The Strength of Donald McKenzie

Summary

Deep among the cedar shadows of the North Woods, where loons sketch elegies across mist-veiled lakes, Donald McKenzie—guide, logger, clandestine poet—carves stanzas into birch bark while the world mistakes his muscles for his mind. His odes orbit Mabel Condon, the publisher’s daughter whose laughter ricochets like light off quartz; she, unaware that the silent giant who pilots her canoe has already immortalized the nape of her neck in dimeter and trochee. When her father, the ailing magnate Condon, retreats to these same woods to convalesce, he brings not only Mabel but also Maynard Randall—velvet-gloved parasite, fiancé-by-contract, art-hating financier whose wallet props up the Condon press. Into this triangulation slips a sheaf of anonymous manuscripts: Donald’s poems, smuggled to the publisher under a borrowed name, praised by Condon as the voice that could rescue his tottering imprint. The ink is still wet when Randall, scenting emotional mutiny, frames the poet as a backwoods seducer, bribes a half-French malcontent to scramble trail markers, and engineers a night of alleged impropriety in the alpine dark. Dawn brings not shame but revelation: Donald, unmasked as the phantom bard, stands battered yet unbroken, manuscripts clenched like torches against Randall’s pyrrhic rage, and claims both Mabel’s hand and the publisher’s future in one seismic declaration.

Synopsis

The story tells of the struggle of Donald McKenzie, a guide of the North Woods and a poet, to have his verses recognized. Condon, a publisher, recuperating in the woods, has a camp near Donald's. His daughter, Mabel, is the inspiration for many of Donald's verses. When they are completed, Donald sends his poems to Condon under an assumed name. Condon is backed in his publishing business by Maynard Randall, a wealthy idler, who is engaged to Mabel. Condon goes to the city, but is forced to return to the woods again. He brings Mabel and Randall with him, together with the manuscript of the unknown poet. Mabel meets Donald again and beings to admire his great strength which she cannot reconcile with his deep poetical nature. Randall notices the growing attachment and tries to belittle Donald on every occasion. Donald acts as guide for Mabel in her trips through the woods. Randall, in pique, makes advanced to Marie, a clerk in the camp store. His actions become odious and Donald administers a severe thrashing to his rival. Aided by Pierre, an enemy of Donald's, Randall plans revenge. While Mabel and Donald are on a long trip in the mountains, Pierre changes the guide posts and the couple are forced to spend the night in the woods. Randall poisons the mind of Condon against Donald, and when he returns he is accused of losing his way to purposely compromise Mabel. Donald informs the irate parent that they are to be married. Randall then declares that, unless Mabel marries him, he will withdraw his money from the firm. Pierre then confesses his part in the scheme, and Condon, sure that Donald's poems will aid him in getting his business going again, denounces Randall, who tries to destroy the manuscripts, but is prevented by Donald, who discloses himself as the author.