"The rights which we claim for ourselves we must grant to others. One
man certainly has as defensible a right to work as another man has to be
idle. In the legitimate exercise of personal freedom there is no effort
at coercion, and in this case there shall be none. If you choose to
quit, you will do so without let or hindrance from me; but if you quit,
others will take your places without let or hindrance from you. You will
be paid in full to-night. When you leave, you must take your tools with
you, that there may be no excuse for coming back. When you leave the
place, the incident will be closed so far as you and I are concerned,
and it will not be opened unless I find some of you trying to interfere
with the men I shall engage to take your places. I think you make a
serious mistake in following blind leaders who are doing you material
injury, for sentimental reasons; but you must decide this for
yourselves. If, after sober thought, any of you feel disposed to return,
you can get a job if there is a vacancy; but no man who works for me
during this strike will be displaced by a striker. You may put that in
your pipes and smoke it. Nelson will pay you off to-night."

The strike was ordered for Wednesday. On the morning of that day the
seven carpenters whom I had engaged arrived at my office ready for work.
I took them to the station and started for Four Oaks. At a station five
miles from Exeter we quitted the train, hired two carriages, and were
driven to the farm without passing through the village.

We arrived without incident, the men had their dinners, and at one
o'clock the hammers and saws were busy again. We had lost but one half
day. The two non-union men whom Nelson had spoken of were also at work,
and three days later the spokesman of the strikers threw up his card and
joined our force. We had no serious trouble. It was thought wise to keep
the new men on the place until the excitement had passed, and we had to
warn some of the old ones off two or three times, but nothing
disagreeable happened, and from that day to this Four Oaks has remained
non-unionized.

CHAPTER XIII

PLANNING FOR THE TREES

The morning of September 17th a small frost fell,--just enough to curl
the leaves of the corn and show that it was time for it to be laid by.
Thompson, Johnson, Anderson, and the two men from the woods, who were
diverted from their post-splitting for the time being, went gayly to the
corn fields and atta