The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-05-30

was doing, he crushed opposition and
won his point, and the Undertakes
fixed a night for the mastering in of
their battalion and a reception to Ma
| jor' F'lourens. All this, of course, was
contrary to law, military and civil,
there was no such title as major in the
National Guard, but the government
dared not antagonize Belleville at such
a moment.
When Bourke and Hardwood entered
the hall, nobody apparently paid them
the slightest attention. They slipped
quietly upstairs to the wooden gallery,
found a seat on the steps between two
aisles. and looked down at the tumult
below. A thick fog of tobacco smoke
hung over everything, through which
gas jets burned with pale, attenuated,
spear-like flames. High on the three
seats of the tribune, behind the pulpit
shaped desks, sat three men; on the
right FlourenS, young, flushed, hand
some, blue eyes dilated and nOstrils
fairly quivering with impatience; on
the left sat Mortiery all body and handy
legs, with the eyes of a lunatic deep
set under a high. bald. domelike fore
head. In the middle Buckhurst sat.
Hardwood and Bourke leaned for
ward, eyes fixed on this Incompetent
sible International criminal He sat
there, pale eyes set in a paler face, q
man OF ~, lllHe Oh HlONeIleHlf wen pIO-
portioned, dainty Of hand and foot.
There was a hardness about his
smoothly shaver face, yet each fea-
ture was well nigh perfect-except his
eyes. These were so pale in color that
in the gas flare they looked almost
pearly.
The hall was packed with the undertake
ers and their friends. sitting cheek by
jowl around hundreds of the little tables.
loppy with beer dregs and the blue-black
lees of cheap wines. Everybody was
smoking. cheering, screeching, hammer
ing beer mugs on the round iron tables.
Women waved wine glasses in tho smoke
choked glare; soldiers of the national
and sword sheaths. Red flags were
draped around the hall alternating with
hideous decorations, mostly emblems of
death and the undertakers profession. In
the midst of the uproar. the foul smoke
reeking atmosphere. and stencil of stale
beer. half a dozen well-fed reporters sat
writing at a long table which stood di-
rectly in front of the base of the tribune.
Their sleek. rudy faces, their well
groomed persons, silk hats, ivory-handled
walking sticks. fat cigars tucked under
waXed muStacheS, presented a picture at
once incongruous and reassuring. OBJ
livious to the crowd, the STENCIL the fur
ious Nominations from militant an
archists, denouncing everything includ-
porters scrubbed away at their pads,
sharpened pencils. or flicked the ashes
from good cigars under the very noses
in the very faces-of the most irresponsi-
BILE crowd of ruffians that ever gathered to
encourage each others criminal Instincts.
Mortier began to speak, rising on his
a red handkerchief. Under the grotesque
dome of his bald forehead his villainous
face contracted till the scrubby beard
bristled. When he opened the black
cavern of his mouth Single tooth broke
the monotony of his grinning gums.
He spoke for. a long time. his piercing
voice splitting the choked atmosphere till
the crowd howled again and the dreadful
tumult broke back from the echoing raft
ers into very hell of sound.
Flourens followed. speaking first earn
leaped to the platform before his desk
and stretched out his arm. Every move
ment set the Gaslisht glittering and SHIN
mering over the gilded arabesques on
his uniform. The crowd roared, mad with
eXultation.
Then Buckhurst ,oSe.
At the first quiet word a hush fell over
the hail. His voice was placid, passion
less, cool. and grateful as summer show
ers.
Citizens he said, you have organized
voices to the voices of the other two
battalions; legion has been formed
Major Flourens is your leader.
THE government says that he is not
We diner from the government=we ex-
pect to differ more seriously still-when
the times comes. At present we can af-
f0rd TO walt But q time Is very near
when orders that come from the Paials
Bourbon will be countermanded by or
ders issued from the Hotel de VILE. The
undertakers need larger hall-the Hotel
de Vile is not too large"
The frantic cheering checked him for a
moment. Then he resumed:
For a time 1t is best that we go to the
ramparts. that we fight the Prussians un-
der the tri-color. This Is policy-for the
moment But-policies change so do
flags, so does what is now called patriot
ism.
Citizen Mortier has reminded you that
universal brotherhood is not compatible
with patriotism. that the red flag of re-
volt is the universal banner of human
brotherhood. that there is nobler game
for your rifle bullets than the hearts of
battle-driven peasants. who although
comrades in arms against the wealth of
all the world. II is well to bear this in
mind-and wait.
And now. as you have elected Major
Flourens chief of the new legion. and as
you have elected me commandment of your
battalion l ask you for the privilege of
naming to you two of my fellow country
men for election as captains of the Third
battalion"
Name them! Name them:p shouted
the crowd
Bourke leaned over the balcony, clutch
ing Harewoods arm
by heavenr he whispered. do you
see who he's going to name?'
Hardwood, mute with establishment
stared down at the platform where two
men had mounted from the crowded floor
and now stood facing Buokhurst
The two men were Speyer and Stauffer