The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1905-09-01
THE
MINORITY
- EREnEsicE TREVOR GILL
Author Of The Case and
Exceptions" Etc.
Continued

On Kennard's lips.
Get me a jacket, then, and let's be
-mn1arsahIe in the old way" he began,
as he tcok off the dinner-coat and hung
4 n the door-k You've got nice
sOoms here, or, to temper my enthu-
sfzsnt to the city standard. | should
wy they're not altogether bad. What
Kbyou call this placer"
The Benedict. Here, see if this
ahfzg's ragged enough for you"
Yes, thatIl do. Benedict because
1ou'rg ar bachelors. | suppose"
-Soms say the best way to turn a
Bachelor into benedict is TO make him
Eve here
Guess I'll have to try it, then. ."
Don't. Wed never see each other
Re an If we lived in the same house.
gfatss an axiom in this town."
Tack Kennard kicked the fire into
= 6raze as he spoke. and threw himself
10wn on the low divan facing Maddox
FprswTfng in the big armchair.
~WeiI?"
Dave stopped blowing rings of smoke
onward the ceiling, and turned inquir-
AHgfy to the figure en- the diyan.
Where shall begin?"
Begin at the beginning and end al
1he end, as the children say"
~You know the beginning. wish J
znew the ending myself"
-To on, and quit moralizing."
You remember when they tele-
graphed for me at Christmas time
az1 yOu know left the next day."
-Um."
THAT was the beginning of trouble
I've had nothing else since. Three
weeks ago 700 men went on strike
and the hundred who wanted to work
we're not allowed to do it. At first
gOuidnt 1nd out just what the trouble
war One story had it that Id taken
sn 4 nonsunion man named Mallory,
arutege of Miss Harlan's, and they
wanted him discharged. Another YER
sion was that had discharged loafer
called Ben Romans. who really dis
sffargad nlmselT, and still another tnat
2 refused to treat with the representa- 4
aiys Of the union. After while l dis
sOVered all these things had more or
aeSs to do with the affair but the foun-
aafion of the whole trouble was the
employment of Mallory. Even then,
ah0ugfit a few words from me would
set the matter straight, but was soon
xndecefyed, and now I'm completely
disf1Iusioned."
Kennard laughed unpleasantly, and
stopped to relight his pipe. Maddox
made no comment, and continued
watching the smoke rings as they
ADayed slowly from his mouth.
There's no use denying it, Dave.
old man I've had facer which has
shaken good many foolish theories
oug sf my head, but it's Jared ME too.
runfess II. For time | was so an
CRY could think of nothing better
shan defiance and the discharge OF
Every man who didn't come back with
I'm 4E hours. That meant fighting, and
4 was in the mood for war, but i've |
Begm playing the sielxly sentimentalist |
with these people too long for them |
not TO beat me at any such game. |
We've been building up village of |
employees for years, watching it like |
y lot of old hens, and dreaming that |
the people who lived in it considered |
the firm their best friend. Well, they |
don't now, whatever they may have |
Eone In former times. / absolutely |
refused to discharge Mallory and in
stantly poIiced the shops in order that |
any man who wanted to work could |
10 So We ran the place after a
fashion,, and some of the men were en-
anTuagingIy decent. Culver, fellow
who was injured not long ago, did the
work of seven men, and I've promoted |
aim TO assistant superintendent. II il
aad IaiIn with him and another faith
fai, Pat Mullin, we'd have had the
whale Lot back in couple of days. But |
A rascal named Peter McMannis pre-
rented a collapse of the strike. How
in the world man of his type man.
aged ~ get 700 men into his power
aaSses my understanding, but he did
II, and held them together in spite of
| understood any advances
from me would encourage the strikers.
sut when you know every man, wo-
HIan and child in village, it's almost1
to avoid personal contact,
and this resulted in conference on
nfiR third day 1t didn't take me long
to comprehend the real point at issue.
II was the official recognition of the
lr1Hn organization. think | was
more relieved than surprised at this
discovery. My scheme Of direct COM
nunicat ion between employer and en-
rllye hadn't been successful enough
TO make me unduly welded to it. Per-
haps the methods of my father and
were out of date, perhaps
{ hadn't followed them intelligently.
IN any case had hardened myself
with responsibilities without easing or
pleasing any one else You remem-
Der Mr.. HarIan's criticism of my
methods; mean about trying to be
FIst 60 ones employees and not tryir-
10 serve them?"
'Yes, but didn't know Mr.. Harlan
vas The critic"
~He was, and his criticism was,
sound. thought of it more than once,
- Il