The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1920-04-16
Westward Bound.
Chapt. XXvI.

: Before he left Anderson saw to II
Q that the bov had bed and board fol
g the night, and also that he had
9 few dollars in his pocket, but try as he
4 would he could not get the youth to
? leave town unless Collins and Rudolph
accompanied him. And as Anderson had
D his mind firmly set on this point, he
/ decided that it were best to have the
} others turned loose also, although he
did not admit this to the boy.
: It was rather late before he left the
pool hall and Jack went to his room
and waited for the hours TO slip by
. At last the pool hall was closed and
there was not soul to be seen upon
the streets when he cautiously made
his way to the rear of the Jail build
!, ing Here with the assistance of n
} ladder which he had found in the
ally he climbed up to the little barred
window that overlooked his companion s
cells and lost no time in knocking out
the glass, after which he informed
his friends that was out and was
unable to get back in, but that he
would stay on the job until he was
either put back in or had them out.
This amused his friends greatly,
altho they cursed him soundly for
breaking that window and letting the
cold wind directly in upon them.
There was no more sleep for them that
night. The place became too cold. So
the two persons spent the night in
arguments as to whether conduct such
as Jacks was really essential to class
consciousness. Collins maintained that
it was. He was stickler for loyalty
and would ruthlessly exclude from any
organization to which he belonged any
one who was in the slightest degree
disloyal. 1t made no difference to him
whether the disloyalty was due to
weakness or to malice, or to ignorance.
To his mind organizations should be
built up thru the grouping together of
the common minded, and the ruthless
exclusion. and expulsion of those who
were to any degree contrary minded.
1t was his idea that members of an
organization be it political or industrial
ought to have the utmost regard for
each Others feelings and think on all
subjects exactly like Collins. Jack had
pointed out this mental characteristic
more than Snce during the DAYS he
was in Jail, but Collins could never see
it. Now it was Rudolph who pointed
it out again by saying, "you like the
kld because ne does what pleases you.
lie is loyal to you. 1t is not that you
admire his democracy You do not
know what the word means. You are
a blonde beast that wants to associate
with its kind, and seeks to tramplc all
others under foot. You forget that the
problem we have set ourselves is one
which concerns the tOling masses,
white and black, jew and gentle. If
| is a problem of industrial evolution.
You make it one of personal morality.
This might be a good world if YOU
were boss of it but you aint goin ;
to be boss.' Then Rudolph sailed into
long argument in proof of his con.
tention that Jack had acted from pure
idealism and not thru sense of labor 8
solidarity.
But argue as they would they could
only agree to one thing that the kid
had in him the right stuff to make
a good working class fighter, if his
philosophical bend of mind did not
destroy his usefulness.
Early the next morning Anderson
called up Duffy and Smallhead and
persuaded them to let the other two
out so as to get the whole lot ont Of
town on the eleven forty train. Thus
1t was that about nine A. NJ. the TAILOR
brought the other two men their
bundles remarking that they might
need additional cover these cold
nights. He then left incidentally for.
getting to lock their cells as well as
the outer door. They we're not slow 70
take the hint and in less than fifteen
minutes after he had left they passed
tne pool hall where Jack Joined them.
Inc boy wanted little time to call
on Anderson and thank him for his
Kindness as he put it. The fact of the
matter was he was trying to learn
Olives name and more about her. But
Collins would give no reprieve. "Oh
damn the Bourgcoisl Let 8 get out of
this hole before something else han.
pens. Remember you busted that can
window"
80 1T was that the trio made their
way down to the railroad track where
they waited for tho first west bound
freight. That evening they landed in
Mlnot and four days later after a
cold and dismal ride across the Mon.
tana plains and over the snow canned
Rockies Jack for the first time in his
life entered the Priest River forest
Here they were thrown off the train
by an iratc brakeman an Jack ard
his companions enjoyed a walk of
about twenty miles to the next sta.
tion.
IL was n wonderful trip along the
turbulent waters of the Priest Rivcr.
among mountains which lowered sky.
ward covered with mantles of ever.
greens. Toward nightfall they boarded
another train and in the morning founJ
themselves in the city of Spokane.
1t was the boys first experience in
SO large town. Everything was new
70 him. He had it all to learn. Tn.
cidentally he was source of much
amusement to his companions. He Of.
fered to pay his fare in the hotel
elevator and when he asked the street
car conductor how much he would
charge to haul him to The park his
companions nearly collapsed. But their
amusement was short lived. The boy
soon shed his verdure and became
familiar with city ways.
During the time they were in town
Collins made it his business to hold
forth from a soap box down on
Steven s street and it was here that
class. He learned the meaning Of such