"Confound him! I'll make it the dearest experiment ever he tried," said

Mr. Underwood, wrathfully; "he was in our office the other day trying to

negotiate a loan for twenty-five thousand dollars that he said he had

got to have within ten days or go to the wall. I'll see that he doesn't

get it anywhere about here unless he stands by his word with us."

After further conversation Mr. Underwood went out, saying he had a

little business about the camp to attend to. He returned in the course

of an hour, and Darrell heard him holding a long consultation with

Hathaway before he retired for the night.

The following morning the mill men of the camp, on going to their work,

were astonished to find the mill closed and silent, while fastened on

the great doors was a large placard which read as follows: NOTICE.

The entire mining and milling plant of Camp Bird is closed down for

an indefinite period. All employees are requested to call at the

superintendent's office and receive their wages up to and including

Saturday, the 10th inst.

D. K. UNDERWOOD.

The miners found the hoist-house and the various shaft-houses closed and

deserted, with notices similar to the above posted on their doors.

Darrell, upon going to breakfast, learned that Mr. Underwood and the

superintendent had breakfasted at an early hour. A little later, on his

way to the mill, he observed groups of men here and there, some

standing, some moving in the direction of the office, but gave the

matter no particular thought until he reached the mill and was himself

confronted by the placard. As he read the notice and recalled the groups

of idlers, certain remarks made by Mr. Underwood came to his mind, and

he seemed struck by the humorous side of the situation.

"The old gentleman seems to have got the 'drop' on them, all right!" he

said to himself, as, with an amused smile, he walked past the mill and

out in the direction of the hoist. The ore-bins were closed and locked,

the tram-cars stood empty on their tracks, the hoisting engine was

still, the hoist-house and shaft-houses deserted. After the ceaseless

noise and activity to which he had become accustomed at the camp the

silence seemed oppressive, and he turned and retraced his steps to the

office.

A crowd of men was gathered outside the office building. In single file

they passed into the office to the superintendent's window, received

their money silently, in almost every instance without comment or

question, and passed out again. Once outside, however, there they

remained, their number constantly augmented by new arrivals, for the men

on the night shift had been aroused by their comrades and were now

streaming down from the bunk-houses. A few laughed and joked, some

looked sullen, some troubled and anxious, but all remained packed about

the building, quiet, undemonstrative, and mute as dumb brutes as to

their reason for staying there. They were all prepared to march boldly

out of the mill and mines on the following Monday, on a strike, in

obedience to orders; even to resort to violence in defence of their

so-called "rights" if so ordered, but Mr. Underwood's sudden move had

disarmed them; there had been no opportunity for a conference with their

leaders, with the result that they acted more in accordance with their

own individual instincts, and the loss of work for which they would have

cared little in the event of a strike was now uppermost in their minds.




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