McConnell House

1924 Part 2

The train whistle screams, starteling Hans out of his memories. It's been nine years since that day, but it still haunted Hans. He had gone to the Dominican Republic after leaving Port au Prince, as he couldn't return to Germany due to the Great War. After the war was over, the assests of the German people were returned, Hans no exception. The land he was living on was not.

He could have easily started over there, but after what happened he couldn't. He returned to Germany, but it was like traveling to a Germany in a different dimension. The industrious nation he had left to go to Haiti was gone. In its place was a war torn country that Hans had never seen before.

He had taken care of his elderly mother when he got there, as his father had died earlier, and his two brothers were both killed in the war. Last year she had died, not from old age but from falling down the stairs. Not a day later he had got a letter from Karl.

He hadn't seen Karl since he was a teenager. Karl had somehow ended up in Calgary, Canada. He mentioned in his letter that he had a great business opportunity, and need a partner to help get it off the ground. The great thing about Canada was it was a civlized place, there would be no revolutions seizing his property. If he came out, they would make a ton of money with little risk.

Nothing was keeping Hans in Germany, as there was a lot of things politically he didn't like going on, so he had sold his mother's house, and booked a passenger ship to Canada.

He got off in Halifax. Right off the boat he saw Francois, almost as if he was waiting for Hans. He had spent the last nine years in the Domincan Republic before travelling to Canada. He agreed to go with Hans to Calgary, as he had no place to go.

The train was pulling into a station.

“Hans, we are here.” Francois said.

“Let's get off then. Karl said he would meet us at the station.”

“Hans! Hans! Over here!” Hans turned to see a middle age man, brown hair and mustache waving at him, Karl.

“Karl! It's been so long!” Hans said, walking over and shaking Karl's hand.

“A handshake? Come on Hans, it's been so long.” Karl said giving Hans a bear hug.

“Karl, let me introduce you to Francois. Francois, Karl.”

“Stop kidding me Hans. Now that you are here, let me tell you why you are going to thank me later. What do you know about oil?”

“It comes from whales?”

“Ha ha! You have a lot to learn my friend. Oil is the new gold. What do you think all these new cars run on? Oil my friend. Now, guess where they just had an oil boom. Turner Valley! And where is Turner Valley located near, that's right Calgary.”

Hans had forgotten what a fast talker Karl was.

“And you want to buy land around there. Who in their right mind would sell to us when there is an Oil boom going on? Why wouldn’t they sell to a big company who knew what they were doing?”

“Harsh Hans, harsh. You think I would bring you all the way out here if I didn’t have a plan my friend? Oh I have a plan. A plan that will make us both rich!”

“So what is this plan?”

“Oh, you are an impatient one. Don’t you want to relax before we get down to business? We’ll have all the time in the world to discuss that, but only once can we catch up with each other.”

“Perhaps. How about this. You give me a brief summary of this plan that is going to make us so rich, while you take me to wherever I am staying, sound good?”