Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1910-08-05
FRANCIS LYNDE

! man to pay for it," said Tom: and he
ieft the office and the house to make
the round of the guarded gates.
Ludlow was as good as his word. On
the night following the day of sus-
pense an attempt was made to wreck
the inclined railway running from the
mines on Lebanon to the coke yard.
II was happily frustrated: but when
Tom and his handful Of guards got
back to the foot of the hill they found
nre started in a pile of wooden TASKS
heaped against the end of the foundry
building
! Inc fire was easily extinguishable
| py willing hand or two, but Tom
tried an experiment. Steam had been
Kept up in single battery of boilers
against emergencies, and he directed
| delgerson to throw open the great
gates while he ran to the boiler room
and sent the f1recall of the huge siren
whistle shrieking out on the night The
experiment was only meagerly success
| ful. Less than score of the strikers
answered the call, but these worked
with will, and the fire was quickly
put out.
Tom was under the arc-light at the
gates when the volunteers struggled
out He had word for each mana
word Of appreciation and a plea for
suspended judgment. Most of the men
shook their heads despondently, but a
few OF them promised to stand on the
side of law and order. Tom took the
names Of the few, and went back to his
guard duty with the burden little
| lightened. But the succeeding night
there were more attempts at violence,
three Of them SO determined as TO
leave no doubt that the crisis was IT
| hand. This was Toms discouraged
admission when his father came to re-
lieve him in the morning.
We're about at the end Of the rope"
he said. YEARLY, when Caleb had closed
l the door of the lighthouse yard office
| behind him. "The two Helgersons are
played out, and neither Of US can stand
this strain for another twenty-four
hours. I'm just about dead on my
feet for sleep, and l know you are.
know what I'm going to do. I had a
phone wire from Bradley, the sheriff,
last night after you went home. He
funked like a boy; said he couldn't
raise a posse in South Tredegar that
would serve against striking workmen.
Then wired the governor, and his an
swer came an hour ago. We can have
| the soldiers If we make formal de-
mand for them"
But, Tom, son; you wouldn't do
that" protested Caleb, TREMENDOUSLY.
| Lets try to hold out a little spell lon
| ger, Buddy. It'll be like fire to tow;
! there'll be men killed-men that I've
known since they were boys: men
| killed, and women made widders. Tom,
rye seen enough OF war to last me-"
Il know" said Tom. None the less,
| he found telegraph blank ana began
F., to write the message There had been
| shots fired in the night, in a sally on
| the inclined railway, and one of them
! had scored his arm. If the rioters
needed the strong hand to curb them,
they should have 1t.
Tom signed the call for help, read 1t
over methodically. and placed it be-
| tween dampened sheets in the letter.
press. He had pushed the electric but
ton which summoned Stub Helgerso1l,
when the door opened silently and jeff
| Ludlow's boy thrust face and hand
through the aperture.
We'll; what is it?" demanded Tom,
more sharply than he meant to. The
strain was beginning to tell on his
| nerves.
Hits a letter for you-all from Mr.
| Stamford at the dee-po,' said the boy.
He allowed maybe you'alrd gimme a
nickel for bringin' hit"
| The coin was found and passed, and
| the small boy was whooping and YELL
| ing for Helgerson to come and let him
through the gates when Tom tore the
| envelope across and read the telegram
1t was from the Indiana city, and it
was signed by the chairman of the
Board Of Public Works.
Proposals for water pipe have been
| reopened, and your bid is accepted
Wire how soon you can, begin to ship
| eighteen inch MAINS" was what it said
Tom handed 1t to his father and step
per quickly to the telephone There
was little delay in getting the ear ef
| the president of the Iron City Nation
al at South Tredegar, and the bound
ing. pulsing blood of Impotence made
| 1t seem interminable.
..Is that you, Mr.. Hennil1er? This Is
| Gordon at the Chiawassee plant, Cor
| donia. We have secured that Indiana
| contract l was telling you about, and
| I'll be in to see you on the 1e o'clock
train. Will you save Ave minutes for
me /? @Thank-you. Good-by."
Tom hung the ear-piece on its hook
and turned to face his father $50
Have you surrounded it?" he laugh
| ed. with a little quaver of excitement
| in his voice, which he had been careful
| to master In the announcement to the
bank president I'VE live, pappy; we
live and win! Get word to the men to
come up here at o'clock for. their pay.
Tell them we blow in again to-mor-
row, and they can all come back to
work and no questions asked"
In gladstone easing Of the strain were
the wheels of Chiawassee Consolidat-
ed oiled to their new WRITINGS on the
road to fortune. If Caleb Gordon re-
membered how the miracle had been
wrought, he said no word to clench his
disapproval; and as for Tom-ah. well:
II was not the first time in the history
of the race. that the end has served to
justify the means-to make them
clean and white and spotless, II need
were.