Атлант расправил плечи
The Sign of the Dollar
Thatwasourrealmotivewhenwevoted—thatwasthetruthofit—butwedidn’tliketothinkit,sothelesswelikedit,thelouderweyelledaboutourloveforthecommongood.
"Well,wegotwhatweaskedfor.Bythetimewesawwhatitwasthatwe’daskedfor,itwastoolate.Weweretrapped,withnoplacetogo.Thebestmenamongusleftthefactoryinthefirstweekoftheplan.Welostourbestengineers,superintendents,foremenandhighestskilledworkers.Amanofself-respectdoesn’tturnintoamilchcowforanybody.Someablefellowstriedtostickitout,buttheycouldn’ttakeitforlong.Wekeptlosingourmen,theykeptescapingfromthefactorylikefromapesthole—tillwehadnothingleftexceptthemenofneed,butnoneofthemenofability.
"Andthefewofuswhowerestillanygood,butstayedon,wereonlythosewhohadbeentheretoolong.Intheolddays,nobodyeverquittheTwentiethCentury—and,somehow,wecouldn’tmakeourselvesbelievethatitwasgone.Afterawhile,wecouldn’tquit,becausenootheremployerwouldhaveus—forwhichIcan’tblamehim.
Nobodywoulddealwithusinanyway,norespectablepersonorfirm.
Allthesmallshops,wherewetraded,startedmovingoutofStarnesvillefast—tillwehadnothingleftbutsaloons,gamblingjointsandcrookswhosoldustrashatgougingprices.Thealmswegotkeptfalling,butthecostofourlivingwentup.
