Depression! It spread from coast to coast like a prairie fire in August when there had been no rain. To say Corbit, Montana remained untouched by it would be a lie. Like many other communities across the country, small ranchers were being forced to sell their property for pennies on the dollar.

Although they were doing well, those who lived on the Double M Ranch felt the impact of depression. Thanks to the ranch manager, Ralph Jennings, they were in fairly good shape. Perhaps they couldn’t pay the top wages they had in the past, but they had work for those who wanted it.

Ralph, like his father, put little faith in banks and kept only the working capital for the ranch and enough personal finances for both himself and the Parkhursts for a one month period in them. The rest of their money was kept in the vault his father built in the basement of his home.

As properties surrounding the Double M became available, Ralph advised Clay Parkhurst to buy them. By 1934, the Double M had tripled in size. As for Ralph, he limited the investments he made to ranches closer to town.

Ralph, like Clay, now had considerable holdings, although he was quiet about what he purchased. From all outward appearances, he wasn’t investing as heavily as he advised his employers to do. For that reason, he was surprised when Alf Kline, owner of K-Chemical, Corbit’s largest manufacturing plant, called to arrange a meeting. It had been set for noon, and now Ralph waited anxiously for Alf to arrive.

As he leaned back in his desk chair, he could hear his wife, Barbara, preparing lunch in the kitchen. He glanced at the clock. It read eleven forty-five. Clay and Suzanna as well as Alf would be here any minute.

Lunch was friendly and had no tones of the business meeting to follow. Ralph noticed that he, like Clay, seemed edgy about the coming meeting, while Suzanna and Barbara engaged the older gentleman in spirited conversation.

After lunch, they took their coffee into the living room. “As you know,” Alf began, “I lost both my sons in the war. Now I’m an old man, who has nothing but a business. Granted, it is a good business, but it isn’t family. My wife died thirty years ago and we had no other children, so there’s no one left to inherit what I built. Recently, the doctor told me I only have a few months to live. I have cancer and it’s too advanced for him to do anything to help me.”

Barbara and Suzanna both gasped, holding their hands to their mouths in horror.

“Don’t be upset, ladies. I’m not in much pain. What hurts is there is no one to take over K-Chemical. That’s where you come in. I’ve been watching the four of you.

“When this depression hit, most people were wiped out, but you’re like me, you’re survivors. Somehow, you’ve prospered, even grown. From what I hear, this ranch is three times its original size, and you, Ralph, have considerable holdings of your own.”

Ralph could hardly believe that Alf knew what was going on in his life. He thought he had kept his personal holdings a well-guarded secret.

“Don’t look so shocked, young man. I ask questions. I’ve done it for a reason. I’ve come here today to sell K-Chemical to the four of you. I know you folks would run it, love it and make it prosper, as I have since the day I first conceived the idea. This depression won’t last forever.”

“Look, Alf,” Clay said, “we’re honored you think of us this way, but I know I speak for Ralph when I say we know nothing about the chemical business. We’re ranchers, plain and simple.”

“I agree with Clay,” Ralph added. “I can balance the ranch books and keep our heads above water, but in an office, I’d be lost. I couldn’t just get up when I got bored and ride out with the men.”

“I wouldn’t be bored,” Suzanna said, surprising them, “and neither would Jeff. He’s only got two more months before he graduates from college. He’s majoring in business and we all know he will never be happy at the ranch. He’s too much like Mallon. I lost my brother; I don’t intend to lose my son. How much are you asking, Alf?”

“Not much, really, since there’s no one to leave it to. I want ten thousand dollars. I have a few debts as well as the medical bills I might incur before my death. I also want to remain as head of the company for as long as I live. If, at the time of my death, there are any remaining unpaid bills, I expect them to be taken care of.”

Ralph watched as Suzanna looked at Clay.

“Don’t look at me, honey. Ralph knows what we can and can’t afford better than I do.”

Ralph could only smile. He knew very well Suzanna could afford anything she wanted, even K-Chemical. It would virtually drain her personal monies, but when the depression ended, K-Chemical would bring in enough profit to cover her investment a hundred times over. “If you want it, Suzanna, yes, you can afford it, but remember, this is for you and Jeff. I’ll help you with the books, but from there on, you’re on your own. Clay and I know nothing about this kind of thing.”

Suzanna smiled and extended her hand to Alf. “Well, Alf, it looks like you just sold your company. How soon can I start working for you?”

“I’ll have my lawyers draw up the papers on Monday and we can sign them Tuesday. You won’t regret this, Suzanna. I know you won’t.”

When Alf left, Clay turned to Ralph. “With all the buying we’ve been doing lately, how can we possibly have ten thousand dollars in cash?”

“You don’t,” Ralph explained, “but Suzanna does. By law, on his taxes, Steve was able to give Suzanna a thousand dollars a year in gifts, tax-free. He could also give a thousand to you and the kids each year. So that’s exactly what he did. I never told you. He anticipated what Mallon would do with his inheritance and so when he demanded five thousand dollars, you had it to give him. Honestly, we thought he would ask for a lot more. Suzanna’s money has been left pretty much untouched. Granted, it could have earned some interest in the stock market or the bank, but I’m glad I kept it here for her. At least with this investment, it can grow and make her even a wealthier woman than she already is.”

Suzanna laughed. “Dear Pa, you knew what you were doing all along. How could I have doubted you?”

* * * *

Jeff Parkhurst walked back to his dorm. In his four years at the University of Montana, he could never recall feeling so depressed.

“Hey, Parkhurst, wait up,” Pete Janish, Jeff’s roommate called. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know, Pete. I guess it’s this damn economy. Every year, career day gets smaller. Today was actually a farce. There were only six or eight companies represented. What will we be when we graduate? We’ll be educated bums, that’s what. I don’t know why I even wasted these past four years. God knows I could have kept busy at home.”

“You’re talking foolishness, Parkhurst. This depression can’t last forever, you know. When it’s over, those of us with college educations will be ahead of everyone else.”

Jeff shrugged his shoulders and walked slowly toward his dorm. At the desk, he asked for the mail and shuffled through the envelopes the housemother handed him.

He hurried up the stairs, with Pete close behind him. “Anything from home?” Pete asked.

Jeff felt sorry for Pete. He had no family, at least none who cared. His mother lived with some man in some unknown city in France, and his father died, having committed suicide after the crash, leaving Pete alone. He was older than Jeff and was a freshman in college at the time. After a lot of hard work, he was graduating with no one to care.

“Let me see,” Jeff said. “Here’s a letter from Janet; this looks like a card from Ralph and this is interesting, it’s a letter from Ma. It’s not her usual day to write.”

Jeff discarded the rest of the letters and opened the one from his mother. It never occurred to him not to read the letter aloud. Pete enjoyed the letters from Jeff’s family. Why shouldn’t he? He never had any mail of his own.

Dear Jeff,
I know that I usually don’t write before the weekend, but my news can’t wait. Alf Kline was just here. We’ll sign the papers on Tuesday and become the new owners of K-Chemical.

Jeff stopped reading aloud and quietly read to the end of the letter.

“She bought what?” Pete said, as he ripped the letter from Jeff’s hand.

“K-Chemical. It’s only the largest plant in Corbit. I guess I don’t have to worry about a job. Further down, she says that Mr. Kline has cancer. He wanted someone to have the plant who would make it prosper. She also says by the time we graduate, there will be enough room for both of us. She says Ralph has his hands full with the ranch accounts. She wants a full-time accountant for the business. My mother! She’s always been spoiled rotten. Anything she’s ever wanted has been hers, eventually. Guess she paid cash for it, too. She’s going to start working there, to learn the ropes, she says. She’ll make a hell of a good executive, too. That woman can do anything she puts her mind to. Did I tell you she rode with the men during the war when Grandpa was short-handed?”

* * * *

Pete nodded. He knew all of Jeff’s stories about his mother by heart. Just from the holidays he’d spent at the Double M, he knew most of them were true.

When he first met Jeff, Pete questioned his friend about his father, but it wasn’t until their junior year that Jeff admitted he wasn’t overly fond of his father. He felt his father had robbed him of his mother’s love when he returned from the war.

“‘I think your mother has a good head for business and she couldn’t have made a better choice for company accountant.”

Pete smiled to himself, as Jeff laughed at his statement. At last I have a family, people who care about me and now I’ll have a real home.