spent an hour or two visiting the proprietors of the large
establishments affected by the strikes. He found, as a rule, great
annoyance and exasperation, but no panic. Mr. Temple said, "The
poor ------ fools! I felt sorry for them. They came up here to me this
morning,--their committee, they called it,--and told me they hated it,
but it was orders! 'Orders from where?' I asked. 'From the chiefs of
sections,' they said; and that was all I could get out of them. Some of
the best fellows in the works were on the committee. They put 'em there
on purpose. The sneaks and lawyers hung back."

"What will they do if the strike should last?" asked Farnham.

"They will be supported for awhile by the other mills. Our men are the
only ones that have struck so far. They were told off to make the move,
just as they march out a certain regiment to charge a battery. If we
give in, then another gang will strike."

"Do you expect to give in?"

"Between us, we want nothing better than ten days' rest. We want to
repair our furnaces, and we haven't a ---- thing to do. What I told you
this morning holds good. There won't be any riot. The whole thing is
solemn fooling, so far."

The next man Farnham saw was in a far less placid frame of mind. It was
Jimmy Nelson, the largest grocer in the city. He had a cargo of
perishable groceries at the station, and the freight hands would not
let them be delivered. "I talked to the rascals," he said. "I asked
them what they had against _me_; that they was injuring Trade!" a deity
of which Mr. Nelson always spoke with profound respect. "They laughed
in my face, sir. They said, 'That's just our racket. We want to squeeze
you respectable merchants till you get mad and hang a railroad
president or two!' Yes, sir; they said that to me, and five thousand
dollars of my stuff rotting in the depot."

"Why don't you go to the mayor?" asked Farnham, though he could not
suppress a smile as he said it.

"Yes, I like that!" screamed Jimmy. "You are laughing at me. I suppose
the whole town has heard of it. Well, it's a fact. I went and asked
that infernal scoundrel what he was going to do. He said his function
was to keep the peace, and there wasn't a word in the statutes about
North Carliny water-melons. If I live till he gets out of office, I'll
lick him."

"Oh, I think you won't do that, Jimmy."

"You think I won't!" said Nelson, absolutely incandescent with the
story of his wrongs. "I'll swear by Matthew,