England -- Fiction; Strikes and lockouts -- Fiction
Austin wrote a word on a card, and desired Darby to carry it to the
foreman. 'You can go to work at once,' he said.
'I'll take work too, sir, if I can get it,' exclaimed another man, who
had come up in time to hear Austin's last words.
'What! is it you, Abel White?' exclaimed Austin, with a half-laugh. 'I
thought you made a boast that if the whole lot of hands came back to
work, you never would, except upon your own terms.'
'So I did, sir. But when I find I have been in the wrong, I am not above
owning it,' was the man's reply, who looked in a far better physical
condition than the pinched, half-starved Darby. 'I could hold out
longer, sir, without much inconvenience; leastways, with a deal less
inconvenience than some of them could, for I and father belong to one or
two provident clubs, and they have helped us weekly, and my wife and
daughters don't do amiss at their umbrella work. But I have come over to
my old father's views at last; and I have made my mind up, as he did
long ago, never to be a Union man again--unless the masters should turn
round and make themselves into a body of tyrants; I don't know what I
might do then. But there's not much danger of that--as father says--in
these go-a-head days. You'll give me work, sir?'
'Upon certain conditions,' replied Austin. And he sat down and proceeded
to talk to the man.
CHAPTER VII.
MR. DUNN'S PIGS BROUGHT TO MARKET.
Daffodil's Delight and its environs were in a state of bustle--of public
excitement, as may be said. Daffodil's Delight, however low its
condition might be, never failed to seize hold upon any possible event,
whether of a general public nature, or of a private local nature, as an
excuse for getting up a little steam. On that cold winter's day, two
funerals were appointed to take place: the one, that of Mrs. Hunter; the
other, of little William Darby: and Daffodil's Delight, in spite of the
black frost, turned out in crowds to see. You could not have passed into
the square when the large funeral came forth so many had collected
there. It was a funeral of mutes and plumes and horses and trappings and
carriages and show. The nearer Mr. Hunter had grown to pecuniary
embarrassment, the more jealous was he to guard all suspicion of it from
the world. Hence the display: which the poor unconscious lady they were
attending would have been the first to shrink from. Mr. Hunter, his
brother, and Dr. Bevary were in the first mourning-coach: in the second,
with two of the sons of Henry Hunter, and another relative, sat Austin
Clay. And more followed. That took place in the morning. In the
afternoon, the coffin of the boy, covered by something black--but it
looked like old cloth instead of velvet--was brought out of Darby's
house upon men's shoulders. Part of the family followed, and pretty
nearly the whole of Daffodil's Delight brought up the rear. There it is,
moving slowly down the street. Not over slowly either; for there had
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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