The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-08-16

merely proving that it isn't in human
nature to meet justice and fairness and
generous liberality half way. II they
want a fight, give it to them. Hit
first and hit hard; that's the way to
do. Shut up the plant and make it a
lockout
Il was afraid you might say some.
thing like that in the first heat of it."
said the young ironmaster. Its a
stout fighting word. and guess. under
the skin, you're stout fighting man,
kenneth-which I'm not. Where are
your convictions about the man.tc.
man obligations? We've got to take
them into the account. haven't we?"
Damn the convictions!" snapped
Griswold viciously. III I've been CIV
ing you the impression that I'm an i'm.
practicable theorist, forget it. These
fellows want fight: l say give them
fight-all they want of it and lit.
tie more for good measure"
Raymer did not reply at once This
latest Griswold was puzzling him, and
with the puzzlement there went sor-
rowful regret; the regret that has
been the recanter's portion in all the
ages. When he spoke it was out of
the heart of common sense and san
ity.
Il know how you feel about it.
don't dare to pull down fight which
may not only shut us up for an in.
definite time, but might even go far
enough to smash u.s."
Griswold took his turn of silence,
rocking gently in the fitting chair.
When the delayed rejoinder came, the
harshness had gone out of his voice,
but there was cynical hardness to
take its place.
Its your affair; not mine." he said.
IF you've made up your mind not to
fight. of course. that settles it. Now
we can come down to the causes.
You've been stabbed in the back. Do
you know who's doing it?"
"The Federated Iron Workers, l
suppose"
Not in thousand years! They
are only the means to an end" The
fitting chair squeaked again. and he
went on: If I'm going to show you
how you can dodge this fight, I'll have
to knock down a door or two first
II 1 blunder in where I'm not wanted
you can kick me out. There is one
way in which you can cure all this
trouble-sickness without resorting to
surgery and blood-letting."
Name it." said Raymer eagerly
Il will; but first I'll have to break
over into the personalities Have you
made up your mind that you are going
to marry Margery Grierson?"
Raymer laughed silently, leaning his
head back on the cushion of the lazy.
chair until his cigar stood upright
That's nice way to biff man in
the dark" he chuckled. But II you're
in earnest I'll tell you the straightfor.
ward truth: don't know"
"You mean that Margery Grierson
doesn't measure up to the require
ments of the Wahaskan Four Hun
dred?" There was satirical scorn in
the observation, but Raymer did not
perceive It.
"Oh, don't know as you would put
1t quite that badly" he protested.
But you see. when it comes to mar
rying and settling down and raising a
family. you have to look at all sides of
the thing. The father, as we all know,
is cold-blooded old werewolf; the
mother nobody knows anything about
save that-happily. in all probability
she isn't living. And there you are
Yet I won't deny that there are times
when I'm tempted to shut my eyes
and take the high dive. anyway-at
the risk of splashing lot Of good
people who would doubtless b prop
srly scandalized."