Argosy, Vol. 112, No. 2 — page 21: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

ro CROSSES OF STEEL. “Senor does understand _ perfectly. Senor is well acquainted with unions. Here are three traveling cards of unions right here in sefor’s pocket. Those are real unions. “Senor understands! ‘There is no union here. There isn’t going to be any union here unless I form it and am at the head of it. You fellows have your union right there —those red rags. No; keep them on. Make them show a little better. That’s it. ‘““ Now—you swine—out of here! Out of here quick! Come on!”’ He had leaped up as if from hidden springs, caught the two of them by a shoul- der apiece, swung them around, and shifted his grip to their jumper collars before they had breath to speak. He shook them as a playful terrier shakes a handkerchief. “Pick up that rag!” he roared, bearing the one to a stooping position by a jerk. of his hand. “ Put it on again. Now we'll show the last damned scoundrel in the works what happens to any Bolshevik stuff or anybody who tries to blackmail me with union stuff around these works.” Still gripping their collars, he propelled them forward by short jerks that must have dislocated any but sturdy necks. He shoved them to the door, through it, on through the little vestibule and the outside door, down the steps. “Thought you could stick me for money with threats of strikes and explosions and that sort of thing, didn’t you? Ill help your thinking for a while,” he snarled as he went past Fahey, who showed signs of terror at more fireworks than he had counted on. ‘I know your dirty breed. And I know what to do with it. Sigwe— sigue—sigue!”’ Down the sloping path from the storage and office buildings to the tracks at the bridge-head he rushed the two hapless men. The buttons of one’s jumper broke. The loosened collar gave play to the fearful jerks, and the iron fist hit a blow with each one of them. The man’s legs gave way. Grout seemed not to notice it. All the men in sight—lounging through the last moments of the midday hours of rest—got to their feet and stared. “See that ribbon!’ Grout velled at a 187 group of them, and lifted the alleged secre- _ tary.of a general union clear of the ground and held him at arm’s length for inspection. ‘‘ Watch where it goes!”’ A few more steps brought him alongside a box-car. There were two quick swings of his arms. The two men cleared the sides of the car, and landed on its bottom with heavy thuds. “Take them back to Machala if they behave. If they don’t, throw them into the canon!” he shouted at the conductor of the supply-train, who came running from a hundred yards away. “If they need the hospital, tell the sister in charge to send me the bill.” He stalked back to his shack. Men looked into his clouded face, and hurried off with sudden remembrance that the whistle was about to blow for work. The lines of his mouth were deep, the lips drew back to one side and bared two teeth, his forehead showed knots under the skin, his steel-gray eyes seemed black. Back in his desk-chair, he held out one of his hands. It was shaking like a broken twig in-a wind. “You damned—damned fool he croaked to himself. He had never done anything so nearly insane before in his life. He had never known any excitement to re- duce him to this state before in his life. Never but once. Just such a shaken wreck as he now was, he had sunk back on the divan from which he had driven Norma }» Ballard, in hysterics, up-stairs to her room. — It was the revenge of civilized nerves for yielding them to savage moods. ‘““But—won’t she ever answer?” night and the day to rub raw a nervous system which was really much _ nearer breaking strain than he ever suspected, since will had trained him to a calm in ordinary situations which left his nerves un- ruffled. Then he pulled himself together, aroused by the lapse from control to realization that he was hardly living up to his stand- ards. He had played the fool in handling those men. The folly had not been un- justly cruel to them. They were simply blackmailers, with no shadow of organiza- tion behind them, or with just enough for he’ groaned the anxiety which had taken the GCOMUE .OO Ad - ee oh ‘ae? 4} © ' io 3 fe th : ay Py Pat Dell » x URE BR IA ay ies , S.C whe ity dager ‘ H > mM ilk G Piz 0; Ve af iid. ' a (e) An ‘ : wale 22th. y be w M > i - My i é&£ \ yt au { AS Sf a