Part 29 (1/2)
Daniel turned on the water in the sink ”They'll pay fer it,” he said quietly Then he stripped off his shi+rt and began to wash When he straightened up, he saw that his ribs and sides were black-and-blue
Quickly he soaped the whole upper half of his body and wiped it off with a damp towel Then he held his head under the cold tap until the fuzziness was gone He began to dry himself ”There should be another shi+rt and pair of pants in the bag,” he said
”I'll get it” Tony went back into the bar
Daniel got out of his pants ”Get h the open door There were dditional bruises on his sides and thighs, but fortunately he had roin It had to be the way he had fallen; he wasn't conscious of having done anything to protect himself
He wiped the rest of himself doith the damp towel, tln dried hi, he was drinking the whiskey right from the bottle
''You bag is a mess,” Tony said
Daniel nodded 'The stuff was all over the street I jes' picked it up and stuffed it in”
”What should I do with these?” Tony asked, gesturing to the pile of torn clothes
”Throw 'e else to do with the He dressed quickly
Tony looked at him ”You better see a doctor You-a nose is broke and soht need stitches”
Daniel turned and looked in the mirror ”It's not that bad There's nothin' he kin do about the nose, an' the cuts will heal theirselves I had worse when I was a kid”
He took another swig of the whiskey and carried the bottle back into the bar Silently he began to repack his duffel bag When he was finished, he looked at Tony ”Where's the union headquarters?”
”State and Main,” Tony said ”Why?”
”I'oin' over there”
”You-a crazy It's-a one o'clock in the- They be closed nobody there”
”Then I'll be there when somebody comes in in the momin'”
”Why don't you stay out of it?” Tony asked ”You a nice boy You don't have to get s like-athat”
Daniel looked at hi Jimmy, his sister, his family, the mines ”Mebbe I alas and didn' know it”
He kept pressing it until a sleepy Negro came to the door about ten minutes later
'Cain't you see the buildin' is closed?” the Negro deot business in the union office,” Daniel said
Reluctantly the Negro opened the door ''You guys oin' all hours o' the day an' night It's gettin' so a body cain't get no rest no
''The staihs to your lef,” the Negro said quickly ”Thu'd flo' Three-oh-three”
Daniel went up the steps He had been right The lights he had seen from the street were in the union office He put his hand on the door and turned the knob The door swung open There was no one in the reception hall He went through another door into a corridor A sound of voices carried up the hall toward him He walked toward it The sound came from behind a closed door at the end of the corridor
He paused, placing his duffel bag on the floor, and knocked once, then opened the door There were four ar-smoke-filled room They stared up at him in surprise
One of thely toward Daniel, his fists balled and ready to strike
Daniel stared at him ”Don' do that,” he said quietly ”They done that once to ht, an' I'll kill the next man to try it”
The man stopped ”What the hell do you want? What do youin here?”
”The door was open,” Daniel said He looked past the man to the others still seated behind the desk ”I caot important information fer 'im”
This time it was the man who sat in the center seat behind the desk that spoke His voice was soft ”I'm Bill Foster, executive secretary of the union”
”Are you the boss?”
Foster glanced at the uess that is what you ht call me What is it you want to see me about?”
Daniel walked in front of the desk ”My nauard on duty at Plant 5, US Steel”
One of the other esture 'Yes?” he said softly
''Tonight as tol' that they 'spected a strike an' that as supposed to help the strikebreakers git th'u the picket lines even if it uns to do it We was tol' that ouldn' be alone, that a lot of men had already been deputized by the sher'f an' would be out there to help us”
Foster's voice was soft ”We already know that What else can you tell us?”
Daniel shook his head ”I don' know Nothin', I guess Sorry I bothered you” He turned and started for the door
”Just a moment” This man's voice was one used to command Daniel turned back He was a thin-faced man with an almost patrician nose and mouth and dark hair and deep-set eyes ”Why did you coit out Mebbe I wouldn't o' thought o' coht was none o' my business But they aitin' fer me aroun' the comer from the plant After that I kneas my business”
They were silent for a moment while they stared up at his battered face Finally the thin-faced ood job on you”
” 'Twon't be nothin' coit my ban's on his like that 'thout gittin' our own back”
'' Where do you come from?''
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