Morris tribune., 1895-04-10
ICoPrsIaHr. 1894 ]

could guess, when Stocking and the
two young women got aboard one of
the box-cars and accompanied him to
the bayou entrance. Very little was
said on the way. Calicot was appre-
hensive and not disposed 20 talk. His
chief fear was that something would
occur to interfere with their departure
at the last moment. 1t seemed to him
that the rotunda was full of men and
be suspected that Hendricks had been
getting fresh recruits at the bayon
end during the fight at the Laran
portal.
When they arrived at the end of their
Journey, Stocking very nearly upset
the project by suddenly refusing to
so unless his friend accompanied them,
and it required all the firmness and per-
suasion that Calicot could command to
Induce him to proceed. do not" he
said, ''imperil everything by giving up
your faith in me now. On the day after
tomorrow, when you have secured the
safety Of your companions, you are to
come back for me. The government
will have some of its forces here then,
and the issue will not be doubtful, be-
ieva me. But / must stay here to-
night and tomorrow to learn all can
OF the plans at the conference. Mr..
Franklin. understand. has secured
money esough to take care of himself
and daughter. You are free man.
Do net hesitate"
THY parted at the entrance to the
lift Stocking was sallen and uncer-
tain, bus he came back and wrung his
friends hand silently, and Calicot felt
that the action was a pledge. A mo-
ment later he turned and mounted the
steps of the railway platform with q
sense of oesolatkon in his heart and an
unmistakable raoisture in mis- eyes.
When they c:alns, 30 the rotunda he
told the guard chat he would get off
and walk b.clz later to the arena.
He was left standing on the plat.
form when tne car moved away. The
great dense shadows covered him from
the army Of men below. He walked
along the ties to the great wooden
doors of the magazine and stood there
mo.aent Then he descended the
steps and was lost in the crowds of
men below
Ee had expected to meet Hendricks
as IDS military headquarters, but one
Of the captains who know him said
that there was q meeting of some kind
AID Hendricks and ali the other chiefs
hal gone to She oiiice in the arena
where it was quiet.
He then made his way as speedily as
he could through the coal corridors to
the arena and was surprised to see how
completely the chaos of a few hours
ago had disappeared. Nearly all the men
had been gathered into the rotunda,
and sa~a a few groups here and there
and the worlSmen and officers scat
tered about the place was deserted,
Without definite purpose he went
immediately to the quarters where
he and Stocking had lived together so
lorg. Something of a morbid desire to
feel its loneliness now that his .oaly
companion was gone, actuated MIN.
The door stood ajar and he walked
In. The moment he was inside he
heard voices. He listened. They came
from the adjacent quarters that had
been occupied by the women. He
moved softly along the partition to the
little corridor that connected the
houses. 1t was dark, ave for the
light that came through an inch or
two of open door at the other end. He
locked through.
To his amazement he saw that the
room was filed with people, and he !
knew at once that this was the final
consultation of the conspirators Hen
bricks was there, SO also were Mrs.
Hendricks and Fenning. The others
he did not know; he was certain he
had never seen them before. The
10 arked character of the men convinced
him at once that they were no ordinary
sehcmers.
Hendricks was speaking and Calicot |
dew from his pocket pad of paper
AID a short pencil, and listened. The |
speaker was rccapitulating what he |
Fad done in the Laran from the start,
and evidently endeavoring to convince
shem that the conspiracy never could |
have obtained it's present momentum |
ff it had not had safe and impregna-
|
ITO organize an army in the teeth of |
the authorities was as impossible in
America as in Russia" he said. .:Bnt |
have organized the nucleus Of "a
standing army the touch of which will |
convert your struggling materials into
soldiers. We are now prepared to
strike the first blow. We have all |
worked patiently to this point. In
three days we must be prepared to take
the field.
Everything depends upon instant
and accurate cooperation. If we are
4 unit in our work we are inyinci-
BILE, for it will take month for the
opposing elements to consolidate
against us and then they will be too
late. Now let us see what our pro-
gramme is. On the morning after to-
morrow, Chicago will be in flames and
the executive and his cabinet at Wash
lnzton viii be destroyed. Dynamite and