im no look or expression of
gratitude. He was too bitter at heart to feel gratitude, and too
awkward to feign it.

About noon, a piece of news arrived which produced a distinct
impression of discouragement among the strikers. It was announced in
the public square that the railway blockade was broken in Clairfield, a
city to the east of Buffland about a hundred miles. The hands had
accepted the terms of the employers and had gone to work again. An
orator tried to break the force of this announcement by depreciating
the pluck of the Clairfield men. "Why, gentlemen!" he screamed, "a
ten-year-old boy in this town has got twice the sand of a Clairfield
man. They just leg the bosses to kick 'em. When they are fired out of
a shop door, they sneak down the chimbley and whine to be took on
again. We ain't made of that kind of stuff."

But this haughty style of eloquence did not avail to inspirit the
crowd, especially as the orator was just then interrupted to allow
another dispatch to be read, which said that the citizens of a town to
the south had risen in mass and taken the station there from the hands
of the strikers. This news produced a feeling of isolation and
discouragement which grew to positive panic, an hour later, on the
report that a brigade of regular troops was on its way to Buffland to
restore order. The report was of course unfounded, as a brigade of
regular troops could not be got together in this country in much less
time than it would take to build a city; but even the name of the
phantom army had its effect, and the crowds began to disperse from that
time. The final blow was struck, however, later in the day.

Farnham learned it from Mr. Temple, at whose counting-room he had
called, as usual, for news. Mr. Temple greeted him with a volley of
exulting oaths.

"It's all up. You know what I told you last night about the attack that
was preparing on Riverley. I went out there myself, this forenoon. I
knew some of the strikers, and I thought I would see if
the -- -- -- -- would let me send my horse Blue Ruin through to
Rochester to-morrow. He is entered for the races there, you know, and I
didn't want, by -- -- -- --, to miss my engagements, understand? Well,
as I drove out there, after I got about half way, it began to occur to
me that I never saw so many women since the Lord made me. The road was
full of them in carts, buggies, horseback, and afoot. I thought a
committee of 'em was going; but I suppose they