re is a hoisters' strike on in the city, and the
carpenters threaten to go out in sympathy. I hope it won't reach us,
but I'm afraid it will."

"What will you do if the men go out?"

"Do the best I can. I can get two non-union men that I know of. They
would like to be on this job now, but these men won't permit it. My son
is a full hand, so there will be four of us; but it will be slow work."

"See here, Nelson, I can't have this work slack up. We haven't time.
Cold weather will be on before we know it. I'm going to take this bull
by the horns. I'll advertise for carpenters in the Sunday papers. Some
of those who apply will be non-union men, and I'll hold them over for a
few days until we see how the cat jumps. If it comes to the worst, we
can get some men to take the place of Thompson and Sam, who are
carpenters, and set them at the tools. I will not let this work stop,
strike or no strike."

"If you put non-union men on you will have to feed and sleep them on the
place. The union will make it hot for them."

"I will take all kinds of care of every man who gives me honest work,
you may be sure."

When I returned to town I sent this "ad." to two papers: "Wanted: Ten
good carpenters to go to the country." The Sunday papers gave a lurid
account of the sentiment of the Carpenters' Union and its sympathetic
attitude toward the striking hoisters. The forecast was that there would
not be a nail driven if the strike were not settled by Tuesday night.
It seemed that I had not moved a day too soon. On Monday thirty-seven
carpenters applied at my office. Most of them had union tickets and were
not considered. Thirteen, however, were not of the union, and they were
investigated. I hired seven on these conditions: wages to begin the next
day, Tuesday, and to continue through the week, work or no work. If the
strike was ordered, I would take the men to the country and give them
steady work until my jobs were finished. They agreed to these
conditions, and were requested to report at my office on Wednesday
morning to receive two days' pay, and perhaps to be set to work.

I did not go to the farm until Tuesday afternoon. There was no change in
the strike, and no reason to expect one. The noon papers said that the
Carpenters' Union would declare a sympathetic strike to be on from
Wednesday noon.

On reaching Four Oaks I called Nelson aside and told him how the land
lay and what I had done.

"I want you to call the men togethe