Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-04-22
The strike is over,

Office in the gray dawn. sick and dir with the
horrors OF the nights experience. L shU. my
eyes and the picture stands ont before ue-the
dark night. the Hall with its lights glowing out
| through the windows, the gay party OF Young
people in the drawing room; the gieam of
| torches outside the mob of desperate men, the
angry. upturned faces. There was a tramp Of
feet. hoarse shouts and a stone crashed through
| q window and shattered the chandelier
The music stopped with a discordant crash
There was an instant confusion and above it all
there were the hoarse cries for Jere Hartman.
sprang through the piazza window and
faced the men. They knew ne well, and Big
John shouted:
We've naught agains. you. John Spencer.
We mean 20 harm to any. but the master must
hear us. Bring out the MASTER
Come like honest men, in daylight and talk
it over calmly" l urged; mot at night. like o
mob of rutians with stones for argUments.''
Jere Hartman had come out 20 them. They
| greeted him with an angry shout.
I'VE are to be pu. off no longer. Is it our
| rights by fai- means or by foul, Jera Harman?
Your rights" began Jere Hartman in his
harsh. stern voice. L saw that Nellie Hartman
had slipped out to her fathers side and laid her
hand pieadingly on his shoudeT. She did not
fear the angry men. for willingly not one OF
| them would have harmed hair OF her dainty
head. saw that she wouid have pleaded with
her father to be gentle win them.
Yes. our rights!' yelled voice in the
| Z
blind with raGe-surely lie did not see the girl
at her fathers side A stone whiZzed through
| the air. 1t might have been Jere Uarran's
deathblow: instead, it struck her. It cut a
| great. cruel cash just above the temple.
| They sprang toward her--her friends. her
lover-but Nellie Hartman put her two hands
out to me with a sharp. gasping cry.
| Jack. Jack she said, and 1 caught her in
my arms.
| I have lired over the agony. the Joy, OF
thai moment all through the long, lonely hours
of this night.
1t Big John himself who brought the
| doctor and cried like child when they told
him she was dying. His little crippled child
she had loved and cared for, and it had died III
her arms. Aye. and that harm should have
| come to her, who was more gooll and innocent
of wrong than the angels" muttered Big John,
| brOkenly, as he went away softened and sorrow
| full.
Jere Hartman sent me on. to tell the men
that ne had yielded, and In the silence OF death
| they went away.
| The strike il over.
As sis here i'll the gray dawn, waiting. fear
ing, dreadinS the coming OF the morning and
the newsl 1t may bring. hear the clatler of
horses hoofs. 1t Is Il servant from the Hall rid
| ing to the village some Grand
| What news!' call out hoarsely. and learn
thai The worst is over and tat she will live.
| =,
Nellie Hartman lowered between life and death
for long weeks. and worked as L had never
worked before. Jere Hartman left much of the
management of the mill i'll my hands, and put
heart and brain in the work or 1 should have
! gone mad in those weeks with the longing to
see her face. When she was well again / spent
many evenings at the Hall. talking business
with her father, who came seldom to the Office
in those days. He had broken in health with
the recent troubles and had lost energy, but he
| was gentler and kinder than of old
| Harry Desmond WAS ALWAYS the-a lint
a dull guest 1 could not endure his light
heartedness, the triumph in his eyes. the hap
piness in his laugh. could not endure that he
sh cuid call her by name or smile on her.
I was a mad fool!
1 told Jere Hartman that must 20 away;
that must have rest, change vacation. Cor
don. the young foreman, could take my place,
urged. and he consented though grudgingly.
Tie last evening promised him 70 spend at
| the Hail and go over the accounts with him.
Never had Nellie been brighter or gayer..
felt vague pang that my going was so little to
her.
1t was early when Desmond left and i'm.
| mediately iose to go. Jere Hartman grasped
my hand cordially in farewell and Nellie said
simply Goodbye" and went down the path
slowly and sadly.
suddenly heard light, flying step behind
me as reached the shadow Of the trees.
1t was Nellie.
stepped back in the darkness. She stopped
| a. IL listening and then came toward me.
II thought / should overtake you," she
whispered. slipping her arm through mine.
| '.Did You think I could let you 20 away tonight
without q last word?" There was something
in her voice, tenderness, that explained all
She had come ont to meet her lover, Desmond,
and mistaken me for him in the darkness. But
to have her so near was very sweet. She
| seemed not to care for speech. She was very
| still-just claspinG my arm and leaning ever 20
gently against my shoulder. The Temptation