ad!" said Cully, when the postmaster passed Tom's
big letter out to him. One of Cully's duties was to go for the mail.

When Pop broke the seal in Tom's presence,--one of Pop's duties was to
open what Cully brought,--out dropped a type-written sheet notifying Mr.
Thomas Grogan that sealed proposals would be received up to March
1st for "unloading, hauling, and delivering to the bins of the Eagle
Brewery" so many tons of coal and malt, together with such supplies,
etc. There were also blank forms in duplicate to be duly filled up with
the price and signature of the bidder. This contract was given out once
a year. Twice before it had been awarded to Thomas Grogan. The year
before a man from Stapleton had bid lowest, and had done the work. McGaw
and his friends complained that it took the bread out of Rockville's
mouth; but as the bidder belonged to the Union, no protest could be
made.

The morning after the meeting of the Union, McGaw went to New York by
the early boat. He carried a letter from Pete Lathers, the yardmaster,
to Crane & Co., of so potent a character that the coal-dealers agreed
to lend McGaw five hundred dollars on his three-months' note, taking
a chattel mortgage on his teams and carts as security, the money to be
paid McGaw as soon as the papers were drawn. McGaw, in return, was to
use his "pull" to get a permit from the village trustees for the free
use of the village dock by Crane & Co. for discharging their Rockville
coal. This would save Crane half a mile to haul. It was this promise
made by McGaw which really turned the scale in his favor. To hustle
successfully it was often necessary for Crane to cut some sharp corners.

This dock, as McGaw knew perfectly well, had been leased to another
party--the Fertilizing Company--for two years, and could not possibly be
placed at Crane's disposal. But he said nothing of this to Crane.

When the day of payment to McGaw arrived, Dempsey of the executive
committee and Walking Delegate Quigg met McGaw at the ferry on his
return from New York. McGaw had Crane's money in his pocket. That night
he paid two hundred dollars into the Union, two hundred to his feed-man
on an account long overdue, and the balance to Quigg in a poker game in
the back room over O'Leary's bar.

Tom also had an interview with Mr. Crane shortly after his interview
with McGaw. Something she said about the dock having been leased to the
Fertilizing Company caused Crane to leave his chair in