Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-08-18
a Nav Enemy Appears.

When Boyd returned some two
hours later he found the dock deserted
save for Big George, who proWled
watchfully about the freight piles.
"Well did you fix it up?" the fisher
man inquired. ,,,
mo" exclaimed Boyd. tits rank
frameup, and refused to be bied.
Good for you"
"There are some things feAloW,s
manhood won't stand for. III carry
that freight aboard with my own hanus
before I'll be robbed by a LABOR UNION
at the bidding Of Willis Marsh.
"Say! Will you let me load this snip
my way?" George asked.
"Can you do it,"
Balt's thick lips drew back from MIS-
yellow teeth in that smile Which EN-
erson had come to recognize as mar
binger of the violent acts that re-
1oiced his lawless soul.
Listen" said he, with q cnucRle'
"Down the street yonder I've hun
dred fishermen. Half OF them are
| drunk at this minute, and the rest are
half drunk"
.Then they are Of no use to u.s."
II don't reckon you ever seen nera !
of Kalvik fishermen out OF 1oD, uiu
youe Well, there's just two things they
know, fishing and fighting, ana tn,s
amt the fishing season. When they nv
Seattle, the police force goes up INTO
the residence section and SUITS COT
ton in it's ears, because the only tnlns
that is strong enough to stand between
a uniform and fisherman is q MIL.
"Can you induce them to work?'
II can. All I'm afraid Of is that |
can't induce them to quit. They're la
BILE to put this freight aboard The Bed
ford Castle. and then pull down the
dock in spirit of playfulness and pile
It in Captain Peasley's cabin. There
amt no CONFUSION Of nature that's
equal to a gang of idle fishermen.
'When can they begin?"
"Well. 1t will take me all night to
round them up, and I'll have to lick
1 four or five. but there ought to be a
dozen or two on hand In the morning.
George cast a rowing eye over the
warehouse from the heavy planking
! under foot to the wide-spanning raft
ers above. EYES," he concluded, !
don't see nothing breakable, SO I guess
/ It's safe" -.
"would you like me to go with
your
The giant considered him specu-
/ latively. IT don't think so. amt never
seen you in action. No, you better stay
! here and arrange to guard this stun
till morning. I'll do the rest"
| Boyd did not see him again that day,
nor at the hote! during the evening,
but on the following morning, true to
1 his word, the big fellow walked into
| the warehouse followed by q score or
more of fishermen. At first sight there
was nothing imposing about these
men: they were rough CARRIED and I'M
kempt. in the main; but upon closer
observation Boyd noticed that they
were thick chested and broad.shoul-
dered and walked with the swinging
gait that comes from heaving decks.
while the majority Of them were
neither distinctly American nor mark
eddy foreign in appearance. being
rather of that composite cast that peo-
pies the outer reaches of the far west,
they were all deeply Drowned by sun
and weather, and spoke the universal
Iidiom Of the sea. There were men here
I from Finland and Florida, Portugal
and Maine. fused into one nondescript
type by the melting pot Of the from
tier. Some wore the northern mack
Iinaw in spite Of the balmy April morn
ing. others were dressed like ranch
hands on circus day, and few with
the ornateness OF Butte miners on
parade.
| Certain ones displayed fresh contu-
sions on cheek and jaw, or peered
forth from lately blackened eyes, and
these, Boyd noticed. invariably
fawned upon Big George or treated
him with elephantine playfulness,
winking swollen lids at him in mys-
terious understanding which puzzled
the young man. until he saw that Bait
himself bore similar signs OF strife,
The big mans lips were cut. while
back of one ear knot had sprung up
over night like fungus.
They fell to work quickly, stripping
themselves to their undershirts; they
manned the hoists, seized trucks and
bale hooks, and began their tasks
! with q thoroughly non-union energy
lSome of them were still so drunk that