'And what are the Union's ways and means?' He looked up at her, as if on' the point of dogged resistance to

her wish for information. But her calm face, fixed on his,

patient and trustful, compelled him to answer.

'Well! If a man doesn't belong to th' Union, them as works next

looms has orders not to speak to him--if he's sorry or ill it's

a' the same; he's out o' bounds; he's none o' us; he comes among

us, he works among us, but he's none o' us. I' some places them's

fined who speaks to him. Yo' try that, miss; try living a year or

two among them as looks away if yo' look at 'em; try working

within two yards o' crowds o' men, who, yo' know, have a grinding

grudge at yo' in their hearts--to whom if yo' say yo'r glad, not

an eye brightens, nor a lip moves,--to whom if your heart's

heavy, yo' can never say nought, because they'll ne'er take

notice on your sighs or sad looks (and a man 's no man who'll

groan out loud 'bout folk asking him what 's the matter?)--just

yo' try that, miss--ten hours for three hundred days, and yo'll

know a bit what th' Union is.' 'Why!' said Margaret, 'what tyranny this is! Nay, Higgins, I

don't care one straw for your anger. I know you can't be angry

with me if you would, and I must tell you the truth: that I never

read, in all the history I have read, of a more slow, lingering

torture than this. And you belong to the Union! And you talk of

the tyranny of the masters!' 'Nay,' said Higgins, 'yo' may say what yo' like! The dead stand

between yo and every angry word o' mine. D' ye think I forget

who's lying there , and how hoo loved yo'? And it's th' masters

as has made us sin, if th' Union is a sin. Not this generation

maybe, but their fathers. Their fathers ground our fathers to the

very dust; ground us to powder! Parson! I reckon, I've heerd my

mother read out a text, "The fathers have eaten sour grapes and

th' children's teeth are set on edge." It's so wi' them. In those

days of sore oppression th' Unions began; it were a necessity.

It's a necessity now, according to me. It's a withstanding of

injustice, past, present, or to come. It may be like war; along

wi' it come crimes; but I think it were a greater crime to let it

alone. Our only chance is binding men together in one common

interest; and if some are cowards and some are fools, they mun

come along and join the great march, whose only strength is in

numbers.' 'Oh!' said Mr. Hale, sighing, 'your Union in itself would be

beautiful, glorious,--it would be Christianity itself--if it were

but for an end which affected the good of all, instead of that of

merely one class as opposed to another.' 'I reckon it's time for me to be going, sir,' said Higgins, as

the clock struck ten.




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