The sun., 1897-01-03
THE MUTABLE MANY
ROBERT BARR.
Copyright, 1905. bp Robert Barr.
CHAPTER XIII.


certainty. and this slight merit made him
perhaps q trifc impatient with others who
could not be credited with similar foresight.
as his own wife would not have hesitated TO
bear witness. II would probably have filled
that Just woman with subdued. II psrdonable.
qualification had she known how wide OF the
mark her husband was In his estimate OF the
rssult on the strikers Of tho naws h" had com
mitted 10 tho care Of Marsten. Sartwell Inn
agined that the men. in their fury at tcing
outwitted. would turn on Gibbons and rond
him. He believed that Gibbons would not dare
tell his dupes, as Sartwcll persisted In calling
them. how the union had been bcfooled Into
supporting for weeks the bogus workmen
whom the manager had flung into It's credu-
lous lap. After wreaking.th their vengeance on
Gibbons and deposinG hin, they must return to
the works, reasoned tho manager. Their
money was gone. interest In tho strike had all
but died out, fresher events had compressed
II into q two.lino item IN the papers. subscrip-
tions had practically ceased; what then was
thore left but a return OF starvation. that
powerful ally Of masters all the world over2
But Sartwell forgot that the Englishmnn
knows how 70 starvc. No Indian ever tight
ems his belt anoth,r notch with grimmer deter.
mination to compress hunger than an English
man sets his teeth and starves, IL need bc. He
has starved on the ice near the pole and
under tho burning sun in tho desert.
lie has met famine face to face in be-
leagucrcd fort with no thought OF surrender.
and has doled with scrupulous sxactitude the
insufficient portions OF food a raft In mid
occaL. The poet has starved In his gnrrct,
making no outcry. aud the world has said,'lf
we had only known" In tho forests and on
the plains. In the jungle and on tho noun.
tains. and perhaps. In the great cities. amid
plenty. the EGGlishman has shown he knows
how to starve. saying with the poet:
Ihavc WINGED nor cried aloud.
When Gibbons heard what Marstcn had 10
tell he promptly said. ut Is n lie.' but the
committee looked one at the other with apprc-
hension in their faces. fearing II was the truth.
The question is" said Mnrsten, "are rou
going to let the men know thisy'
Certainly. IL Mud II is true; but don't be-
lieve a word OF 1t. Perhaps you want the
pleasure OF being the bearer OF bad nows TO the
men,"
II intend TO tell them II you do not"
'Of course I'm sorry We can't CRAFTY you."
TIE committee dismissed v arsten and went
into secret session, shortly afterward sepa-
rating to meet again in the evening JUST be-
fore the large gathering Ia the Salvation Hall.
In the interval Gibbons and his fellow men,
bcrs made active search for the alleged fraudu-
lent workmen. hut they found none; the birds
had flown. II was evident that the word had
been passed. and that. fearing the vengeance
OF the legitimate claimants TO the union
funds. the former "backlegs" had taken them
selves of out OF the reach OF possible harm.
When the committee met for the second
time that day the members were divided
among themselves as - the advisability OF
taking the men fully into their confdcnce.
Some thought 1t best 10 break the doleful
news gradually; others that tho worst should
be known at once. Gibbons, however. said
there was In reality 10 choice the men must
be told the whole truth. for II the committee
tried.any half me isures. Marstan would un-
doubtedly rise in his place and relate what Sart-
well had told him. So the whole truth and
nothing but the truth WAS resolved upon.
When Gibbons faced his audience that night
in tho large hall. he saw tha, he had to deal
with a body OF men hose mood was totally
different from that OF the crowd which light
heartedly voted with hurrah TO go on strike.
Therciwas now little jocularity among the men
they sat in their places in sullen silerce. A
feeling that something omnous was in the air
seemed TO pervade the hall. and as Gibbons
stepped TO the front OF the platform he felt
that the atmosphere OF the place was against
him: that he had to proceed with great eau.
ton. or his hold the men vas lost. He
knew he was a good speaker. but he
know also that the men were just q trife i'm.
patient with much talk and such small result
from II all.
Combination" he began. "is tho natura,
consequence OF tho modern conditions OF la.
Dor. working nan of to-day may be lik.
ened TO n single pipe in a large organ. He car
sound but note. He spends his life doins
part OF something. He does not begin any
article of commerce, 90 on with II. and finish 1,
rs did the workpen Of former days; he mere
lv takaa IL from N fellow Va hn haa mn,
. touch on 1t. 1uts his own touch oil II and
passes It on to another. and thus the articl,
travels from hand to hand until II reaches the
nnisher. The workman OF to-day Is merely q
small ,og on a very large wheel and so. II h,
does not combine with his fellows he Is help
less. The workman OF former times wa
much moro indepcndent. He began his worl
and completed II. II he was a cooper he mad,
tho whole barrel. hooping IL and heading It.
an organ. the workman OF yesterday nigh
be likened TO a flute on which q whole tun,
could be played. He"
'Ah. chuck IT," cried . disgusted man ir
Sront 1--WE don't want philosophy; W,
wants strike pay, or masters pay"
Ear. ear rang through the hall; tn,
int-rrupter quite evidently voicing the senti
ment OF tho meeting. Gibbons stood for ,
second or. two looking at them.
Yes" he cried, like n trumpet call, II will
chuck It, This is not the time for philosopy
as our friend said; It is the time TO act. wheI
man strips to fight. what docs he expect2"
"A id good thrashinx," was the un
looked-for reply.
II Is never safe for AN orator to depend OF
his audience for answers to his questions; bu
the laugh. that went up slowed Gobbons thA
the crowd was getting into better humor
which was what he most desired.