Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1917-05-29
EIGHTH EPISODE
THE SPIRIT OF HER PRocENl,

TORS.
Since early morning an unwOnted,
unnatural and wholly specious SEM
hsance Of tranquility had brooded over
the little valley In the heart Of the
New Jersey hills.
Now, as the earlier hours Of mid
summer afternoon drew on. a feeling
" tension began to inform the atmos-
tAere; the hush began perceptibly to
Cypress the senses, even as that hush
Expresses which foretells the breaking
Of Z thunderstorm upon q smiling
land: instinctively men walked warily,
with eyes alert. and communicated
With one another In accents needlessly
guarded.
wooden structures and walled yards
which comprised the powder mills end
munition factories OF Channings. Inc,
there was little or no activity where
ordinarily there was incessant hustle.
In place OF those voluminous plunes
u smoke. Jet by day. crimson by night.
the towering brick chimneys stained
the skies only with transparent wells
q amber vapor.
Inside the factory buildings all ma
ehlnery stood Idle. The whistles had
sounded by habit ut eight O'Clock and
q noon without summoning to or de-
7altefing from labor 4 solitary hand.
No endless strings Of freight cars
heavy laden with explosives. arms and
ordnance trudged mp the long grade
10 the rim Of those encircling hills. on
the 1lrst stage Of their brief Journey
60 Channings' tidewater yards and
docks near Bayonne.
4 The premises were all but lIfeless;
\ scanfy company Of armed guards on
sigilant patrol; a little knot Of some
half . dozen people In conference just
outside the main gateway to the most
extensive powder mill-and that was
III.
The strike was fourteen hours old.
A yet no overtures toward a confer
ence had been made by either party,
e@ployers or employees. The latter.
indeed, seemed to hold aloof with SIM
gular stubbornness; to excuse their &C
lion Ia walking out at the previous
mldnight, the employers knew of moth
ing more than q few minor grievances
On the part Of the men, matters sus-
ceptible to speedy adjustment through,
and scheduled for early submission to,
process Of arbitration. The major de-
mands of the strikers remained I'M
seated.
But more thsn one Of those who
we're waiting so patiently outside the
gates could have hazarded a shrewd
guess at the real cause Of the trouble.
Half a mile distant lay Powder Town.
m unl0vely collection Of "frame" and
canvas shelters, ginmills. eating places,
~dancehalls, gambling hells, stores and
hotels" ministering to the necessities
ind appetites of an army Of working
men and parasites drawn together by
the attraction of high wages and
steady employment offered by an or
eanization working night and day to
0l ~wSr orders" for the allies.
There. In those struggling. dusty and
rufted streets. the disaffected en-
ployees milled like cattle. q rabble two
thirds drunk with one intoxicant or an
Other-whisky, greed excited by the
promises Of labor agitators. and a
spirit Of destructiveness which had al
rea0y whetted Its appetite by putting
the Channings company store to the
torch.
TO the group by the gateway the ru-
MOI OF sullen voices was waited. on
the wings OF q lazy wind. n grim muir
muring like the buzzing Of a swarm
Of angry, bees.
Listening to 1t, Captain Parr shook
an uneasy head.
Patria eyed him a~nxiously. /.
What do you think7"
I'm not thinking" he averred with
q sorry sort Of q smile; I'm just hop
Ing
Hoping they'll hold on +. r
Hoping against hope that the COM
ing Of the strike breakers won't mad
den them beyond control"
I, The girl nodded grave:y.
"wH 1t be much longer-do you
thinkf"
they ought to be here any minute