new home was put on hold until the mill expansion was complete.
As for Edward, he was in frequent and long discussion with the company directors regarding staffing of the new plant and was also in regular contact with Gerard, his brother. He needed to think seriously about whether he should stand down once the rebuild was complete and let Gerard take control, or continue through for perhaps another twelve months to ensure an entirely smooth transition. Rather than simply resign and expect Gerard to carry on, he reasoned, and other shareholders were inclined to agree, that it should be like a gradual shift of power, with the elder brother doing less and less month on month, and Gerard picking up more and more,
One of the main considerations was Edward’s home, which, unbeknown to George and Nettie, was owned by the company. Therefore, if Gerard was to take over, then the house was his to occupy.
Then there was the matter of Helen’s health. Briefly, in fact, very briefly, there had been some talk between Edward and Helen as to whether they should consider moving south, not just to Oregon but farther south, like California, where the winters were warmer, and Helen may avoid the cold and wet they had experienced over the last few years.
George and Nettie had their own thoughts, their own ideas, but were not privy to discussions at company level. Every evening after supper, the pair would discuss matters that could suit them both and also be adapted to help Nettie’s mother and father also.
Then a week or so later, George had an idea and decided he would discuss it with Nettie that evening. After supper, they sat down, and George outlined what he had in mind.
‘Nettie, my love, let me tell you what I have in mind, and once I have finished, you ask me as many questions as you can think of, and then we will decide if it is worth suggesting to your parents.’
‘Let me hear your plan, George, and I will not interrupt until you have finished.’
‘Right,’ he said. ‘My idea is to first show the plan I have drawn of the new house to your mother and father and suggest that I stop working full-time at the mill and commence building. So we will still have an income, be it substantially reduced, with me working just part-time, but with your wage each week as well, we try and simply make do.
‘I may find work helping someone here, someone there, picking up enough to earn a wage on which we can survive. If it is not enough, then I would hope your father would allow me to work longer hours at the mill. I would ask him also if he would mind purchasing and paying for whatever timber we will need for the house and, later, all plumbing, cooking, heating, and roofing requirements that are required.
‘When we have finished, you and I, as owners of the land, give your father a first mortgage over that land and the new house for the amount he has spent on the materials used to do the building. That will mean we own that house and the cottage. We continue to live in the cottage, and they will live in the new house. We will need to continue to pay the bank for the loan on the cottage, and we then must pay your father and mother weekly for what we owe them for the materials. Instead of them paying rent, we will suggest we pay them no interest on what we owe them. At the end, we own the cottage and the new home. Your parents live rent-free in that home for as long as they require, and they have an investment for as long as we take to repay them. The rent we charge them is set to equal the interest on their loan to us.’
