Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-01-25

y
fire will do il, though
Ezekiel Breton elbowed his way into thei
midst
He had lost his hat, and stood pale in hi
agony in the presence of the men WIZ
thought he had wronged them. He was con
scious of no guilt; he had only made hi
money as others made theirs; fairer, indeed
than mere money lenders who added moth
ing TO the worlds productions. He knew, O
course, the poor suffered, but a man can't b,
too squeamish, and the same road was opei
to them that lie had taken. And as fol
wages, who could blame man for getting
help as cheaply as he canl That is business
Mr. Breton knew but one argument fol
them.
"If you want pay,n he shouted, "here Is
money, a dollar an hour to each man"
But not a face relaxed; he looked fearfully
from one to another, and then up at the
grinning face of the stranger, "only save
my mill" The old man put up his hand to
his white hair in a piteous gesture as he
glanced at the sheets of flame and lurid
smoke that shut off the sky above his devoted
mill.
''See the fire grows every second, we arc
lost unless you 50 to work l will pay ten
dollars an hour
The brakes began to move slowly up and
down. Philip felt the water throb through
the hose as it touched his side, but it was
only one fltful squirt, for the stranger, who
seemed to hold the mills at his mercy, had
found his voice again.
"Keep yer money, old man; you will need
every penny Of it, for you've cheated yer last
out of yer help in them mills. Yer mill hez
got TO go'
Philip saw his father turn toward his mills,
the pride Of his life, and look as fondly at
their grim walls "A man the woman he
loves, and the tears of futile agony wet his
checks. That moment the young man aged
ten years.
The crowd fell back again, and another
speaker mounted the strange rostlum He
looked young for such crisis, but there was
a new suggestion of power in his lips and the
sullen crowd wondered what he thought he
could say to persuade them
81 suppose" began Philip slowly, as if
every minute might not be worth fortune
~ presume" and his voice sounded dry and
hard, 'you will want your wages as usual,
next pay day Is there any one Of you fool
ish enough To imagine you will get them if
the mills gof'
Then the young man glanced at the burly
stranger who, clearly enough was taken
aback by this new style of appeal to a crowd.
Possibly this broad shouldered friend Of
yours is going TO find a living for you. You
| have got to find it somewhere, and you won't
have particularly good characters to recon-
mend you to new tyrants.
"Mnd, men, l don't say but it is quito
fair but mill owners manage their business
about the same way 1t is all very well to
complain but the first necessity is a place to
work; if there isn't that, you surely can't
have any rights. l may as well tell you, the
mills are heavily insured, and you can't quite
| have the rare satisfaction of seeing that old
man ruined. But doubt if he will care to
put any more mills under such extra risks.
Some of your women and ignorant people,
who don't see the fun of starving, may think
| you have done poor nights work"
| The stranger had disappeared, and the
faces of the men, clustered about their en-
| gine, had lost their sullen cast. The young
mans black eyes glistened in the new ecstasy
! of an orators triumph.
"One thing will promise. l will do what
I can in your behalf. l know tho lines Of
most of you have fallen into hard places, and
promise If | can see any way to tighten the
burden of life on your shoulders l will help
you"
The men returned to their work with n
murmur of approval. Was it too latea
The brakes started up again. The men
ran up the ladders again, with the hose in
UnelT IillltlS, III inc renewed DtllIib Nllu llS
fire. Philip had moved the crowd He had
chosen instinctively the only method for tho
crisis, while the flames cracked and flashed
in high carnival. But was it not too latel
The men were working with new energy;
new hopes were in their hearts. The mill
owners son had promised to help them; he
sympathized with their cherries poverty,
and who could do more than hes
If the whole line of mills went it would be
upon their consciences, and the thought put
fresh strength into their weary arms and
more fearless courage into their hearts But
precious time had been lost and the wind had
changed so that now the red, greedy tongue
of flame Tapped the frowning brick walls of
the next mill, and lavished their hot wanton
kisses as il it were love and not hate whose
fury would consume them.
When the moon was setting in the west,
that night, Mr. Breton found his son all
griny with smoke, with clothes torn, and
drenched in water, out of all sembauce to
the gentleman Of elegant leisure. He stood
by the smoldering ruins of Number Two
mill
"Aren't you coming home tonight, Philip,
my dear boy1 How proud Bertha would
have been if she could have seen her hero to-
night
Berthal What strange influence her
words and manner at parting had left upon
him; as if, some way, in leaving her just
when he did, he had lost her forever. God
forbid! He could not shake it off; it was
with him as he waited almost alone in the |
great mill yards all the excitement and re- |
sponsibilities of the night had not dispelled |
it. He looked down moodily into the smOk- |
ing mass of crumbled walls and roof and |
blackened tmbers, and watched for the little |
forks of flame that started up boldly, now |
and then, as if it were not yet too late for a |
new battle, and then seemed abashed at find |
ing themselves alone in the dark, and sank |
back.
"You have saved the mills, p" said his father, |
wringing his bruised hand till it hurt him
"God bless you, my son. didn't guess how
much there was in you"
Philip looked up at the scorched walls Off
on the right, and the long pile of massive
structures away to the left, mistaken by the
whirlwind Of fire. In few hours more they
would be alive with rushing belts and wheels,
and with the feet of the men and women,
telling how strange it was there was a place
left for work today. Yes, he had saved
them, but at what priceW He spoke half to
himself. If he only knew what Bertha had
meant.
"What price, Oh, your promise to do what
you could for Vie men and all that 1t was
guardedly put, my boy" And his father
laughed approximately. 'Inexorable parent (
must be considered though, ha, ha. You will
catch your death OF cold. Well if you will
stay, good night"
tTo BE coNTINUEDl
LOCAL NOTICES.
Insure in the Boylston Insurance Co. Of