Prologue

THE FIRST PARAGRAPH:

Mayor Montgomery opened his office window and felt the rush of the cool, Atlantic breeze on his face. It had been two days since he last bathed and the salty air both covered the stench and refreshed his senses. Charlton, New Hampshire…My domain, he said aloud to himself taking in the early morning rumblings of the port. And soon so will be the whole of the Gulf of Maine.

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He turned from the window toward his desk, picked up his speech and began to pace, rumbling off random paragraphs.

“I see piers longer than those in Boston with ships teeming with tobacco, cotton and fresh vegetables. I see linens from our modern steam weavers carted through these very industrious street… bound to be worn by men in far off places. No longer will our salted haddock and cod be exclusive to the Northeastern. Patrons from all over will at last enjoy the strengths of our fishing industry.”

He read on, “Merchants…such as yourself…will be able to master our depots, bartering with foreign traders and creating jobs for every man.”

A knock on the door interrupted the mayor. A young man walked into the office. His name was Richard Smith and he was the mayor’s chief-of-staff.

“Commendable work Richard. Really applaudable,” Montgomery said extending his hand in welcome. Richard was the architect of the mayor’s idea to transform Charlton from a medium-sized fishing community into a shipping center that would rival Boston and New York. Charlton’s growing population exceeded six thousand and was growing larger at every count. Most of the citizens, however, were unemployed, failed farmers who suffered from New England’s granite streaked soil. Montgomery predicted that with his plan trade with Canada and Europe would erase the lingering shame of poverty the first year of the nineteenth century had brought.

“So you approve of the entire plan then…from the shorefront to the north and west?” Richard asked.

“No problems at all my young man. Six piers packed in up-river, twenty moorings for waiting cargo, a seamless turnpike from here to Boston with another in the works to Portland. I love it. The only concern I have is Marnie. Can we handle this situation?”

Marnie was the toughest of neighborhoods in Charlton. Located between the wealthy north end and the soon-to-be thriving business district on the waterfront, its vulgarity concerned Montgomery the most. For years Charlton was the kind of community where all people blended in. It was nothing to see a rich man walking the streets to and from work with the hopes of getting some exercise. It was also common to see poor peddlers trying to sell little trinkets in the north end. Harmony did exist, but the past year had seen a growing divide in the fortunes of each neighborhood. The elite held fast to their desire to maintain a certain tradition of their previous lifestyles, such as their daily walks, but were only willing to do so now if a police presence existed in Marnie. The poor, on the other hand, grew frustrated with the lack of work available.

The trying times had tired Montgomery and he now wanted to retire in comfort. Consequently, he had invested a great deal into the plan himself. For doing a good job orchestrating the project, Richard would be awarded the post of mayor when Montgomery stepped down, albeit under tight reins. It was not difficult to ensure that Richard would get elected. All that needed to be done was to convince the electorate that good times were ahead and that a knowledgeable mind was needed to progress the plan forward. That a guaranteed slice of the pie to specific individuals would tie things up nice and tidy. As a result, the political benefits Richard would be granted were greater than any man in the area could reasonably expect. And because he was a widower, with a thirteen month-old daughter named Emily to take care of, he worked diligently to make this plan work. In his mind, his and Emily’s life depended on it.

One of the problems Richard kept coming up with was finding the final piece of financing that would ensure the city, and Montgomery through it, would directly benefit from the new infrastructure. Montgomery insisted that in order to attract investors, the town would have to be an investor as well. While taxes and fees were easily collected, they did not produce an incredibly large pot to dig into. Charlton’s annual tax collections barely topped out at fifty-thousand dollars. Much of that was shifted toward the schools, police and the salaries and costs of maintaining the town in general. Increasing taxes was not possible either. The wealthier citizens had already invested enough of their own funds into the plan and did not want the town taking more of their money to pay for a competing share. Instead, Montgomery had a plan to lower the cost of maintaining the city streets, abandonment of Marnie.

The mayor suggested pulling social services, such as the police, from Marnie from sunset to sunrise to conserve funds. During the day he proposed eliminating the three schools the town supported there. He then recommended using those funds as the town’s investment. Richard had been openly skeptical of the idea. But Montgomery managed to convince him that the project would increase wages for the poor and that would in turn create a greater society. Besides, Montgomery would say, your future depends on it.

“I think that we will handle the situation with ease Mr. Mayor. In time the people of Marnie will have their own wages to use for police and schools. I am sure that in the end they will agree that this will be for the better.” Richard was still not convinced, but the opportunity to become mayor was too great to pass up for the greater good.

Relieved, Montgomery moved back to the window and stared out to where the Rawlings River met the in-coming tidal currents. He laughed at his own destiny as it felt good to be in his position. A few moments later the mayor’s porter stepped into the room and announced that Edward Montague had arrived. Montgomery was delighted at this news. The main investor had managed to arrive on time for the groundbreaking speech. Edward walked in and shook both men’s hands before the mayor engaged him in light conversation. The road from Boston was harsh, according to Edward, and the taverns were atrociously pricey and vulgar. It was a good thing he said at last.

“The money we will make by converting these roads and by making the inns and taverns pay for it will make us all richer than we can imagine,” he said grinning along with Montgomery.

“The best way to make money is to build from the bottom up and make it your own business. And the crudity of the people that will benefit from this project will certainly frighten away the competitors.”

“They will never want to do business with such scum,” Montgomery added with a chuckle. “But now we must conduct the formalities. Will you join me on the stage?”

The answer was a resounding yes and the three men walked out together toward the Crossing. Montgomery knew men like Edward well. They lined the streets of Charlton and had been coming there for over a decade. Charlton seemed a paradise for the businessmen who made their fortunes by stealing from others.

The grandstand was built right in the middle of the Crossing, which separated Marnie from the north end. Mayor Montgomery and his entourage took their places dutifully as the crowd gathered around.

“Ladies and Gentlemen…Today I stand here with great pride as your mayor,” he said with a robust voice. “I stand before you with great pride that you have chosen me as your leader all of these years. It is a great honor then to declare that a great initiative is to begin this fall that will change the lives of everyone here in Charlton…something that will change the very landscape we see on the waterfront everyday…something that will endow Charlton as the great commercial center of the northeast. Now that we are an established community of New Hampshire, it is time that we took advantage of our location and resources.”

As the mayor spoke, a late arriving family walked up to the rear of the crowd. A grandfather held his grandson in his arms while his son stood nearby.

“Oh, Christopher,” the grandfather said, “you are getting too big to be carried. How old are you now?”

The young child looked up at his grandfather and excitedly said, “I’m five today. And you promised you would carry me.”

“Oh, yes I did. I did indeed. But the rest will have to wait until after the mayor’s speech alright? Your grandfather is not as young as he used to be.” The boy looked up at his grandfather and cheerfully nodded.

At the same time, a thin man with a straw hat was walking though the crowd approaching everyone near the back He had a sheet of paper and appeared to be taking down information from everyone as he went along. After some time he approached the family and looked at the grandfather and son with curiosity.

At last he looked at the elder and asked, “Name and association please?”

The grandfather looked at the man, “What do you need that for?”

“Its for the speech,” the man said nervously. “The mayor wants to know who supports his plan and why.”

“Well I don’t know that yet. I have only just arrived.”

“OK then just give your name and association to show that you came,” the man said wetting his pen.

“Well then. If that is all we need to give I will give it. I’m William Calloway and I’m from Marnie. Just down the road. I work on the dock already. What’s this I hear he is going to build more docks?”

“I cannot speak for the mayor, you will have to listen to the speech. But I did here he wanted to do something about it, yes.”

“That’ll mean more jobs Pop,” the son said.

“And what is your name?”

“The same as my father’s. I’m William Calloway…the second and I’m also from Marnie. Same house. And this is my son Christopher.

The thin man scratched down their names and paused before moving on to the next. He thought for a moment about what the son had just said and then asked, “So you would support it then if the mayor did propose that? The creation of new piers and docks? If that meant more jobs that is.”

The father and son looked at each other for a moment and then said yes together. The thin man smiled, thanked them and walked off toward the grandstand. He stopped briefly to take the names of a few more people before he climbed the stairs and took a seat near the mayor. Montgomery looked at the man and nodded to him before he continued his speech.
“But the difficult days are over. You will see jobs. You will see money in your pockets. And the town will own much of this business so that you will not see an increase in taxes or fees…”

The crowd cheered as he spoke for the first time about jobs and wages.

“Outside investment will also stabilize the business prospects. Already we have ships planning to come from Spain, Canada, France and England with goods and traders wanting to take goods homes with them. Your goods.” Again the crowd cheered in appreciation to the mayor’s remarks.

“I am talking about new jobs…greater opportunities for all at the building of a great city!” The roar of the crowd could now be heard for blocks.

The two elder men looked at each other as though they were inspired. Like the rest of the crowd, a sense of euphoria excited them. This seemed like a new beginning, a return to more prosperous times.

The mayor finally concluded his speech, “And from the polls that I have taken, it is clear that all people in attendance today approve. Together we will achieve greatness!”At this, William picked up Christopher and walked back to Marnie with his son. Behind them they left a roaring crowd and with them was a feeling of hope. Pockets of other people were heading in the same direction. All were thinking the same thing – jobs were coming to Marnie. The year 1800 would be better than 1799.