The Tycoon and the Baron decided to investigate what Grover Cleveland had told them. Magnate Lawson loaned them past copies of the ‘Chicago Tribune’ and they spent hours combing through them for anything that confirmed Cleveland’s advice. Sure enough, there were plenty of articles announcing meat packing facilities opening for pork, and commodities reports for livestock and grains.

The Baron was haunted by the fact that information like this could help predict the future. Just like the Tycoon, after the Civil War, they were in the right place at the right time, benefiting from the demands the war created, and simply continuing to feed these demands by long days of hard work. But now the future of their community depended on more than that blood and sweat.

The Tycoon and the Baron had come to a conclusion, and they met at the Numa Tavern to hash out their findings and make a final plan.

“My brain feels like scrambled eggs,” the Tycoon said. “I’m not sure where to start.”

“I know how you feel,” the Baron said. “We are not scholars. We are working men not afraid to get our hands dirty. I say we stick to what we know best.”

“I know trains, and you know cattle. How do we compare that to pigs, wheat, and corn?”

“Nah, Tycoon, you left something else out,” the Baron said. “We also know our people. How could we be where we are today if we didn’t know who to trust and who to go to for help.”

“I’m not going to that damn Strickling, if that’s what you’re saying.”

“You’re forgetting that Strickling made that exchange deal with you at Seymour. Who benefitted from that? Yeah, you both did. I saw the smile on your face when you counted that bag of money in front of Shahan.”

“No arguing that.” The Tycoon said. “But have your heard what he’s doing now? He’s hired that Bonus fella as his head of security. From Moravia to Mystic to Seymour he’s got a bull on each train car making sure he doesn’t get robbed and kicks off the hobos.”

“Sounds like good business to me.”

“It’s not just business. It’s also philanthropy. In the old days we’d catch a hobo and throw them off a bridge at the next river crossing. Strickling has Ms. Marty there in Mystic housing those hobos, cleaning them up, feeding them, and either putting them to work in her lumber yard or in the coal mines.”

“And you think that’s a bad idea?” The Baron asked.

“No, it makes me ashamed of myself. And mad that I didn’t think of it first.”

The Baron patted the Tycoon on the shoulder. “Then let’s get Strickling involved with our plans. One thing you can’t change is the fact that he has a railroad in this county, and you also have a railroad in this county. He has his territory, and you have yours. The entire county is our people, and we need to do what we can to make them all succeed.”

The Tycoon swallowed a big gulp of beer then licked his lips. “All right. Then who else.”

“When it comes to new business what does everyone need?”

“Money.”

“That’s right,” the Baron said. “We need to go talk to Stufflebeam and Shahan first. Then go to Guffey, Jewett, the Bargainman, the stockyard, and when it comes to livestock, Doc Lain can help with what to do and what not to do.”

“You left out something else that’s very important,” the Tycoon said.

“What’s that?”

“Land. The scale of farming that we are talking about, where are they going to get the land?”

The Baron nodded. “Yes. And who has more land than anyone in the county?”

“You? You’re going to sell off your land?”

“No. I’m going to talk to Foreman Wright. He knows as well as I do that we have more than we need and can ever use. So I’m going to break some of it off into 40 acre sections and lease them. This way if they fail, the land doesn’t go to the bank. If they succeed, then we can work out a purchase arrangement. If it works well, maybe I can convince some of the other barons to do the same.”

“I’ll be damned,” the Tycoon said. “Now you’re a philanthropist.”

“Nope,” the Baron said. “Just helping create opportunity. A different way of doing business.”

* * * * *

The Baron and Foreman Wright saddled their horses and rode all day across the Baron’s spread, talking about the new plan, and deciding on which parcels would work best.

“This Cleveland,” Foreman Wright said. “You really believe what a democrat says?”

“I understand how you feel, Jim,” the Baron said. “But he is no southerner, he’s a New Yorker.”

“That might be worse.”

The Baron laughed. “Yeah, but you see, one thing politicians understand more than loyalty is how to be politicians. Cleveland is no different than the rest of them. He’s looking for a way into the fight. What matters to you and me is that we watch them all from a distance and do the math. So far it adds up.”

“Well, you’re right about one thing. We have more than we can manage.”

“I want to designate the best land for crops and separate other parcels for the hog farms. What do you think would be best?”

“Sunshine would be best for the croplands,” Foreman Wright said. “Then let’s talk to the Clarkdale folks about being neighbors to pigs. They might even want to do the same for themselves.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” the Baron said. “Those are the farthest south and east and we keep working what’s in the middle.”

“And south of Mystic?” Foreman Wright asked. “We have some spots there along the tracks that we never touch.”

“Let’s keep that in mind,” the Baron said. “We’ll see who goes to the bank and who get’s approved. That will help us decide.”

* * * *

The Tycoon met with Banker Shahan and the Baron met with Banker Stufflebeem. It was the same plan and the same guarantee. If the applicants were bonified, the Tycoon and the Baron would back the loan. No land sales, only leases, and B. Bushell Esquire would form the lease agreements. Anything questionable, the bankers could call in the Tycoon or Baron to get their approval. Other than that, the bankers were both authorized to make it happen.

* * * * *

In the next episode of Centerville 1884: Foreman Wright and his cowboys ride the Baron’s spread to stake off 40 acre parcels. Teamster Thomas is put in charge of Jewett Freight’s new fleet of Springfield Wagons, and the Baron approves the delivery of barbed wire and other fencing materials to any of his leased parcels. The Baron makes a deal with the Bargainman to create a better local market for pork as well as beef. Tycoon Strickling makes a deal with his head of security to do more to help the hobos captured on his trains.