her mind, "Maybe I'm wrong; but me man an'
all of 'em tells me ye're a-buckin' ag'in' Mr. McGaw, an' that ye has
the haulin' job at the brewery."

"No," said Tom, with emphasis, "ye're not wrong; ye're dead right. But
who's give notice?"

"The committee's give notice, an' the boss at the brewery says he'll
give ye the job if he has to shut up the brewery; an' the committee's
decided to-day that if he does they'll call out the men. My man is a
member, and so I come over"--And she rested her head wearily against the
door, the tears streaming down her face.

Tom looked at her wonderingly, and then, putting her strong arms about
her, half carried her across the kitchen to a chair by the stove. Mrs.
Todd leaned against the table, watching the sobbing woman.

For a moment no one spoke. It was a new experience for Tom. Heretofore
the fight had been her own and for her own. She had never supposed
before that she filled so important a place in the neighborhood, and for
a moment there flashed across her mind a certain justifiable pride in
the situation. But this feeling was momentary. Here was a suffering
woman. For the first time she realized that one weaker than herself
might suffer in the struggle. What could she do to help her? This
thought was uppermost in her mind.

"Don't ye worry," she said tenderly. "Schwartz won't fire yer man."

"No; but the sluggers will. There was five men 'p'inted to-day to do up
the scabs an' the kickers who won't go out. They near killed him once
in Newark for kickin'. It was that time, you know, when Katie was first
took bad."

"Do ye know their names?" said Tom, her eyes flashing.

"No, an' me man don't. He's new, an' they dar'sn't trust him. It was in
the back room, he says, they picked 'em out."

Tom stood for some moments in deep thought, gazing at the fire, her
arms akimbo. Then, wheeling suddenly, she opened the door of the
sitting-room, and said in a firm, resolute voice:--

"Gran'pop, come here; I want ye."

The old man laid down his book, and stood in the kitchen doorway. He was
in his shirt-sleeves, his spectacles on his forehead.

"Come inside the kitchen, an' shut that door behind ye. Here's me friend
Jane Todd an' a friend of hers from the tenement. That thief of a McGaw
has stirred up the Union over the haulin' bid, and they've sent notice
to Schwartz that I don't belong to the Union, an' if he don't throw me
over an' give the job to McGaw they'll call out the men. If