The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1904-12-15

AOuDl VI tuiS, out ne NeuJuteN 10 IttNt
another suggestion of caution. 10
which, however. Bill did not reply. lie
drew a large bag from under his coat
and began to collect i'll it the family
silver from the sideboard and "A closet.
keeping his revolver ready and IN eye
upon Wilmot all the time Finally in "a
compartment of the sideboard ne cane
Gpon Il quantity of cooked food and
some bottles.
'Champaguer' he muttered. Whats
it doin' here? An this beef an bread
looks pretty fresh Well. blast me-
He brought the food and drink to the
table.
4 don't understand this" said he
but we may as well get next to it.
Hungry, are ye? Well, I'm thirsty
Never was any other way Sit down"
They took their places mt opposite
sides of the table, and. keeping the re-
volver handy, Bill opened two bottles
of wine pushing one of them across to
his companion. They drank from sill
yer cups, WilmOt sparingly. Bill with
deep, absorbing, natural thirst. like
that of a sponge.
Presently Bill appeared TO fall into
sort of trance. His head sank forward
little: his eyes stared at the cup from
which he had drunk. Minutes passed
slowly
After what seemed to Wilmot an
eternity Bill slowly emerged from his
torpor. He put up his left hand and
rubbed his stubbly chin. Then he
pushed back the tangle of black hair
that tumbled over his low forehead
and in so doing dislodged the rusty hat
which had been perched upon the back
of his head. 1t fell upon the floor with
an unnaturally loud sound, but Bill
gave it no heed.
I'm Il back number" said he slowly:
that's what | am. Look at that stuff
on the table. What II l get for il?
Mebbe $500. It's worth Il good deal
more, sure. But I got to take what
they'll give me. The fellers that buy
this sort o stuff are all in combine.
4 gun that sells outside the ring goes
to the jug. It's the same all the way
around The Teller that does the work
gets nOthin'; the Teller that's got the
money an is in the combination gets
everything. I'm a back number; that's
what's the matter with me-
what yos complain Of" said vii
mot, is a feature of our present indus
trial Development"
Bill, whose head had sunk upon his
breast, looked up again.
You seem to be an cliercatcd man."
said he but" lac added. with SIGH.
''edjercation cuts no icc amy moro. IT'S
Il grab game. Now l1.s at this man
Murdoch. What's ne b..u a-doiu'? Do
you read the papers: Wei. then you
know. Hes grabbed two railroads;
he's ruined an old fashioned million
aire named Harrison sort O. back
number like myself. judge-an' lot
o little guys that put their money in
the road. But what's that? What did
the fellerS get that built the road. the
fellers that did the work? NIebbe
few contractors an bosses got little
rake-of. but most O 'em was dag0eg
worllin for dollar a day. An now in
comes this man Murdoch, this blamed
up to date pirate, an grabs them two
roads an hands 'em over to the gang.
An they say his fee IL be near half Il
million bones. Think he'll get as much
as that
i've heard somewhere" said vii
mot, that it would be 100000"
\ sudden shiver swept over him as
he named the sum, and for an instant
the money belt against his body seem
ed stuffed with ice
-Four hundred thousand.' echoed
Bill. Think what fellow like me
could do with all that money! But it
amt nothin' in these days. Why.
some o these trust magnates blow in
more'n that on steam yacht. Why n
blaZes they should do it, he added re
fiectively. Il don't know. | can get as
seasick as l want to be for dollar
and half goin' down to Sandy Hook
on a fishin' excursion. But the stom-
achS o them fellersl will stand any
thing, l guess. It's as much as mine
can stand sometimes to read about
'em''
you seem to be a sort of IL social
ist," said Wilmot.
Sometimes 1 get a-thinkin about
them things he admitted 4 get
a-thinkin' about people workin', work
in all over the world. They're a-goin
it all the time, for the world turns over,
an some of 'em work while the others
sleep. An what are they dom?
They're maxim things that they can't
have-jes' maxim 'em for fellers like
Murdoch, Amt that queer? Amt it
queer to think O. q lot o. men buildin'
on great, big, fine fireproof hotel all
day an them goin' home to sleep in
z by 9 rooms in little fire trap tene-
hents?. | saw Il lot O. men at work on
fifteen story department store build
in today. They'll work at that sort O
thing for twenty, thirty or forty years,
some o 'em, an when it's all over an
they're dead their wives won't have
enough to go an buy decent mournin'
clothes in those same stores. Oh, well.
well! What's the use O. tall1in' to the
likes O you about work? You don't do
any"