The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1912-02-21

engineers and the sea cooks and
walters. Daily the number of idle
steamers increased. 1t was impossi
BILE to get scab crews, for the men OF
the Seamen's Union were fighters
trained In the hard school Of the sea
and when they went out 1t meant
blood and death to scabs. This phase
OF the strike spread up and down the
entire Pacific coast, until all the ports
were filled with idle ships, and sea
transportation was at a standstill. The
days and weeks dragged out, ard the
strike held. The Coastwise Steam
Navigation Company and the Hawaii
an, Nicaraguan, and Pacific Mexican
Steamship Company were tied UP com
\ pletely. The expenses of combating
the strike were tremendous, and they
were earning nothing, while daily the
situation went from bad to worse. un.
I'll peace at any price" became the
cry. And still there was no peace,
until Daylight and his allies played out
their hand. raked in the winnings, and
allowed goodly portion of cont.
nent to resume business.
Daylignt's coming to civilization had
not improved him. True, he wore
better clothes. had learned slightly
better manners. and spoke better Eng.
lish. But he had hardened, and at the
expense of his old-time, whole-souled
geniality Even his human affiliations
were descending. Playing lone hand
contemptuous Of most Of the men with
whom he played, lacking in sympathy
or understanding Of them, and certain.
ly Independent Of them, he found lit.
tie In common with those to be en-.
countered, say at the Alta.P cif1c. In
point OF fact, when the battle with the
steamship companies was at it's height
and his raid was inflicting incalcula
Die damage on all business interests,
ne had been asked to resign from the
Alta-Pacifc. The idea had been rath.
er to his liking. and he had found new
quarters In clubs like the Riverside,
organised and practically maintained
by the city bosses,
One weekend, feeling heavy and de.
pressed and tired Of the city and its
ways. he obeyed the impulse of
wh'm that was later to play an impor.
tant part In his life. The desire to
Ge< out Of the city for whifi of coun.
try air and for change of scene was
the cause. Yet. to himself. he made
the excuse Of going to Glen Ellen for
the purpose Of inspecting a brickyard
whioh Hoidsworthy had sold him. He
spent the night In the little country
hotel. and on Sunday morning. astride
q saddle horse rented from the Glen
Ellen butcher. rode out of the village.
The brickyard was close at hand on
the fiat beside the Sonoma Creek.
Resolving to have his fun first, and
to look over the brickyard afterward,
he rode up the hill. prospecting for a
way cross country to get to the
knolls. He left the country road at
the first gate he came to and cantered
through bayfield,. The grain W.
waist.high on either side the wagon.
road, and he shifted the warm aroma
OF 1t with delighted nostrils AT the
base OF the knolls he encountered q
tumble-down stake-and-rider fence.
He tethered the horse and wan.
dered on foot among the knolls. Their
tops were crowned with century old
spruce trees, and their sides clothed
with oaks and madronos and native
holly. But to the perfect redwoods be-
lonSed the small but deep canyon that
threaded its way among the knobs.
Here he found no passage out for
his horse, and leading the animal he
forced his way up the hillside. On
the crest he came through an amazing
taicket OF velvet-trunked young ma
dronos, and emerged on an open hill.
side that led down into g. tiny valley.
The sunshine was at first dazzling In
It's brightness. and he paused and
rested. for he was painting from the
exertion. Not Of old had he known
shortness of breath such AS this. and
mus les that so easily tired at q stiff
climb. tiny stream ran down the
tiny valley through a tiny meadow
that was carpeted knee-high with
grass and blue and white nemophila.
Crossing the stream. Daylight fol.
lowed faint cattle trail over a low,
rocky hill and through a wine-wooded
forest OF manzanita, and emerged
upon another tiny valley, down which
Uttered another springfield, meadow.
bordered streamlet.
1T sure beats country places and
bungalows at Menlo Park" he COM
muned aloud; "and II ever get the
hankering for country life. It's me for
this every time"
An old wood-road led him to a clear
Ing, where a dozen acres of grapes
gre" on wine-red soil. A COW. path, more
trees and thickets. and he dropped
down hillside to the southeast ex.
posure. Here, poised above a big for.