The Delta independent., 1896-03-11

OF the plans Mt Tie conference. hr.
Franklin, l understand, has secured
money enough to take care of himself
and daughter. You are q free man.
Do not hesitate"
They parted at the entrance to the
lift. Stocking was sullen and unccr-
tain, bnt he came back and wrung his
friends hand silently, and Calicot felt
that the action was a pledge. A mo-
mcnt later he turned and mounted the
steps OF the railway platfornswith a
sense of desolation in his heart and an
unmistaliablc moisture in his eyes.
When they came to the rotunda he
told the guard that he would get off
and walk back later to the arena.
He was left standing on the plat
form when the car-1noved 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
moment. Then he descended the
steps and was lost in the crowds of
men below.
He had expected to meet Hendricks
at his military headquarters, but one
OF the captains who knew him said
that there was a meeting of some kind
and Hendricks and all the other chiefs
had gone to the Office in the arena
where it was quiet.
lie 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 few hours
ago had disappeared. Nearly all the men
had been gathered into the rotunda,
and save few groups here and there
and the workman and officers seat
tered about the place was deserted,
Without a definite purpose he went
Immediately to tho quarters where
he and Stocking had lived together so
long. Something of morbid desire to
feel its loneliness now that his only
companion was gone, actuated him.
The door stood ajar and he walked
in. The moment he was inside he
heard voices. lie listened. They came
from the adjacent quarters that had
been occupied by tho women. lie
moved softly along the partition to the
little corridor that connected the
houses. 1t was dark, save for the
light that came through an inch or
two of open door at the other end. He
looked through.
10 his amazement he saw that the
room was filed with people. and he
knew at once tnaC lhis was the final
consultation of the conspirators. Hem
bricks was there, so also were Mrs.
Hendricks and Fenning. The others
he did not know; he was certain he
had mover seen them before. The
marked character of the men convinced
him at once that they were no ordinary
schemers.
Hendricks was speaking and Calicot
drew from his pocket n pad of paper
and n short pencil, and listened. The
speaker was recapitulating what he
had done in the Laran from the start,
and evidently endeavoring to convince
them that the conspiracy never could
have obtained its present momentum
if it had not had safe and imprcgna-
bic stronghold to mature itself in.
ITO organize an army in the teeth of
the authorities was as impossible in
America as in Russia" he said. But
l have organized the nucleus of n
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
q unit in our work we are invinci-
BILE, for it will take a month for the
opposing elements to consolidate
against IS 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
ington will be destroyed. Dynamite and
the torch are the signals for the grand
movement of our scattered forces to the
two ccnters, and at the same time
appear in the field with trained army
and invite the people to save them
selves by coming to the peoples BAN
ner. There is no doubt in your minds
of the accomplishment of this. You
hold the signal, Garvoux, for the
work in Washington. l believe you
have made failure impossible if you
get bacl, there
my part Of the work is certain"
said Garvoux. 81 have four agents in
the white house"
.'And l." said white-haired man,
with vehcmence. will have one hun
dred thousand men in Chicago, needing
only leader. Every available force
of the government will be in Ten
nessee."
And I will be in Chicago on the
night of that day virtually dictator"
said Hendricks, ''if you have paralyzed
the executive arm at Washington. Cen
tlemen, if you leave here tonight pre-
pared to carry out our work we are
masters of the situation in four days"
Calicot leaned a moment against the
wall of the corridor. He appeared to
be faint. Then, as if making desper-
ate effort, he thrust the pad into his
pocket, and, turning, felt his way
along the passage and came out into
the arena. lie cast hurried look
around. The railway platform was
two hundred feet away, and car was