"No. They both joined the union, not, I believe, because of any sympathy that they felt for the movement, but in the light of after events, it is plain to me that Rush saw what was coming, and thought he might be able to stem the tide. It was too big a task for him. He did not fully appreciate the magnitude of the task that he had set for himself."
"They are splendid boys," continued Mr. Carrhart, the lines of his face softening perceptibly. "Splendid boys. Tell me about their part in this affair."
Mr. Penton did so. He related to the president the incidents connected with the Iron Boys joining the union. Of their having pitted themselves against the man Cavard, of Steve Rush's speeches and of the fight in the meeting on the previous night, when the boys had been handled so roughly.
"The cowards!" exclaimed Mr. Carrhart, thumping the superintendent's desk with a powerful fist. "They deserve no sympathy, and——"
"You mean the leaders deserve no sympathy?" corrected Mr. Penton.
"Yes. Do you know how the boys are this morning—whether they were seriously hurt or not?"
"They went home after the meeting—after they had reëntered the meeting room and withdrawn from the organization. I have not heard from them this morning, of course."
"Please send over to their boarding place and find out as soon as you think the people there are up. I should like to see the boys some time this morning if they are able to get out. If not, we will go to them," announced the president with emphasis. "How many of our men will stand by us?"
"I have no idea. Not very many."
"While there is no necessity for our turning a wheel for the rest of the season, we must do so for the moral effect it will have on the strikers. We must not give way for a moment. We already are paying our men better wages than almost any other mine in the country. It is not the principle of this corporation to grind its men down, but to pay them all they can earn. Yet there is a limit beyond which we cannot go. Have you any suggestions to make, Penton?"