The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1902-10-25

of the town after leaving DIR. Farm
| hams and parting from the other
dinner guests.
But this night the thought of Mrs.
Holcomb's and the quiet room was
curiously repugnant, and so he
roamed, like any vagrant, far and
wide, drifting at length to the rail-
way crossing and beyond, and COM
ing to some sense of the actualities
only when he found himself in the
| neighborhood of the iron works.
J At this he would have turned back
Since the closing of the works the
plant had been guarded nightly;
first by the inner circle Of deputies,
and later by an outer Gordon of the
striking workmen. This outer guard
had latterly been maintained n re-
liefs and made continuous, osteusibly
| to show the good will of the strik-
ers and their readiness to protect
the property; but really, as Girls
void knew, to forestall any move on
the part of himself and Raymer to
imported labor.
| 1t was a chance collision with this
outer guard that brought Griswold
alive to the actualities. Two men
stepped out of the shadow of tree
and halted him. But at the word
one of them recognized him.
"Oh, it's you, Mr.. Griswold. Beg
pardon, sir, but you see we have to
be sort O. careful"
+ Griswold's smile was openly cyni-
cal. 'Your carefulness is good
bit overdue, Martin. 1t should have
begun before you made this sense
less strike
| Now the man Martin was in some
sort a leader among the discomfort
ed workmen. and he asked nothing
better than chance to argue the
point with one of the bosses.
"There's two sides to that. Mr.,
Griswold, and you hain't seen but
one. You don't know what it means
to earn your bread from day to day
like we do"
Don't II" said Griswold, smiling
again, this time without the Gym
icism. "Perhaps I don't, and again,
perhaps l do. You're an older man
than am, Martin, but I'll venture to
say that I've gone lacking more
meals in year than you have in
your whole lifetime"
The man WAS silenced for a mo-
ment, but presently found tongue
again.
"Then what makes you so tarna-
| lion hard on us fellOwS?" he de-
manteJ. eff you've known what a
bare cupboard means for yourself,
sh'd think you could put yourself
in workn'man's place."
81 can and do; and so does Ray
mer. But you won't believe anything
we say, and that settles it,"
"lt hain't come to anything like a
settlement yet" remarked the man,
sullenly.
sit has, so far as we are concerned.
IT we can't hc allowed to run our
business in our own way the plant
may stand idle. It's ours"
81 don't know about that, Mr..
Griswold."
"About what?'
about the plant bein' yours and
Mr.. Raymer's. Seems like we fell
lows that helped earn the money to
build it ought to have some little
say"
Now this was one of the founda-
ton stones in Griswold's theories
and in his book; that the laborer is
entitled, not to dividend share in
the product Of his labor, but to the
entire product. But as yet he was
only broad enough to lay down the
general principle. He could by no
means apply it to the particular per-
sonal instance.
THAT is nonsense, Martin, and you
know it, Whose money built the
plant?"
The man took time to think about
it, and, as slow men often do, he
thought it over to some purpose.
81 s'pose you could say that amt
for me to say, but I'm goin' to say
it. Mr.. Raymer got his money from
the old man, and we, and others like
us. helped him earn it. I dunno who
helped you earn your money, Mr..
Griswold. Maybe you earned it all
yourself, but I don't believe it,"
At this Griswold flew into a pas
sion, there being no other retort for
such a thrust.
"You don't know what you're talk
ing about" he snapped. "Let me
pass"
The man stood aside respectfully
enough, and the master crossed the
street to the iron works side of it
An arc light swinging from it's wire
in front of the foundry building flung
black shadows beneath the trees at
/ the curb line, and for aught pass.
er-by might see, street and plant
J were alike deserted. But the quietude
. was only seeming. AS Griswold
| crossed the roadway, there was a
: binding flash of white light which
seemed to have it's focusing point
{ under a tree which shaded the small
detached Office building. The fash
J was but momentary, but it served tc
l reveal knot of men in various atti
tudes of expectancy at the corner Of
the office. A glimpse was all Girls
void had, and it was followed instant
t ly by yell of fury, the din anc
: clamor of a fray, and knot of ours
I ing, struggling men broke out Of the
i tree-shadow. Griswold flung himsel,
: promptly into the thick of it, seeing
n nothing but that dozen infatuated
r men were assaulting one.
0 For shame!" he cried, shoulderina