James Kunstler - World Made by Hand

“No, ma’am. We avoided the cities.”

“Probably a wise thing,” she said.

“You say your trade has fell off?” Brother Jobe said.

“Things have gotten more disorderly down there,” Bullock said. “We were already paying excise taxes, as they called them, that amounted to extortion. I expect it will get worse, not better. But we are doing everything we can here to become as self-sufficient as possible.”

“Yes, well, that unfortunate bit of news about your boat crew sort of brings me to the purpose of my visit,” Brother Jobe said. “There’s been a killing over in town and no law brought into the picture, and you being the only law in the jurisdiction I want to persuade you to come in on this here business and establish a little authority.”

“I declined the honor of the election,” Bullock said.

“I heard. You can’t do that,” Brother Jobe said.

“Of course I can.”

“Where’s your community spirit.”

“It’s here on the farm.”

“Surely you have a little left over for your neighbors?”

“I’m not going to start a feud with Wayne Karp.”

“So you must already know about this business,” Brother Jobe said.

Bullock pushed his plate forward with the half-eaten sandwich on it.

“Yes, I heard about it,” Bullock said.

“How’s that, you being so disconnected from things over here?”

“I send a man to Einhorn’s store at least once a week, and I have to get things from Mr. Karp like everybody else.”

“Then you know that Robert here was the chief witness to the crime?”

Bullock sighed. “I heard the bare bones of the story.” He shifted his gaze to me. “You were up there with this young man who was shot.”

“I was in the store with Wayne,” I said. “I didn’t see what happened.”

“Something about a mad dog, I was told,” Bullock said.

“There wasn’t anything wrong with the dog. It was hot. It was a big dog, some kind of Newfoundland. You know how they drool. But I don’t know what the dog did, if it did anything, or what Shawn Watling might have done to get shot.”

“My feeling, Mr. Bullock, sir,” Brother Jobe said, “is that what you do might never lead to any prosecution in this matter, but it would be a moral support to the town for you to at least authorize an investigation, reestablish some rule of law. I tell you, sir, I have been around this country some in recent years, and once the law goes altogether, the center don’t hold.”

“Why don’t you set up to govern things over there yourself, Brother Jobe? You seem to have a substantial organization in place. I assume you have some reliable people with you.”

“We only just come. It wouldn’t look right. The people in town might not stand for it.”

“You think? Did the people mount any effort to look into this crime, if it was a crime?”

“Exactly what I’m saying—”

“Why would they object if you took over matters that they’re too busy, or lazy, or too disorganized to take on?”

“If I set up as judge or sheriff or whatever you want to call it, why, I’d have to rule over you then too, wouldn’t l?” Brother Jobe said.

Bullock smiled. “I don’t know that we would require your attention over here,” he said.

“I’m just laying it out, to be frank. Arc you comfortable knowing you send a trade boat down to the state capital and the goldurn thing don’t come back? And there ain’t no one to look into the matter?”

“I’ll find out what happened. Don’t you worry about that,” Bullock said and turned to me again. “Robert, you’re a capable fellow. There are things that need to be done in town. I hear from Einhorn that the town water system is about shot.”

“Is that so?” Brother Jobe said.

“There’s something wrong with the outflow up at the collect pond,” I said. “And the main coming down from it leaks in more than a few places.”

“Now that you mention it, we’ve noticed the pressure is low as heck over our way,” Brother Jobe said. “We’re at the high school.”

“I’ve heard,” Bullock said.

“Goldurn roof was falling in.”

“You fixed it, I suppose.”

“You’re well told, we did, sir.”

“Why, then I suppose the water will be next,” Bullock said.

“We’ll get to it,” I said.

“What I’ve been trying to tell you,” Brother Jobe said. “You see, all these individuals in the town trying to live like it’s still old times, each on its own, each family alone against the world. You can’t have that in these new times or things will fall apart. See what a splendid show Mr. Bullock is running here,” he said, evidently for my benefit. “Everyone has a part to play and does its job and the whole adds up to more than the sum of the parts. Am I right? That’s exactly like how we do in New Faith, only we bow to a higher authority. You never got Jesus, I take it, sir.”

“Never did,” Bullock said.

“Well that’s a goldurn shame. Ever tempted to try?”

“Not really.”

“How about your folks on the farm here?”

“My people are free to believe what they want to believe.”

“Maybe some of them would like to take a look over our way, then, and come to the Lord.”

“I don’t have any to spare, Brother Jobe. I just lost four hands on the river. Robert,” Bullock turned once again to me, his patience visibly ebbing. “Why don’t you talk to the Reverend Holder and the other men over there and see if you can get them going on repairing that water system. Brother Jobe here is right. You people over in town need to show a little initiative.”

“Loren and I aim to start a laundry operation,” I said, surprising myself by sounding so deliberate.

Brother Jobe perked up. “First I heard of it.”

“Where will you do this,” Bullock said.

“In the old Wayland-Union Mill,” I said.

“Well then you’d better fix the water supply.”

“Of course.”

“I can cast you some lengths of concrete pipe here,” Bullock said “and get them over to you, if that’d help. You’ve got at least six feet of head on the Battenkill in two locations up there. You could be running hydroelectric for the whole town. There’s enough metal parts lying around this county to build a steam locomotive, if you looked hard enough. We built a five-kilowatt generator out of the automotive scrap on Bacon Hill.”

I couldn’t help but feel that Bullock was looking to purchase Brother Jobe’s goodwill as a tactical measure.

“I like the sound of that,” Brother Jobe said, rubbing his hands. “I’ll tell you what: we’ll examine those water pipes right away. We have the manpower to repair them and we’ll do it. And we’ll see to the electric this summer, if your offer to lend a little guidance still stands. And my offer still stands to help out in case your boat crew don’t report back. I’ve got some fellows that have been trained in this sort of thing.”

“What? Military types?”

“Holy Land vets.”

“Really? Well, great,” Bullock said, pushing away from the table. “It was sure nice of you to visit. We don’t get many breaks from the routine here.”

“You notify me if you want our boys to help turn up those boys of your’n. They’re stout fellows, upright and fearless.”

“Very kind of you.”

“And maybe you’ll consider starting up those wheels of justice.”

“I’ll consider those things.”

“It’s been an honor to meet you too, sir,” Brother Jobe said. “But say, if you’re not going to eat the rest of that fine hamburger, why I’d like to take it with me, if you don’t mind. It’s been years since I’ve seen such a thing and, you know, waste not want not, especially in these times.”