Dreams are harder to give up than
realities.
He fell into the deepest reflections which were broken only when the
pounding of surf warned him he had drifted almost to the open lake.
After all, there was no essential difference between owing money to
a man in Michigan and to a man in California. That was the net
result of his struggle.
"When the time comes, we'll just borrow that money on a long-time
mortgage, like sensible people," he said aloud, "and quit this
everlasting scrabbling."
Back to town he pulled with long vigorous strokes, skittering his
feathered spoon-oars lightly over the tops of the wavelets. At the
slip he made fast the boat, and a few minutes later re-entered the
office, his step springy, his face glowing. Newmark glanced up.
"Hullo!" said he. "Back again? You look better."
"Exercise," said Orde, in his hearty manner. "Exercise, old boy!
You ought to try it. Greatest thing in the world. Just took a row
to the end of the piers and back, and I'm as fit as a fiddle!"
XXXVI
Orde immediately set into motion the machinery of banking to borrow
on the California timber. Taylor took charge of this, as the only
man in Monrovia who had Orde's confidence. At the end of a
necessary delay Orde received notice that the West had been heard
from.
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