That Printer of Udell's

That Printer of Udell's Plot Summary

Introduction

The stench of whiskey and desperation filled the ramshackle cabin as young Dick Falkner knelt beside his dying mother's bed, listening to her broken prayer: "O God, take ker' o' Dick—He'll sure have a tough time when I'm gone." Through the thin walls, his father's drunken snores mixed with the crackle of dying embers. When morning came, Dick crept from the cabin with only a lean hound named Smoke for company, leaving behind the cold corpse of his mother and the wreckage of his childhood. Sixteen years later, a different version of that frightened boy would crawl from beneath a straw stack on the outskirts of Boyd City, a bustling mining town shrouded in smelter smoke. With only fifteen cents in his pocket and hunger gnawing at his belly, Dick Falkner faced a choice that would define not just his own destiny, but the soul of an entire city. This is the story of how a desperate tramp became the architect of redemption, transforming both himself and the community that first rejected him through the revolutionary power of applied Christianity.

Chapter 1: The Wanderer's Arrival: A Desperate Young Man in Boyd City

The March wind cut through Dick's threadbare clothing as he stood picking straw from his coat, gazing at Boyd City through the morning mist. Fifteen cents weighed heavy in his pocket—his only shield against starvation. The mining town sprawled before him like a sleeping beast, smokestacks piercing the gray sky, promising either salvation or another door slammed in his face. His first companion emerged from the same straw stack: a professional tramp named Jake Tompkins who recognized Dick as the son of Bill Falkner, his old drinking partner from the Arkansas hill country. Jake's bloodshot eyes gleamed with memories of the past, but Dick had no patience for reminiscence. They shared a meager breakfast of crackers and cheese, bought with two-thirds of Dick's remaining money. The morning dissolved into a parade of rejections. Store after store, Dick encountered the same cold dismissal. At one hardware store, the pompous owner Adam Goodrich sneered at Dick's request for work, declaring he wouldn't hire strikers and troublemakers. "I don't care what you do," Goodrich spat when Dick persisted. "There is a stone-yard here for such as you." Dick's gray eyes flashed with quiet dignity as he replied, "Sir, you will yet learn that it does matter very much what such fellows as I do." As darkness fell and the factory whistles blew for closing time, Dick found himself with nowhere to turn. The saloons beckoned with their warm lights and promise of free lunch—if only he would compromise his newfound resolve to stay sober. When desperation nearly drove him to accept a drink for the sake of food, Dick walked away from temptation, choosing hunger over surrender. That night, he took shelter in an abandoned boiler at the ruins of an old smelter, iron rust and ashes for his bed, the howling wind for his lullaby.

Chapter 2: Seeds of Change: Dick Falkner's Rise at Udell's Print Shop

Dawn brought another day of desperate searching, but salvation arrived in the form of George Udell, a gruff printer whose assistant had disappeared on a drinking bender. Dick stumbled into the cluttered print shop just as Udell reached his breaking point, surrounded by rush orders and an incompetent boy. When Dick claimed to be a printer, Udell barely glanced up from his work before pointing to a composing case. "Can you go to work now?" Udell demanded. Dick nodded, but his hands trembled so violently from hunger that he could barely hold the type. The truth struck Udell like a physical blow: this wasn't a drunk recovering from a spree—this was a man starving to death. "Good God, man! Why didn't you say so?" Udell roared, sending the boy flying for hot food from the restaurant. Dick's collapse came just as the meal arrived. He crumpled to the floor, his outstretched fingers barely touching Udell's boots. When he awakened, he found himself staring up at a face that would change his life—not through pity, but through the simple recognition of one human being seeing another's worth. Clara Wilson, a spirited young woman with connections to the Jerusalem Church, had predicted this moment. She'd watched Dick pass on the street and declared to anyone who would listen that he was "no common tramp." Her intuition proved prophetic as Dick transformed from a desperate wanderer into Udell's most skilled employee. Within days, he'd proven his worth at the composing case and earned not just wages, but something far more valuable—respect.

Chapter 3: Hearts Awakened: Faith, Love, and Social Vision

The Jerusalem Church's reading room became Dick's evening sanctuary, where he served as manager and encountered the cream of Boyd City's Christian youth. Among them shone Amy Goodrich, daughter of the same hardware merchant who had once scorned Dick as worthless. Their first meeting in the print shop ended with Dick tumbling from his stool in confused attraction, but their paths would cross again at church socials and mission work. Amy embodied everything Dick thought forever beyond his reach—beauty, refinement, Christian dedication. Yet beneath her privileged exterior lay a genuine heart for service. She taught at the South Broadway Mission, worked with the Young People's Society, and possessed an intelligence that sparkled in their conversations about faith and purpose. Dick's own spiritual awakening came through the patient friendship of Charlie Bowen and the rough wisdom of Uncle Bobbie Wicks, an elder whose plain talk cut through religious pretense. When Dick finally declared his faith in Christ before the Jerusalem Church congregation, it marked more than personal conversion—it signaled the beginning of a revolution in how Christianity might actually be lived. The catalyst came when a young man froze to death on the church steps during a winter blizzard. George Udell found the body and paid for the burial, marking the grave with words that indicted the entire Christian community: "I was a stranger and ye took me not in." The incident crystallized Dick's vision of what the church could become—not a social club for the respectable, but a practical force for human redemption.

Chapter 4: Shattered Lives: Amy's Flight and Dick's Desperate Search

The collision between two worlds came without warning. Frank Goodrich witnessed Dick escorting his sister home late one night after rescuing her from a drunken companion at a disreputable entertainment park. Amy had fallen in with Boyd City's fast social set, abandoning her mission work for card parties and wine gardens. Her father's fury at finding her with "that tramp printer" erupted in accusations and ultimatums. Adam Goodrich's pride could not bend even for his daughter's explanations. "You may have your tramp," he declared, "but don't call me father. You are no daughter of mine." Amy's attempt to explain Dick's innocent role in bringing her safely home fell on deaf ears. The bitter confrontation shattered something essential in the young woman's spirit. That night, Amy vanished from Boyd City, leaving only a brief farewell note. James Whitley, a wealthy man-about-town with darker appetites than his respectable facade suggested, had been watching and waiting. He followed Amy's train east, spinning lies about her father's rejection and his own noble intentions. Through manipulation and the exploitation of her desperate circumstances, he led her deeper into a web of deception that would nearly destroy her. Dick's search consumed months of his savings and nearly broke his spirit. Following false leads through multiple cities, he traced Amy's path to Buffalo, where she had disappeared completely. The trail went cold in a world of shadows and shame, leaving Dick to return to Boyd City with nothing but determination and the growing weight of love that refused to surrender hope.

Chapter 5: Building the Dream: The Association Takes Form

Dick channeled his anguish into revolutionary purpose. When the Young People's Society invited him to address their practical Christianity meeting, he outlined a vision that would transform charity from condescending handouts into dignified work opportunities. The plan was elegant in its simplicity: create an institution where the unemployed could earn food and shelter through productive labor, where young people could find wholesome recreation, and where the community's resources could be mobilized for genuine human uplift. The presentation electrified Boyd City's business community. Banker Lindsley, merchants, and even skeptics like the reformed gambler Chris Chambers pledged support. The Association raised funds through share purchases, secured city backing, and selected Dick as secretary despite his humble origins. Even Adam Goodrich's hardware fortune couldn't buy the respect that Dick commanded through his vision and integrity. Uncle Bobbie Wicks provided both financial backing and folksy wisdom that cut through pretension. When Dick protested that he couldn't afford membership in his own organization, the old elder handed him a check with characteristic bluntness: "Aint ye'r Christianity security enough?" The gesture symbolized how authentic faith transcended social barriers and economic calculations. Construction began on the Association building, a monument to practical Christianity that would offer employment, education, recreation, and hope to all citizens regardless of their circumstances. Dick traveled east to study similar institutions, using the trip as cover for another desperate search for Amy. But the building rising in Boyd City represented more than bricks and mortar—it embodied the possibility that Christianity could actually transform society.

Chapter 6: Reconciliation and Reunion: Finding Amy in the Ozarks

The search for Amy led Dick through Cleveland's underworld, where he learned the full horror of her fall from respectability. Deceived by Whitley's false marriage ceremony and abandoned when she refused his advances, Amy had sought refuge in a brothel when starvation and homelessness left her no alternatives. Dick's arrival during a Salvation Army rescue mission came just in time to prevent her complete destruction. The reunion shattered both their hearts—Dick seeing the woman he loved reduced to such circumstances, Amy confronting the man whose respect meant everything to her in her moment of deepest shame. Yet from this nadir came the possibility of redemption. The Salvation Army workers, led by their compassionate captain, arranged for Amy's recovery in a safe house before placing her with a farm family in Missouri. Months later, during his vacation in the Arkansas hills, Dick discovered Amy teaching school in a one-room schoolhouse near Oak Springs Farm. She had transformed herself through honest work, finding dignity in serving the mountain children and strength in her renewed faith. Their reunion beneath the autumn oaks carried the weight of all their shared suffering and separated love. Their conversations by the creek that flowed toward joining its companion stream became a metaphor for their own lives. Two damaged souls, running separate courses through difficult terrain, approaching the point where they might finally unite in common purpose. Yet both understood that Amy must first return to Boyd City and reclaim her place in society before they could openly declare their love.

Chapter 7: Triumph Over Adversity: A New Future Emerges

Amy's return to Boyd City as a refined "finishing school graduate" fooled no one who looked closely, but her quiet dignity and renewed Christian service gradually restored her reputation. Her work at the South Broadway Mission and her refusal to resume the shallow social whirl marked her transformation from spoiled belle to genuine servant of others. The reckoning came when Frank Goodrich, consumed by gambling debts and moral cowardice, contracted smallpox while fleeing his crimes. Dick discovered evidence of Frank's connection to Amy's betrayer James Whitley, who had died violently in the Arkansas hills at the hands of an old moonshiner. The truth of Amy's innocence and Whitley's villainy emerged just as her father Adam finally learned the full story of his daughter's ordeal. Rev. Cameron's death while nursing Frank through his final illness provided the catalyst for Dick's elevation to leadership of the Association. The young man who had once begged for scraps now commanded the respect of the entire community. His marriage proposal to Amy, delivered in his Association office, came not as supplication but as the union of equals who had both walked through fire and emerged purified. The wedding symbolized more than personal happiness—it represented the triumph of authentic Christianity over social prejudice, of character over circumstances, of love over fear. Dick's election to Congress as "That Printer of Udell's" confirmed that in the new Boyd City, worth mattered more than pedigree, and service counted more than inherited status.

Summary

Dick Falkner's journey from desperate tramp to congressional representative embodied the transformative power of applied Christianity in American society. His marriage to Amy Goodrich represented not just personal redemption, but the possibility that love could transcend social barriers when grounded in genuine faith and mutual respect. Together, they proved that character forged in adversity often surpassed privilege born in comfort. Boyd City itself became the ultimate testament to their vision. The Association's practical Christianity replaced saloons with libraries, gambling dens with workshops, and despair with opportunity. The city's transformation from a rough mining town to a model community demonstrated that when Christians actually lived their proclaimed values, entire societies could be redeemed. Dick and Amy's story suggested that America's future lay not in the preservation of rigid social hierarchies, but in the revolutionary recognition that every human soul possessed infinite worth and potential for nobility.

About Author

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Harold Bell Wright

Wright explores the intersections of faith, morality, and rural American life in his novels, using these themes to address the societal shifts brought by industrialization. His work reflects a sentimental and romanticized view of rural life, resonating with readers who yearn for spiritual renewal and a return to simpler times. This approach, evident in his popular book "The Shepherd of the Hills," offers narratives that are accessible and morally clear, appealing particularly to small-town and rural audiences.\n\nA former minister, Wright employed his understanding of Christian values and rural communities to craft stories that emphasized family, spiritual renewal, and the value of good works. This method not only connected with readers on a personal level but also addressed broader cultural anxieties. His early book, "That Printer of Udell's," along with others like "The Winning of Barbara Worth" and "The Re-Creation of Brian Kent," demonstrate his commitment to these themes. Meanwhile, at least fifteen movies have been made from his novels, underscoring his influence in early 20th-century American literature.\n\nReaders benefit from Wright's works by gaining insight into early 20th-century cultural values and the tension between tradition and modernization. His books, which collectively sold over ten million copies, provided a narrative escape for many, while his bio highlights a career that was not only prolific but also deeply intertwined with the American cultural landscape. Though he did not receive major literary awards, his ability to capture the ethos of his time made him a prominent author whose works continue to offer value to those interested in historical perspectives on religion and rural life.

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