Beadle's Dime Library No. 412 — page 17: what you’re looking at

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

ao « - £9 7 - a ~ +s a@ compromise, ER.” On Tuesday morning, pooondingly, he went to the gyeat rolling-mill of Kelly Barr, now grimly silent, like all the mills in Holesburg, and Tout’ collected in the large counting- room, nearly a dozen leading men of the iron Larry Locke, the Man “I'l be there, but I shall vote asnins any sort of | Union, and we buy and sell no more with you. * of Iron. Put the motion, Kelly.” Mr. Grynde turned pale as he looked round the table. A bard man himself, like all rich men who have made their money, he, for the first time, found himself in a position when he had to ask a favor of his friends, and it was in trade, generally large and fat, with grim, hard | a pleading tone be said: faces and close-set jaws, They were all well-dressed, and most of | motion at once. *them had diamond solitaires in their shirt- fronts, while all wore immense watch-chains, with bundles of seals and charms dependent. They greeted Skinner cordially, as one of their own kind, and very soon dashed into the wopct of the strike and how to end it, r. Kelly, of the firm of Kelly & Barr, be- gan at Skinner: ‘* Well, what do you think of the situation?” ‘‘T think,” said Skinner, in his hard voice, ‘‘ that it couldn’t be better for us. Every day makes them poorer, and they can’t afford to be - idle.” ‘* But then suppose a man’s got a contract, and he can’t get hands to do 1t with,” inter- jected Mr, Grynde, nervously. ‘‘ What’s he to do? I've got a contract, with a big peanity attached, and if I don’t get to work at it, must go under.” Skinner looked at him with some contempt. ‘‘Why, you was the first man wanted to move that reduction on the men, and now you want to give in, jest because your corns are bein’ trod on.” ‘*But what am I to do?” urged Grynde, ‘I can’t go into bankruptcy because of a strike. Tl have to give in. I must get my hands to work again.” Kelly and the others listened to him in the hard, indifferent way rich men are apt to use when misfortune comes to their notice, but Skinner growled out: ‘** 1 don’t see no necessity. You can stick to us, and we'll stick to you.’ Old Kelly turned to him in a more comfort- ing strain, to say: ‘* You know, if we make a society, we're all bound to abide by it. If you was to weaken now, it would give the whole strike a big boost, just as it’s going down.” | ‘* Look a-here, gentlemen,” put in Skinner, “‘T want to tell you what I’ve seen this last week, and you kin tell best who's likely to win. I seen the pawn-sbops, for I’ve watched ’em close, and there’s a string of men and women there, half a block long, all the day. That shows how they’ra suffering. It won’t be long before they’ll run through all they’ve got cod come to starving. We kin stand it longer’n they kin. Suppose we mee i shut up a month or a year. There ain’t one of us has got to go to the pawn-shop to live. We've got plenty to live on. It’s only that westop making money so fast. AndItell ye whatitis. If we kin mako ie men see that, there won’t be no more strikes, "ll bet.” ‘* Well, gentiemen,” said Grynde, nervous! ‘we're wasting time, talking like this. Wo came here to meet a committee of the Knights of Labor; and the time’s nearly come, I move Mr. Kelly take the chair.” g And no objection being heard, the oleaginous Kelly sunk into his chair at the head of the table, and the magnates of the trade began to look as digrified as they could, while they awaited the arrival of the deputation. Skinner thought he would do a little talking, for he very soon got up and said: ‘*Now, Mr. Chairman, this, as I understand it, is a meeting of iron manufacturers, calle’ by Mr. Grynde as secretary. What I want to know is, who are these fellows that are coming to see us to-day?” ‘A committee of the Knights of Labor,” an- swered Grynde instantly. ‘* And who the deuce are they? I don’t know them, we don’t know them. If mymen come tw me to strike, I'll listen to ’em. but I don’t know no Knights of Labor, When they come to me, I just wouldn’t listen to’em and bounced their aster Workman as he deserved. Now what I advise is this here, that we do the same now, and tell these fellers when they come that we don’t want to treat with them, and don’t recog- nize ’em at all as any one.” | The advice seemed to be rather relished by several of the manufacturers, and Skinner pro- ceeded: ‘** Now they’re coming up. What are we go- ing to say to them?” ‘‘ We're going to hear them,” said Grynde, ‘*and see if we cant split the difference.” “Then [ move we don’t hear ’em at all,” said Skinner, ** but tell ’em we won't have nothing to do with ’em. Who dares second that?” ‘*T do, just for fun,” observed Mr. Barr, an- other magnate. ‘‘ Put the motion, Kelly.” The chairman was about to put the motion, when Mr. Grynde cried out: ‘* But consider, Bl Axcperepa’: consider, if you do this youre driving me out of the Union and I must get through with my contract.” “Oh, blast your contract,” put in Barr. It’s pull devil, pull baker with us ina strike, and you ought to know that. If you want to give you know the penalty. You leave the —_———————— ws SS SYS rrr a cr ee es ‘‘ Gentlemen, as a favor to me, don’t put this I tell you, if you compel me to keep my mill closed, I must go into bank- ruptcy. They’ve got me. Don’t make a Union matter of it. Leave us all free to do as we lease about it. I don’t want to leave the nion—” ‘*Nuther do I,” said Skinner, breaking in; ‘“but I'm aoin’ to do it, darned sudden, too, if there’s any talk of givin’in. Give into these skunks and have ’em ride over ye all the rest of yer lives? No, sirr/ If our side gives in on this strike, I goes out of the Union and the trade, too. Curse ’em both, say I.” ‘*Put the motion, Mr. Chairman,” said Barr at this juncture, as if he feared the hot temper of Skinner. And the motion was put and triumphantly carried, the very moment before a knock came at the door, and one of the board or Union cried out: ‘** Come in!” The door opened, and into the room walked Larry Locke, followed by a dozen or so of men, all with their hats in their hands. They were greeted by a dead silence, till Larry observed, in an indifferent sort of way: ‘* Well, gentlemen, ye sent for us. What d’ye want with us?” ** Who are you?” asked Mr. Kelly, in a deep, resonant tone of voice, as if he had seen Larry for the first time. Larry looked at him keenly for a moment, and then glanced round the board, Every man was sitting back in his chair, twiddling his watch-chain and looking at the ceiling. ** Oho,” said the workman, quietly. ‘“ Is that the way you're going, gentlemen?” With that he put on his hat instantly, an ex- ample imitated by his followers. ‘* Pm Larry Locke, Master Workman of this district of the Knights of Labor,” he said, ‘‘and I have come bere to demand in the name of the Order that you restore the old scale of prices in Holesburg, the same as they’ve dons im other towns, t’s who Lam and what I want,” ‘* Very well,” returned Keily, in his most solemn tones, ‘* you can go as you came. This Union doesn’t recognize you and refuses to treat with you. Is that all you want?” Larry looked him in the eye, not a little sur- rised. He had expected, from the summons, hat the manufacturers were weakening; and here he received'a direct snub from them, in a wer Maat showed there was no such thing in the wind, He knew that. the men, so long on strike, were getting desperate, and that, when he brought the news to them that their commnrittee had only been sent for to be insulted, there would be trouble in the streets. But he put tha best face he could on it, and replied, firmly: ‘No, that’s not all we want.” ** What else do you want?” asked Kelly. **Civil treatment,” replied Larry, shortly: *fand mark my words, you, sir, Mr. Kelly, it’s not becauss you’re chairman of this meeting you can treat us with insolence. You sent for us, and now you refuse to treat with us. What does this mean?” “Tt means that we'll treat with our own hands when they come to us, but not with a stranger from God knows where. We. don’t know you and won’t recognize you. With our own men we will treat, not you.” Larry Locke heard him and quivered as he listened, for he knew what the insolent mill- owner intended. He was trying to breed dis- affection between Larry and his friends. CHAPTER XXVI. THE RIOT. THE workmen looked at Larry, evidently not a little put out, and one of them cried out, fiercely: ‘It’s a put-up job. We had a letter from your secretary, Mr. Grynde, asking us here to see if we couldn’t compromise. If we go back, and tell the boys you won’t meet us, there'll be trouble in the town.” ‘*Trouble be hanged!” said Skinner, fiercely. ‘You make trouble, and see what will come to you. We ain’t going to treat with you till you come back and work as you were working before this Larry Locke’ came to fool you all. What’s he done for ye, with his Knights of Labor? Will that give ve bread to eat?” ‘** Ay,” broke in Larry, ‘‘and you'll see it, too, Mr, inner. It’s your turn to-day. time it will be onrs, Good-day to ye all.” And he stalked out of the room, lookin and angry, while the men looked as if they were disappointed and maddened to the last degree. ext | A short silence followed, and then Mr. Grynde got up, and said, hurriedly: ‘*Mr. President, I don’t believe in this way of doing business. I offer my resignation.” ‘* Move we accept it at once,” said Barr; and Skinner rapped out: ‘* Second the motion. We want to know just where we stand. I ain’t doin’ any milksop business myself.” And so the motion was put and carried. and Mr. Grynde walked out of the room, very — and seeming to be much ashamed of himself. Soon after he was gone, they heard a great groaning in the street below, and Barr went to ae window and looked out, to report a moment ater: ‘* The street's full of them, and they’re telling old Grynde what they think of us. That Larry Locke’s trying to speak.” They all left their seats to crowd to the win- dows, and look down. The street was full of a surging mass of people, mostly men in their shirt sleeves, and they were hooting and groaning at Larry Locke and Mr. Grynde. who stood side by side on a big horse-block. Presently they heard Larry shout, in a pause of the groaning: ‘“* Let the man speak, He’s going to give in.” The words produced an instant bush, and men pressed close to the horse-block to listen to what was coming. Then Grynde lifted up his voice to shout: ‘*My millo —Pve left the Union—Ill take—all—the old hands.” There was a tremendous burst of cheering, and when it ‘as over a man yelled: ‘“Three cheers for Grynde! The strike’s over! Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!” The cheering was caught up, and in the midst of it Grynde and Larry disappeared in the crowd, which surged toand fro with a great buzzing and noise, till a voice in the assembly roared: ‘Three groans for the other bosses! Break the windows on ’em.” The cry spread like wildfire, and the men began to howl and yell at the windows where the manufacturers were assembled, so that the hastily retired, none too soon. : A moment later stones began to fly and the crashing of glass told that damzge was being done, for the excited strikers nad found a way to vent their enger at last. ‘We'd better get out of this,” cried Mr. Kelly, hastily. ‘* They'll do us a mischief if we don’t Jook ont. There's a back door leads into a little street behind the mill.” And he set the ——- by running off down- stairs as hard as he could, while they could hear the tramp of feet in the mill, with the sound of voices in great excitement yelling out threats against the bosses as they ran. They went for a little back stairway. by which the hands were wont to be dismissed, and got out before they were discovered: but no sooner were they in the lane than they heard a great | din in the shop they had left, and Kellyex- — ont They're break the plant. My God, I ‘They're breaking up the plant. shall be ruined.” tree. **Not a bit of it,” answered Skinner. wish they'd do it to mine. nlithey can. I’m going for the soldiers,” ‘Ay, ay,” panted old by his long run. ‘Let’s telegraph the goy- ernor for help at once. There’s a regular riot.” They scattered to find their carriages, which had driven away as soon as the crowd began to — stream in, and found them in most cases dam- aged, wherever they had been recognized as be- * longing to the magnates of the mills, As for Skinner, he had walked down, and he i walked back by the way of side-streets, till he came to his own house, where he proceeded to t on_some old, plain clothes, with a revolver na belt round his waist, after which he sallied out into the street to see what was to be seen, confident that he would not be recognized by the strikers. When he got into the principal street of Holes- burg, he found everything, to all seemin peaceful and quiet, people Fora their one. nary avocations, but the strikers, at lounging about everywhere in the morning, seemed to have vanished from the business streets entirely. . Yet he very soon began to hear all sorts of — rumors in the of scene, as men met together in little knots, an Paty say: x Yes, it’s true. I saw the message after the operator had sent it.” fg ‘** And what was it?” asked bis friend. ‘*It was to the governor asking for troops to defend life and property. They say that Kelly and Barr’s place was gutted, and that the men are threatening to burn all the mills in revenge for the bosses holding out so long.” ‘** That would be nonsense,” replied his friend. ‘* What good would it do them to burn the mills? They'd get no work out of that.” **That’s very true, but men @6n’t think of that when they’re in a passion. <eom ooo) cs (E ns—to-morrow—at the old scale “é I Don’t you know the — county’s liable for thedamage? Let themsmash — Barr, who was winded o had been | at last he heard one person | 4 » ine, They’ve got a men a : _ ~te if “is ’ "> ‘+, 2 = ‘ “==, = om * - - _* % *a3 es ma A= os A a: aie >.