"O, I don't think," Mr. Josler, the general superintendent, would say;
and if you followed his accent it would take you right back to the heart
of Germany: "Giff me a goot conductor, an' I git over the roat."

No need to ask where he came from.

As the grievance grew in the hands of the "grief" committee, and the
belief became fixed in the minds of the officials that the employees
were looking for trouble, the situation waxed critical. "Might as well
make a clean job of it," the men would say; and then every man who had a
grievance, a wound where there had been a grievance or a fear that he
might have something to complain of in the future, contributed to the
real original grievance until the trouble grew so that it appalled the
officials and caused them to stiffen their necks. In this way the men
and the management were being wedged farther and farther apart. Finally,
the general manager, foreseeing what war would cost the company and the
employees, made an effort to reach a settlement, but the very effort was
taken as evidence of weakness, and instead of yielding something the
men took courage, and lengthened the list of grievances. His predecessor
had said to the president of the company when the last settlement was
effected: "This is our last compromise. The next time we shall have to
fight--my back is to the wall." But, when the time came for the
struggle, he had not the heart to make the fight, and so resigned and
went west, where he died shortly afterwards, and dying, escaped the
sorrow that must have been his had he lived to see how his old,
much-loved employees were made to suffer.

Now the grievance committee came with an ultimatum to the management.
"Yes, or No?" demanded the chairman with a Napoleonic pose. But the
general superintendent was loth to answer.

"Yes, or No?"

Mr. Josler hesitated, equivocated, and asked to be allowed to confer
with his chief.

"Yes, or No?" demanded the fearless leader, lifting his hand like an
auctioneer.

"Vell, eef you put it so, I must say No," said the superintendent and
instantly the leader turned on his heel. He did not take the trouble to
say good-day, but snapped his finger and strode away.

Now the other members of the committee got up and went out, pausing to
say good morning to the superintendent who stood up to watch the
procession pass out into the wide hall. One man, who confirmed the
general manager's belief that there were brains among the engine-men,