CHAPTER XI

RUSH SCORES HEAVILY

"I AM glad you have thought better of it, young man," said Cavard, leaning over and shaking Rush by the hand.

Steve did not reply. His face was flushed, his lips compressed. He had evidently decided upon some course of action that was not wholly pleasing to him. He glanced up sharply. Driscold was speaking.

"It is not usual for one man to hold two offices, but you will agree with me that there is one man among us who is peculiarly fitted for the office of walking delegate. He will always work in our interest, if you choose him to fill the second office. I refer to Mr. Cavard, your new president."

The Duke was elected walking delegate with great enthusiasm, Steve Rush and Bob Jarvis being the only men in the room to vote against the proposition. Cavard was smiling to cover his annoyance at the marked way in which the boys had opposed him. He flashed a malignant glance at them, which both lads pretended not to observe. But they knew that they had made an enemy of the new walking delegate.

Other officers were elected; men in every instance who could be easily handled by the one at the head of the new organization. This having been done, the president asked if any member had anything to say, or a suggestion to make, before they proceeded to the signing of the roll.

No one spoke. Each was waiting for the other. In fact, none of the men in the hall had a very definite idea as to what he did want. They were already in the hands of their leaders.

Steve Rush rose slowly to his feet. Every eye was instantly fixed upon him.

"Great Cæsar, he's going to spout!" muttered Bob Jarvis. "Well, if this doesn't beat anything I ever heard of in my life! A few hours ago Steve was roasting the union, and now he's a red-hot member of one. I wonder what he's got up his sleeve? He's up to something, that's sure."

"My friends," began the lad, with perfect confidence in himself, for he had been the prize orator of his class in the high school, "I am only a boy----"

"No you ain't; you're a full-grown man!" shouted several voices at once.

"As I said, I am only a boy, but you know I am your friend, and all of you are my friends. I had not intended to join this organization, but after thinking the matter over I decided that it was my duty to do so. I had a feeling that I might be able to help you, though perhaps not in the way that some of your leaders might suggest----"

Cavard rapped loudly with his fist on the table.

"You are out of order, Mr. Secretary. I am sorry, but we have too much business ahead of us to permit of our wasting time in idle talk. The hour is getting late, and as it is the first duty of your presiding officer to look out for your well being, I would suggest that we finish our business so that you may all get home to your needed rest."

Steve was standing, half turned toward Cavard, holding the latter with a steady gaze.

"No, no; let him talk. We want to hear what he has to say. Go on, Rush; we're going to hear you out, even if we don't get home till morning."

"You may speak for two minutes," announced Cavard. There was no smile on his face now. Matters were taking an unexpected turn, and one that he did not like at all. This boy was having things too much his own way, and the Duke made a mental resolve to check Steve effectually before another meeting was called.

"Go on, Rush; go on!"

The lad turned facing his audience again, undisturbed by the interruption.

"As I was saying, I am your friend and you are mine. I have had no experience with unions. Perhaps others of you have. But I want to warn you not to be carried away by promises. Use your own best judgment on all matters. Let your union mean your uplifting. Don't use the power of your union for any wrong purpose. If you have a grievance at any time, talk it over calmly; look on both sides of every question. Do not let your leaders influence you against your better judgment----"

"I protest against this line of talk," cried Cavard angrily, rising and pounding on the table. "It is treason, men."

"Men, it is _not_ treason! I am your friend," answered Steve, addressing the audience. "Hear me out, then I will sit down. I believe that our employers have our best interests at heart. That I believe to be true so far as our own mines are concerned. Of course I am not so familiar with conditions in the independent mines represented here. Those of you who represent other mines will have to be the judges of that. You will find your employers are willing, at all times, to meet you half way and discuss any grievance, fancied or real, that you may have. Consult them freely; take them into your confidence and be guided by their advice and your own good sense. As for myself, I shall stand shoulder to shoulder with you when I believe you are in the right, but against you if I believe you are not. I want to thank you for electing me to the office of secretary. If, at any time, you think I am not the man for the place, I shall take no offence if you select someone else. That is all I have to say at present."

When he sat down there was silence in the room for a moment; then the miners broke out in a loud cheer.

"You're all right, Steve. You bet we don't want anyone else. You've got a head on your shoulders. You----"

Cavard rapped for order.

"I am afraid you men are being carried away by schoolboy eloquence. You must listen to the reason, born of long experience, of your leaders. They will guide you in the right path."

"I move that we proceed to the signing of the roll and adjourn," said Steve, rising quickly.

Bob seconded the motion and it was carried without waiting for the formality of having it put by the chairman.

Cavard was thoroughly angry. He tried hard to conceal his displeasure, but the threatening expression of his face betrayed his inward rage. He had been outdone by a boy. His well-laid plans had been turned until they were as a sharp knife against his own throat. He was perfectly willing that the meeting should be adjourned, for there was no telling what this keen, resourceful lad might propose next.

The moment the meeting was ended the two lads slipped from the room, for the hour was late and they were anxious to get home and to bed. They had reached the street when a hand was laid roughly on Steve's shoulder, turning the boy half way about.

"What do you mean, you young whelp?" demanded Cavard. "You came here to-night to make trouble. You wanted to break up the meeting, but your plan didn't work, did it?"

"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."

"Except Cavard and Driscold," laughed Steve. "I rather think _they_ were on the anxious seat. Well, we shall see. But be careful that Cavard does not draw you into an argument that will cause you to lose your temper. I have an idea he will try to do so, unless he thinks better of it and tries some other plan. I believe that man is a crook, Bob Jarvis. I may be doing him a wrong. If so, time will tell. In the meantime, we shall do what we can for the union. I hope Mr. Penton will not lose confidence in us. He may misunderstand our motive. If he does, we shall have to stand it; that's all."

"It may be the means of losing our jobs," suggested Jarvis.

Steve was thoughtful.

"I may have done wrong, but I did what I believed to be best. Out of the union we should not have so much influence with the men. In it we shall be able to do many things for both sides, being loyal to each."

"We're going to try to please everyone--is that it?" grinned Bob.

"If we are able to do it," replied Steve earnestly.

"How are we going to explain our action to Mr. Penton?"

"I shall not try to do so."

"But if he asks?" persisted Bob.

"I can't answer that beforehand. My answers must depend upon circumstances."

The boys turned in soon after that, but Steve Rush lay awake for a long time, thinking over the events of the evening. He was wondering whether he had done right; wondering whether the officials of the company, who had been so kind to him, would misconstrue his motives and no longer take their former keen interest in him.

"I've done the best I know how, and I'm not done yet," muttered the boy, as he turned over, buried his head in the pillow and tried to go to sleep.