Common Cause: A Novel of the War in AmericaAdams, Samuel Hopkins
General
Common Cause: A Novel of the War in America
Adams, Samuel Hopkins
World War, 1914-1918 -- United States -- Fiction
Hardly had he finished when Jeremy Robson found himself being hustled
by Judge Dana and the chairman, who had possessed themselves of an arm
apiece, to the front of the platform. The house rose to him in a burst
of acclaim. He looked out, with nerves aquiver, across that waiting
audience of one-time enemies, opponents bitter and implacable, bitterly
and implacably fought in many an unforgotten campaign; now his allies,
rallying to a service greater than all past hatreds, higher than all
past loyalties.
Judge Dana’s words echoed back to him: “In the same cause--with the last
drop of blood--to the finish!” What terms could he find wherein to speak
to these, his enemies of old, looking up at him with such befriending
eyes?
Montrose Clark had delivered himself of a hurried and unheeded
introduction, and now Jeremy stood, with shaking knees, gazing down at
them. Opportunely and suddenly the parable of Nick Milliken came into
his mind.
“My friends,” he said unsteadily, “I can’t make you a speech. There are
n’t thanks made for this sort of thing. But I can tell you the parable
of Milliken. You know Milliken, the Socialist--one of us. He was talking
to a bunch that were ripe for a strike, arguing against it because it
would hinder one little corner of our war. This is what he told them:
‘All my life,’ he said, ‘I’ve been fighting Wall Street and the firm of
J. P. Morgan & Company. I’m against everything they represent. I expect
to go on fighting them the rest of my life. But if I were walking down
the street with Mr. Morgan and we met a mad wolf in the road I’d say to
him: “Pierpont, let’s get together and kill that wolf. Our little scrap
can wait.” That’s what Milliken told them, my friends. That’s all I
can say to you now. We’ve had our differences, you and I. We’ll have
them again. They seemed big and bitter at the time. How little they
seem now! For now we’re facing the mad wolf of Germany right here in
Centralia. He’s in the heart of our State. “Let’s get him out! Our little
scrap can wait!”’”
They rose to him again.
“But, God bless your dear hearts,” cried young Jeremy Robson with
shining eyes and outstretched hands, “how can we ever fight each other
after this!”
Up in a far corner of the gallery a pair of strong, little, sun-tanned,
eager, tremulous hands went forth involuntarily as if to meet Jeremy’s,
unseen.
*****
While that very unliterary and decidedly militant organization, the
Fenchester War Reading Club, was pouring forward to overwhelm the editor
of The Guardian, there gathered in the little side room a hasty and
earnest conference of three. Andrew Galpin and Montrose Clark having
left it, the lone survivor, Judge Selden Dana, remained to catch Jeremy
as he came out.
“Jem,” he said, “you’ve won.”
“Thanks to you people!”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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