Treasures by Belva Plain

Author:Belva Plain [Plain, Belva]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-8041-5256-3
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2014-08-05T16:00:00+00:00

“So you’ve got friendly stockholders,” Eddy said on the way into town. “That’s one of the nice things about a small community. Sometimes I miss it.”

“The hell you do!” Davey laughed. “You couldn’t wait to get away from here, you know that. But it’s a matter of temperament. I happen to be comfortable with smallness. Now, take my stockholders. I’ve told you, I’ve known every one of them practically from the cradle up. Doc Donnelly and Henry Baker, he’s the superintendent of schools, and he was a friend of my father’s, and my best friend Tony—gosh, he and his wife rushed over at two in the morning last week when I had to take Lara to the hospital. They slept on the sofa, got Sue up and ready for school, had Sue and me over for dinner—gosh, you don’t make friends like them on every street corner.”

He’s normally so silent, Eddy thought; today he’s positively euphoric. And why not, with everything finally coming together for them?

“They have total confidence in me. They know that I can run this business. This stockholders’ meeting is just a formality, you might say. No one ever questions a thing I do. It’s a good feeling, Eddy. Sometimes I think I’m the luckiest man in the world.”

“I wonder,” Eddy said, an idea having that very minute occurred to him, “whether after your meeting—incidentally, it’s very nice of you to let me listen in, and I’d just as soon walk around the plant and see all your great new machines—”

“Whatever you want to do, Eddy. I only thought you might get a kick out of hearing the financial report.”

“Oh, I certainly would. What I was thinking was, would you have any objection to my presenting, after the meeting, a few of my ideas about personal finances? Some of your people might be interested. Of course, this is totally apart from your company. It has nothing to do with you.”

“Sure. Go ahead. It’s fine with me if anybody wants to stay late.”

This, Eddy reflected as he watched the proceedings, is unlike any stockholders’ meeting I’ve ever attended. It was not a matter of numbers, but a matter of attitude that made the striking difference. Here were no challenges, no arguments, no hostile questions. This handful of men, and one decorous middle-aged lady, a prosperous widow, he guessed, were all friends. He saw distinctly what Davey had described. He recognized the honest, forthright personalities.

To introduce Eddy, Davey in his plain, frank way had made a little speech.

“This is the man who is really responsible for the birth of the company. Without him I wouldn’t have gotten started. He made me put my ideas to work.”

One wouldn’t find many men willing to give such abundant credit to another for their success. Not in New York, not in my business, Eddy thought, reminded of the inflated egos that he so often encountered.

“And now Mr. Vernon Osborne, whom we all call Eddy, would like to say a few words.”

To begin with, naturally, must come thanks and a few enthusiastic remarks about Davey and the Davis Company.

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