Part 18 (1/2)
”You are mistaken, sir; I wanted to do nothing of the sort.”
”You did; you _know_ you did. You had it all fixed to be put in as secretary and----”
”If there was any fixing, Mr. Cavard, it was not on my side of the house,” retorted Rush sharply.
”Do you mean to insinuate that I----”
”Oh, no; I am not insinuating. I was merely stating a fact.”
The Duke's face was distorted with rage. He was making a great effort to control himself, but was only partially successful. It was not advisable to have an open rupture with Steve, for the latter might do his cause serious harm, considering the boy's influence over the miners, which appeared to be almost equal to that of the walking delegate and president of the union.
”You are a traitor to the union!”
”Be careful, sir,” warned the lad.
”See here, Mister Man, don't you go to handing out any loose language around here,” spoke up Bob Jarvis in a belligerent tone. ”We don't stand for any of that kind of talk, you know.”
”Then be careful that you don't do something that you will be sorry for,” retorted the Duke. ”I know a thing or two about what you fellows are up to, and let me tell you that the union won't stand for it by a long shot! First thing you know you will be out in the cold; you'll lose your jobs and you will find that it will be rather difficult to get others in these parts.”
”Is that a threat?” demanded Rush.
”You may construe it as you wish.”
”Very well----”
”Tut, tut; what's this?” demanded the man Driscold, who had come up in time to overhear the last remarks. ”This won't do at all. Harmony is what we want in the union, and harmony is what we must have. What is the difficulty here?”
”There is no difficulty so far as we are concerned,” replied Rush. ”Mr.
Cavard is a little excited, that's all. He will feel better to-morrow.
Good night.”
The boys turned away abruptly and started for home.
”Now, Steve Rush, will you please tell me what all this means?” demanded Jarvis after they had reached their room. ”What on earth ever possessed you to join the union after you had been roasting it so hard?”
”I had my reasons, Bob.”
”Yes; I suppose you had.”
”I joined the union because I believed I could be useful to it, and to our employers as well, and that is the purpose that _you_ must have in view.”
”You don't mean that you and I are going to be spies and report everything to Mr. Penton, do you? If that's the case, you may count me out.”
”Certainly not. You ought to know me better than that. What sort of speech did I make?”
”Say, it was a dandy! I didn't think it was in you. You ought to have seen how those fellows hung on every word. They were sitting forward on the edges of their seats, every man of them.”