Evening star., 1897-02-20

they had valued lightly were the workmen
whom he priced. Yet it could not be de-
MED even by those who lost in the game of
reorganization. that the more conservative
men thus advanced Were among the most
capable workmen in the factory. They were
the men who had most to lose by a strike
and had naturally been most reluctant to
. enter into a contest the end of which no
one could foresee. By and by il began to
be suspected that the manager must have
In his possession a complete 6nd accurate
record of every action and speech during
the strike. so entirely did his shifting about
of the pawns, which he played with such
cool and silent relentIessness, coincide with
the doings of each piece during the trouble
they thought was past and hoped had been
forgotten. In some instances II seemed as
il Sartwell had deliberately marked the
contrast by bringing the degraded and the
elevated into purposeful juxtaposition, so
that his design in showing that he held the
future or each man in his hand could not
be misunderstood by even the most stupid
OF his employees. 1t was a grim object les
son, apparently intended to convey Sart-
wells determination to stick by the men
who, even remotely, had Sympathized with
him i'll the late struggle; for not word
was spoken. and when man protested
hunb!y against debdsement the manager
made no reply. and the workman knew he
had either to submit or TO apply for his
wages at the office.
In no instance was the evidence of Sart-
wells silent wrath more manifest than in
the cases OF Braunt and Scimmins. The two
men had been equal in position when the
strike began, although Scimmins received
rather more money than Braunt. Now
Braunt made superintendent of the up
per floor, where most Of the employees were
women and boys, while Scinmins was Civ
ct the work which of the boys who
did not return at the end of the strike had
done. Scimmins had the double humilia ton
Of being under the none too gentle orders of
the big IOrkshireman whom he had fiouted
during the strike, and also OF having TO
accept little more than boys wages. He
cursed SsrjwelI loud and often; but the
manager was Il man who paid little heed to
the curses Of others. and Scimmins was not
in = position TO refuse the small pay he re-
CeiVed.
SartweIl had al last arranged the interior
economy of the factory 10 his liking, and
was just promising himself few days
free from worry down at Eastbourne. when
most unloOked-for diseaster overturned
all his plans. shortly before the dinner
hour he was coming down the stairs from
The upper floor, when shrek, which seem
ed u he the combined voices of those he
Rad left moment before, paralyzed him
where he stood The nrst thought that
flashed through his mind was that Braunt
had gone suddenly mad and, PERHAPS
killed some one, for the manager had no.
tied s-n-e Braunt's promotion that he
sometimes spoke wildly. while now and
sgatf there was a dangerous maniacaI
I-eam in his eyes which betokened latent
insanity Before h. could turn around two
o.sAey@iei- screaming women passed him
What's wroHg2' ne shouted after them
'F.re.' they shrieked back at him as
they fed.
o As Satrwell bounded up the stairs he met
no more coming down He heard outside
IN the yard a mans deep voice hoarscIy
shouting Fire. Fire. The managers
heart saEN he thought OF the numbers
On the upper GCCr. the narrow stairway
and the single exit. The other floors were
reasonably safe. with brGau stair"ays ana
VIDE luUr5- hl.t tho i4pP ~ Ni4.b
I'ariy hal but few occupants had long
been q source Of anxiety u him. fearing
as ne did. just such catastrophe as now
seemed imminent. The reueIying OF this
had often been agreed upon by both the
owners AID himself. and was among the
gtoi intentions which were at various
t:ines postponed 20 a more convenient sea
fcn-aHd ROW the cry OF 'F'irer' was ring
lag in Eis ears, and the narrow stair vas
the only means of escape
lie found the open doorway blocked by a
mass OF bowling human beings, each wild
TO escape and each making escape impos-
siole- They were wedgei and immoyable
many too tightly compressed TO struggle
while others further back thrashed wildly
about with their arms, trying to fight their
way to safety.
o The dangerous aromatic smell Of hurnips,
pine filled the air. and smoke poured up
tfroogh the lift shaft and rolled in ever
increasing density along the ceiling. There
was no flame yet. but II the lam couId
rot he broken it would not need the FIRE
itself 10 smother the life out of those in the
hopeless contest
stand back. there cried SartweIl
There Is no danger II you keep cool. All!
OF you go back to your places I'll go In
with you and be the last 10 leave so
there's nothing 10 fear"
red tongue OF fame flashed for the
twinkling OF an eye amid the black smoke
disappearing almost as soon as il came
hut sending a momentary glow like sheet
lightning ever the rapidly darkening room
1t was brief but ominous reply TO Sart-
wells words, and he saw he might as well
have spoken to the tempest He tried to
extrfcate one of the girls. whose wildly
staring eyes and pallid lips showed she
was being crushed TO death. but she was
wedsed as firmly in the mass as II ce
mented there. Sartwell with a Rroan OF
despair, saw he was powerless in the facs