Roy D. Chapin: The Man Behind the Hudson Motor Car Company

XII. Wednesday in Georgia

CHAPTER XII WEDNESDAY IN GEORGIA INEZ, looking at the new visitor, saw a grave, dignified, rosycheeked young man wearing a brown suit. In repose his face was serious and reserved. Then he broke into a dazzling smile, through which shone all of the boyishness of his nature. The contrast was fascinating. A man of the world suddenly become a boy. She was intrigued, though the events which followed in the ensuing weeks gave little sign of a capitulation. Roy slept that night in the De Soto Hotel on a cot made up in the sample room of Frank Brothers Shoe Company; or more accurately he tossed on the cot, for he told Inez later that for the first time in his life he did not sleep at all during the night. On the following day, Roy found that he was obliged to sail down the river to Sapeloe by himself, since the brief visit which Inez had agreed to was not scheduled for two days later. Finally , she appeared on the promised evening. She and Roy walked around the estate under the live oaks. There was a full moon and they sat on a board across an excavation for a swimming pool which was being constructed around an artesian well. The air was soft and gracious, the scene romantic, but Roy and Inez kept on a casual plane, though each knew that the other was happy and excited. As far as the Coffins could guess, however , no progress was being made, and Inez set off for Savannah the following morning. Roy stayed at Sapeloe, but the longer he remained, the more restless he became, and within two days he determined to finish his visit in Savannah. Here to his disappointment he found that Inez' friend from New York was still on hand. Inez took her two visitors for drives around the city in her father's Packard 117 I I 8 ROY D. CHAPIN and had a wonderful time entertaining a brace of gentlemen, each of whom resented the other's presence. Finally the New Yorker was obliged to go home, and Roy and Inez were alone together for three days. For once, Roy's great generosity and his love of party-giving had little scope, for here he was the guest of Mr. and Mrs. Tiedeman, and everything was done for him. One evening he and Inez went to the theatre, for which her father had passes. The next evening he took Inez to the movies, and when they came up to the box office the manager said, "Walk right in, Miss Inez. Usher, show Miss Tiedeman to some good seats." On Sunday,—it was Palm Sunday, 1914,—the two went to St. John's Episcopal Church, where Mr. Tiedeman was a vestryman and passed the plate. As Roy put in his contribution he leaned toward Inez and whispered, "This is the first show I have been able to pay for since I have been in Savannah." Roy Chapin was convinced that he had met his fate, yet every circumstance barred his path. It was imperative that he return to Detroit. Business had declined. In the days when the open touring car was the low-priced and popular model, summer was the chief selling season of the year. It was all very well for Bezner to be in Europe and for Coffin, who had cleaned up the engineering for the year's models, to rest in Georgia, but Roy and "Jack" Jackson couldn't leave the firing line. "Jack" had his hands full on the production end and Roy's primary responsibility was in sales and finance. In 1913, Hudson had obtained dealers' orders for 7,000 cars, expecting to sell more as the year advanced, and had sold fewer. A similar error now in 1914 might prove disastrous. The hazard of the over-optimistic dealer, or the over-zealous factory salesmanager, was already at hand. Hence, Roy had to be ever-watchful to stimulate public demand. Meanwhile, Roy was seething with impatience to see Inez again, while she apparently was occupied with other matters. WEDNESDAY IN GEORGIA I I 9 He wasn't able even to hear her voice, such was the primitive state of long distance telephoning, at that time. On his return North, Roy had telephoned to Inez from New York and had had the following unsatisfactory conversation: Operator—"Hello, Miss Tiedeman. This is...