eck. Be reasonable!
What do you want?"

"We want more pay and freedom from Sunday work," said a big fellow, the
Norwegian who ran the biggest planer in the shop. He had more than
once proved troublesome to Burns, but he was a remarkably intelligent
and skilful workman, and the foreman had endured much irritation on
that account.

Mr. Hardy replied, still speaking pleasantly: "The matter of more pay
is one we cannot well discuss here now, but I will say to you and all
the rest, that as far as it is in my power there shall be no more
Sunday work demanded--while I live," Mr. Hardy was on the point of
saying; but he said instead, "of the men in the shops."

"Still, that is not the question," replied the man in an insolent tone.
Mr. Hardy looked at him more closely, and saw that he had been
drinking. Several of the workmen cried out:

"Shut up, Herman! Mr. Hardy be right; we be fools to make row now at
this time."

A dozen men started for their machines to go to work again, while Burns
went up and laid his hand, on the Norwegian's arm, and said to him
roughly:

"Quit off now. You've been dipping that beard of yours into a whiskey
barrel. Better mind your pegs, or you get your walking papers."

"Mind your own, Burns," replied the big man heavily. "You be
somethings of a beard drinker yourself, if you had the beard."

Burns was so enraged at the drunken retort that he drew back as if to
strike the man, when the Norwegian smote the foreman a blow that laid
him sprawling in the iron dust. Instantly Mr. Hardy stepped up between
the two men before Burns could rise. We have spoken of Robert's
intense horror of the coarse, physical vices. It seemed totally wrong
to him that a workman should degrade himself with drink. Besides, he
could not tolerate such actions in the shops. He looked the drunken
man in the face and said sternly:

"You are discharged! I cannot afford to employ drunken men in these
shops. You may go this instant!"

The man leered at Mr. Hardy, raised his arm as if to strike, while the
manager confronted him with a stern look; but before the Norwegian
could do any harm two or three of the men seized him and hustled him
back to the other end of the shops, while Burns rose, vowing vengeance.

The men went back to their machines, and Mr. Hardy, with an anxious
heart, went back into the office, satisfied that there would be no
trouble at the shops for the rest of the day at least. He was sorry