Beadle's Dime Library No. 412 — page 29: what you’re looking at

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

7? b> “4 o) , ’ : ‘ ¥ : pe slowly away, for he knew that an angry d on bis might occasion a scene of exci t he would not willingly undergo. He had taken advantage of the fact that Larry Locke had been reported dangerously hurt, and of his absence in court, to send out word to his old employees that he was ‘‘ready to take them all back at the old scale, and give them half a day’s extra pay if they would only come and start his furnaces at once.” He sent out this word knowing well the straits to which the striking workmen were reduced, and hoping that they would rely on his word in the absence of their leader. The bait had taken, by dint of solemn assur- ances, and the works were fullalready while the furnaces were ligh Kelly, as Locke had suspected, intended to play the men a trick by getting them to work on a verbal promise which he could break at any time, and here was his little scheme frus- trated by the sudden arrival of the very man he had hoped was laid up for a week, at least. ' With a sickly smils, as if he had dono every- thing properly, he said: mi y, the old scale, of course. I’ve left the Ironmasters’ Union, and, as far as this mill is concerned, the strike is over. Surely, you can’t blame me for getting to work at once, can you? I do hope, Mr. ke, that you are not going to ive us any further trouble. You say you are hting for the men. Well, you have won the fight, and they have got the scale they asked for. If you make any further trouble, it seems to me you are not standing their friend.” The appeal was an artful one, and made not so much to Larry, as to the men outside the window, who were listening closely. Locke saw tke trap the other had laid; but he had been too well trained in the tenets of his Order to be entrapped. “That is all very well; he said quietly, ‘ but that is not the question now, This strike was made by the Knights of Labor, and you have refused to treat with them. Now you are pre- tending to declare the strike off, without recog- nizing them. Have you made a written agree- ment with any one, to take the men on at the old scale: and if so, for how long? That is the question.” Kelly bit his lip. He did not daro to lie; for he saw the men at the window, so he said, with a sickly smile: ‘Why, no, I have made no written agree- ment with any one. My word is well known in the trade, as being as good as any other man’s bond.” ‘‘Then with whom have you made a vwr- bal agreement?” asked Larry, in thesame stern, cold tone, very unlike that of a man who deems work a favor, to be accepted with thanks, ‘‘ Well, with each of the men individually, as they came in,” said the iron-master, a little un- easily. ‘* Now, Mr. Locke, don’t go to making any more trouble, and putting these poor men. out of a job. They are all quite satisfied, and you have no right to interfere with them. Isn't that so, boys? Tu his eagerness to get rid of Locke, he rashly appealed to the men at the window; but the re- sponse he elicited was far from beimg favorable, for one of them said dryly: ‘‘ We're willing to stand by what Mr. Locke says. Let him go ahead, eare all listening to you and him.” rry heaved a sigh of relief; for he had be- gun to think, from the looks of things, that the manufacturer had induced the men to leave the strike and desert their comrades, He saw that they were with him yet; but doubtful as to the result of his negotiation. So he took a seat, unbidden, opposite the lordly ironmaster, on purpose to show them that he was able to maintain his pesition, and said slowly: * he, Kelly, this strike is not over, till you have signed a written agreement with the Knights of Labor, that you will allow all men in your employment the old scale, and that Knights shall not be discharged, on aecount of any thie done during this strike, so far. If you refuse this, the men will know that you do not intend to keep that word which you say is so good. Now, sir, are you willing to sign such an agreement, or shall the strike go on again. Yes or no?” As he spoke, he rose from his seat, and stood UU UI I IS enone a ————____ __. Larry Locke, the Man of Iron. — the dictatorial tone of the man he knew to be only a workman, but said sullenly: ‘“Yes,Iam. Ill write it out at once.” Larry shook his head. ‘*That will not be necessary, I have Sl ed form for just such cases, and we will fillit up and each take a copy.” Kelly winced, but had to yield. right,” he said. ‘*‘ You’re a hard man, but I'll do as you say.” ** And when it’s signed, it has to be read to all the men, so that there can be no backing out,” said Larry firmly. ‘‘ You had no business to call the strike at an end without a regular pa- per, and you will have to pay for it.” Kelly made a grimace, ‘*Confound it, man, you are as hard as iron. We heard you were half dead, and hore you are, as lively as ever.” Larry smiled slightly, as he drew from his poke the blank agreement to which he had re- erred, and sat down at a desk by the rich man- ufacturer, to fill out the proper conditions, ~ The men at the window never stirred from their places as the scratching of the P apes went on, and watched both, till they had seen the agreement signed. Then Larry beckoned to two of them to come in and witness the signatures, after which he folded up his copy, and put itin his pocket, with the quiet observation: ** Now, Mr. Kelly, as the Master Workman of this district, I declare this strike over. Good- morning, sir.” Then the men at the window raised a cheer as he walked out, while Kelly scowled after him, but ma _e no remark. Out in the yard, Larry stopped to say to the men present: ‘“* Boys, the strike is over at last, and you have got what you wanted. You came near losing it, through taking your own way, and forgetting that you must stick together, if you hope to beat capital. To-morrow, the other mills will open, or lam very much mistaken, The Knights of Labor have beaten the Bosses’ Union.” And with that he walked out of the mill into the street, where the first n he saw was Marcellus Skinner, driving slowly by the works which he was eying malevolently, as he noted the smoke coming from the furnaces. Larry, who was thinking only of the interests of his comrades, and had lost all sense of hisown private injuries, nodded to the ironmaster as he passed him, and obser ved: “*If you don’t give in ep. be Mr. Skinner, you will be the only man in Holesburg whose fire is out, to-morrow morning.” Skinner scowled bitterly as he replied: ‘*They can give in for all me; but 'm a rock; and you'll find that out yet, Mr. La I don’t give in, and I don't sell the works, neither. And you'll find out that all the tramps you can bring can’t swear me into prison for killing such cattle as you. nd with that he whipped his horse and drove on, leaving Larry with the sense that his own fight was not over yet. CHAPTER XL. CONCLUSION. Bout even Marcellus Skinner, obstinate as he was, could not stem the tide which had begun to set against him. The very next morning, as Larry had predict- ed to him, the strike was over in Holesburg, as far as the other manufacturers were concerned. The starting up of the big mill of Kelly & Barr had broken the back of the Ironmasters’ Union, and one by one, the other men signed the agree- ment to take back alJl their old hands, at the scale which had prevailed before Skinner under- took to cut them down. The sullen Skinner, on the day after this occurred, found himself the only man in town whose fire was out, while his old friends of the Union, as they passed him in the street, avoided his eye, or openly sneered at him for standing out, when the rest gave in. The strike had thrown a number of contracts back, and work had never been so plentiful in Holesburg, while Skinner had the satisfaction of seeing that many of the men whom he had discharged from his own mills, had gone into others which had been compelled to take on extra hands, Of course he was aware that this rush could only be pao! guess f and that before long, many of these men would be out of work; but all the same, the spectacle of other men making money, ee 29 Slack advised his client that it might be the means of inducing Larry to abandon the prose- cution, though the bribe had been insufficent to make him abandon his companions in the stwike. But a change came over the spirit of Mr. Skinner’s dreams, in the second week, when the Grand Jury met in the Court House. One day, his son, Tom, came running into his house with a pale face, to tell him that “* Van Slack wan to see him instantly.” The old man, surprised at the summons, and in a bad temper as it was, rapped out savagely to the trembling Tom: “Come to him ? What does the fellow mean? He's my lawyer and I pay him for his work, Let him come to me, curse his impudence!” Tom wrung his hands, ‘He says he don’t care whether you come or not: that you are in a bad hole and that Scriven has stolen a march on him. Oh father, father, I saw them myself, going into the district at- torney’s office, and Van Slack is all broke up.” “Saw who going? What does the boy mean?” asked the old man still more angrily. ‘‘ Are all you people gone crazy, together ” ‘No, it ain’t that,’ cried Tom, who seemed to be quite overcome at the news he was bringing. | ‘‘ But Scriven is there and he’s got Terror Jim Somers, and Snoopey, and all the fellers that we rigged out that ay, to lay out Larry Locke. ou’d best go see Van Slack, before it is too late, father. And this time the news had a visible effect on the hardened Skinner, for he turned gray, and Tom saw the sweat start out on his forehead, though all he said was: “Oh, it can’t be. He would have told me before! But he got out of his chair and walked rapid- ly round to the office of Van Slack, whom he found in the midst of his papers, with an air of great disquietude about him. When Skinner came in the lawyer said nota word till he had locked the door, when he came to bis client, and said in a low voice: ‘Scriven has stolen a march onus. He has ot all those men who laid for Locke, and the Grand Jury are examining them now. If you can’t make a compromise it’s all up with you, I’m afraid.” _ Skinner broke out into a vicious oath, ery- ing? . “What do I pay you for, if it is not to take ots my interests? You should have stopped this, Van Slack drew himself up at once, to repsy. in a very dignified manner, for he felt all the difference between himself and his client: ‘*Mr,. Skinner, Iam a respectable practitioner and cannot be expected to protect any one in breaking the Jaw. If you had told me that you wished this thing hushed up because there was something in it that you dared not have reveal- ed, I should have gone to Scriven long ago, and we could bave arranged it. As it is, it has gone too far, now that the Grand Jury bave got hold of it, and I don’t know what you cam do, unless you stand your trial. If they once indict you, you will have to give heavy bail, and I fear, from what I hear, that Somers has © a turned State’s evidence.” : He had hardly got through speaking when there came a smart rap at the door, and the bright buttons of a ge eiag were seen there, — ce sight of which even Skinner wilted as he asked: ‘*What’s the matter? here, officer?” The policeman, whom he knew well by sight. came in closer, and in a voice that showed he was performing a very disagreeable duty, said: — 7" | Ke Sorrs to have to do it, sir, but I've got a. “Tm A dp ntleman’s counsel, and he’s on bail now.” warrant for you.” Re On what charge?” asked Van Slack. the “This is a different thing,” was the reply- ‘‘Tt’s an indictment now, and I'll have to ta the gentleman along to the jail at once.” And thither Skinner had to go, though he got the policeman to send for a carriage to take him’ there, and once there he was lodged in a cell, the same as any other man, while he saw noth- ing of Van Slack till the evening, when he came to tell him that he had obtained a writ of habeas s, and that he had found a judge who would admit him to ball on the indictment at a heavy sum. “lve been to Scriven’s,” he added, when he was sure they were alone, ‘‘and he says that _— . "7 > What do you want — fh. by the window, with one hand raised, as if to Neos the fatal signal, which Kelly had already rned to dread. For a moment the manufacturer glanced at the workmen outside, but the look on their faces showed that they felt proud of the stand Larry had taken in their interests, and with a sigh he while he was idle, was a galling one to him, and he began to wax uneasy, on the second week after the strike ended. _He had seen and heard nothing of his prosecu- tion for conspiracy against Toots and his nephew, and began to think that it had blown over, though he had not dared to go near the jail to communicate with his partner in iniquity, young Van Beaver is not disposed tobe barsh, —__ f you will come down; but that if you wantto , fic ht they will give you the full benefit of the {| law. And what’s more, I have seena copyof f the testimony given before the Grand Jury.” ~ He said this with so much meaning that Skin- x ner asked in a faltering voice, that showedhe said: ‘‘T’m willing to do it, of course. Haven't I was beginning to weaken at last: promised the men a half day’s pay extra, | Mr. James Somers, He had thrown that inter-} ‘‘ And what wasit, VanSlack? Hasany ome if they came to work? Don’t be too hard, eng, person ever, at the instigation of Mr. | peached on me?” ei oe Locke.” wt Van Slack, who had counseled him that the best The lawyer nodded gloomily. ee | Larry curled his lip slightly. thing he could do was to plead ignorance of the | ‘‘Somers has made a clean breast of it, and | ‘‘Hard indeed. Come, Mr, Kelly, it has been | matter, and try to break down Snoopey, if the | all the rest have sworn to instructions given | a fair fight, and you have got togivein. Don’t | matter ever came before the Grand Jury, which by ou, and money paid by you, forthe p BT whine over it. Are you ready tosigntheagree-| the lawyer thought was doubtful. y | of having Larry Locke and your nephew, Paul | mentornot?” - Locke’s matter, about the mortgage, was Van Beaver, waylaid at night and killed, dur- 5 Kelly ground his teeth in impotent rage at ' hanging over the head of the workman and Van ° ing the tumults of the strike. I am bound to » { . . 7 : F | oe ” “Ts a “oO — . — = * = en ee SS eee ee ee eS ee A oe ee —- ee a Pee —— seme