TRIBUTE

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 1343.

After Alfred Coppard

Two honest young men lived in Braddle, worked together at the factory at Braddle, and loved the same girl in the town of Braddle. The girl's name was Patience; she was poor and pretty. One of the men, Nathan Regent, was steady, silent and proud, but Tony Vassall, the other, was such a light-hearted man that he soon won Patience's heart, and was very happy.

So Patience married Tony Vassall and Nathan turned his attention to a girl who was rather rich—and Nathan married that girl.

Braddle is a large hill, dull little houses cover its sides. It has a small river which feeds a big factory.

Everybody in Braddle worked at that factory and every­body in Braddle knew that without that factory the heart of Braddle could not beat. Tony continued to work at the

factory. So did Nathan, but he had a rich wife and with her money he soon became a manager of one of the departments. Tony continued to work at the factory. In a few years Nathan became manager of the whole factory. His wealth became so great, that Nathan and his wife bought the whole factory. Tony continued to work at the factory. Now he had two sons and a daughter, Nancy, and his wife Patience. So Tony had a large family but his position did not change.

The Regents now lived outside Braddle. They had one child, a daughter. Her name was Olive and she was of the same age as Nancy. She was very beautiful and had studied at a school to which she went until she was eighteen.

About that time, you must know, the country started a war. The war demanded much money of Braddle. The work­ers of the Braddle factory worked day and night to provide money for war. Almost everybody in Braddle became white and thin because they worked from morning till night. Not quite everybody, for the Regent wealth increased so much that they did not know what to do with it; their faces were neither white nor thin.

"In times like these," said Nathan's wife, "we must help our country still more, still more we must help; let us lend our money to the country." "Yes," said Nathan.

So they lent their money to their country. The country paid them tribute. And as their wealth continued to increase, they helped their country more and more and received more

tribute for that.

"In times like these," said The country, "we must have more men, more men we must have".

"What can we do to help our country?" asked Tony Vas­sall of his master," we have no money to lend."

"But you can give your strong son Dan," answered his

master.

Tony gave his son Dan to the country.

"Good-bye, dear son," said his father, and his brother, and his sister Nancy said "Good-bye." His mother kissed him.

Dan fell in battle; his sister Nancy took his place at the factory. Soon the neighbours said to Tony Vassall, "What a fine strong son is your young Albert Edward!"

And Tony gave his son Albert Edward to the country.

"Good-bye, dear son," said his father; his sister kissed him, his mother cried.

Albert Edward fell in battle; his mother took his place at the factory.

But the war did not stop. And Tony Vassall went to battle and fell too. The country gave Patience a pension; but she died of grief. Many people died in those days, it was not strange at all. Nathan and his wife got so rich that after the war they died of over-eating,¹ and their daughter Olive got great wealth.

She continued to lend the Braddle money to the country, the country continued to send large sums of interest² to Olive (that was the country's tribute to her) while Braddle went on with its work. When the war came to an end the country told Braddle that those who had not given their lives must now come back to the factory and really work, work harder than before the war, much, much harder. Braddle people did as the country told them. So the country could pay the tribute to Olive and the heart of Braddle continued to beat. The Vassall girl, Nancy, married a man who had done heroic deeds in the war. He was a factory worker like her father. They had two sons, Daniel and Albert Edward.

Olive married a noble man, though it is true he did not look very noble. He had a small sharp nose and round red cheeks. Olive lived in a large house with many servants. She had a daughter Mercy, who also had a small sharp nose and round red cheeks.

Every year after the war Olive gave a supper to her work­ers and their families. Every year she used to make a little speech to them. She told them of their duty to Braddle and Braddle's duty to the country. But she did not tell them of the country's tribute to her. She did not want to touch upon the subject.

"These are hard times for our country," Olive used to say³ year after year, "we must all work still harder."

Every year one of the workers used to make a little speech. He thanked Olive|because she gave work to Braddle people and the heart of Braddle could beat. One year the husband of Nancy had the honour to speak. On that very day their two sons began to work at the factory, and his speech was full of feeling.

¹ they died of over-eating — они умерли от обжорства

² large sums of interest — большие проценты (с капитала)

³ used to say — обычно говорила; см. ком. 2 стр. 18.
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Nobody applauded louder than Nancy's little Dan or Nancy's Albert Edward or Nancy herself. Olive was always much moved¹ on these days. She felt that she did not really know these people; she wanted to see them, to be with them, and to live in their world. But she did not do this.

"How beautiful it all is!" she used to say to her daughter Mercy. "I am so happy. We are taking care of all these dear people. Such was God's plan of creation of the world. It goes on for years, years upon years it goes on. It will go on, of course, for ever; the heart of Braddle will always beat. The old die, the young get old, the children grow up and marry and come to work at the factory. When I am dead ..."

"Mamma, mamma!"

"Oh, yes, one day! Then you will have to look after all these things, Mercy, and you will talk to them—just like me. Yes, to own the factory is a difficult thing. Only those who own them know how it is difficult; but it is a noble duty. And the people really love me—I think."

¹ was ... much moved — бывала ... очень растрогана