and even as
the speaker uttered these words Barney gave him a terrible slap on the
back, while Ephraim kicked the box from beneath his feet.

"The earthquake do be come, begorra!" shouted Mulloy. "Greg Carker, ye
bloody old socialist raskil, Oi have yez in me hands, and Oi'm going to
hug yez till ye holler!"

CHAPTER XVIII.

A MAN OF THE PEOPLE.

Carker was almost smothered in the powerful arms of the delighted Irish
youth.

To the crowd, however, it seemed that a violent assault had been made on
the orator. In that crowd were many who sympathized with the socialistic
speaker or were pronounced socialists themselves. These persons grew
excited immediately, and a dozen of them sought to push forward to
Carker's assistance. They reached for Mulloy and Gallup with savage
hands or sought to smite the two young men with clenched fists.

"Great hemlock!" exclaimed Ephraim, as he thrust aside the outstretched
hands or warded off blows. "What in thutteration's the matter with this
bunch of lunatics!"

"Down with them--down with the aristocrats!" snarled the angry crowd.

"Whoop! Hooroo!" shouted Barney Mulloy, releasing Carker. "Is it a
schrap thot do be on our hands, Oi dunno? Begorra, it's so long since
Oi've been consarned in a real fight that me blood tingles with pleasure
at the thought av it."

By this time Carker recognized the sun-tanned young man who had
interrupted his speech. As quickly as possible he flung himself in front
of the excited crowd, threw up his hands, and shouted:

"Stand back! stand back! They're my friends!"

"Gott in Himmel!" gurgled a German. "Did not they you attackt? Dit ve
not see them py our eyes as they didid it?"

"I tell you they're my friends," persisted Carker.

"They hit-a you! They grab-a you!" shouted an Italian. "They stop-a you
from making the speech!"

"It's all right," persisted the young socialist. "I had finished my
speech. I tell you to keep back! Stand off! The man who touches them is
not friendly toward me. He's not friendly toward socialism."

"Vale," said the German, "uf you put it to us up dot vay, it vill a
settlement make."

Then he turned and faced the crowd, pushing many of them back with his
pudgy hands as he shouted:

"Stood avay nearer off! Don't push up so far close! Dit you not hear our
prother say they vas his friendts alretty?"

The excitement of the crowd rapidly subsided. Carker spoke to them
calmly, explaining that the two young