So Hilda was seated on the nail keg, while
Bannon, resting his elbows on the top of a spile which projected waist
high through the floor of the wharf, expounded the situation.

"You understand his proposition," he said, addressing Hilda, rather than
either of the men. "It's just plain blackmail. He says, 'If you don't
want your laborers to strike, you'll have to pay my price.'"

"Not much," Pete broke in. "I'd let the elevator rot before I'd pay a
cent of blackmail."

"Page wouldn't," said Bannon, shortly, "or MacBride, neither. They'd be
glad to pay five thousand or so for protection. But they'd want
protection that would protect. Grady's trying to sell us a gold brick.
He hated us to begin with, and when he'd struck us for about all he
thought we'd stand, he'd call the men off just the same, and leave us to
waltz the timbers around all by ourselves."

"How much did he want?"

"All he could get. I think he'd have been satisfied with a thousand, but
he'd come 'round next week for a thousand more."

"What did you tell him?"

"I told him that a five-cent cigar was a bigger investment than I cared
to make on him and that when we paid blackmail it would be to some
fellow who'd deliver the goods. I said he could begin to make trouble
just as soon as he pleased."

"Seems to me you might have asked for a few days' time to decide. Then
we could have got something ready to come at him with. He's liable to
call our men out to-night, ain't he?"

"I don't think so. I thought of trying to stave him off for a few days,
but then I thought, 'Why, he'll see through that game and he'll go on
with his scheme for sewing us up just the same.' You see, there's no
good saying we're afraid. So I told him that we didn't mind him a bit;
said he could go out and have all the fun he liked with us. If he thinks
we've got something up our sleeve he may be a little cautious. Anyway,
he knows that our biggest rush is coming a little later, and he's likely
to wait for it."

Then Hilda spoke for the first time. "Has he so much power as that? Will
they strike just because he orders them to?"

"Why, not exactly," said Bannon. "They decide that for themselves, or at
least they think they do. They vote on it."

"Well, then," she asked hesitatingly, "why can't you just tell the men
what Mr. Grady wants you to do and show them that he's dishonest? They
know they've been treated all right, don't they?"

Bannon shook his head. "No use," he said.