ded his glance. But he had for everyone his
usual cheery word. Why should he not? These chaps had no hatred for him,
nor he for them. He had come to understand union methods of discipline
and recognised fully the demands for loyalty and obedience imposed upon
its members by the organisation. These men of his were bound to the
union by solemn obligations. He bore them no ill-will on that score.
Rather he respected them the more for it. If a fight was inevitable, he
would do his best to beat them but he would allow no spirit of hatred to
change his mind toward them nor cloud his judgment.

The day was full of excursions and alarms. A hurry call was sent out by
McGinnis to all employers who had received copies of the document from
the Allied Unions. In the afternoon a meeting was held in the Board
of Trade Building, but it was given over chiefly to vituperation and
threatening directed toward their variously described employees. With
one heart and voice all affirmed with solemn, and in many cases with
profane oaths that they would not yield a jot to the insolent demands of
this newly organised body.

"I have already sent my answer," shouted Mr. McGinnis.

"What did you say, Mac?"

"Told 'em to go to hell, and told 'em that if any of these highly
coloured committee men came on my premises, I would kick 'em into the
middle of next week."

Jack, who was present at the meeting, sat listening with silent and
amused pity. They seemed to him so like a group of angry children whose
game had suddenly been interfered with and whose rage rendered them
incapable of coherent thought.

Grant Maitland, who, throughout the meeting had sat silent, finally rose
and said: "Gentlemen, the mere expression of feeling may afford a
sort of satisfaction but the question is, What is to be done? That the
situation is grave for all of us we know too well. Not many of us are in
a position to be indifferent to a strike. Let us get down to business.
What shall we do?"

"Fight them to a finish! Smash the unions!" were the suggestions in
various forms and with various descriptive adjectives.

"It may come to a fight, gentlemen, but however gratifying a fight may
be to our feelings, a fight may be disastrous to our business. A strike
may last for weeks, perhaps months. Are we in a position to stand that?
And as for smashing the unions, let us once and for all put such
a thought out of our minds. These unions have all international
affiliations. I