CHAPTER VII A THREAT FROM MR. NIXON THE storm was not long in bursting. Again there was a special meeting of the lodge; again a grievance committee waited on Mr. Plumfield, but it met a very different reception from that which had been given the former one. “I have just one thing to tell you,” he said, when he had listened to their complaint, “and that is that Rafe Bassett will never be given a job on this road while I’m train master. He was drunk the other night, and you know it.” “He denies it,” said the chairman of the committee. “He admits he’d had a glass or two of beer, but that ain’t a penitentiary offence.” “Especially when a man ain’t on duty,” chimed in another. “And he says he thought he was still suspended,” chimed in a third, “and he supposed he could do as he pleased.” “He didn’t think anything of the sort,” said Mr. Plumfield, sharply. “The first words he said to me were that I’d had to crawfish. So he knew he’d been reinstated. But he’ll never be reinstated again.” “Are them your last words, Mr. Plumfield?” inquired one of his auditors, ominously. “Yes, they’re my last words,” retorted the train master, and turned to his work, while the committee filed out. He foresaw, of course, what would happen, but he felt that to reinstate Bassett would for ever destroy discipline among the men under him. He stated the case to Mr. Schofield, and that official agreed with him that Bassett could never be reinstated, but that the matter must be fought out to a finish. Hostilities were not long in commencing. The local lodge made a report—more or less biased—of the occurrence to the general officials of the order, and one of the latter came posthaste to the scene. A day or two later, Mr. Schofield received the following letter: “WADSWORTH, OHIO, January 16, 190- “MR. R. E. SCHOFIELD, “_Superintendent Ohio Division_, “_P. & O. Railway_. “_Dear Sir_:—As a representative of the Grand Lodge of the Independent Order of Railway Engineers, I ask a conference with you at the earliest possible moment. “Yours truly, “H. F. NIXON, “_Special Delegate_.” Mr. Schofield answered at once, setting the conference for next day and asking both Mr. Plumfield and Allan to be present. For he desired some witnesses of the interview. Nixon showed up promptly at the appointed time. He was a heavy-set man with a red face and big black moustache. He wore a sweeping fur overcoat, and, when he drew off his gloves, a big seal-ring with diamond settings was visible upon the little finger of his right hand. Mr. Schofield greeted him courteously, invited him to take off his overcoat and sit down, and then stepped to the door. “Bob,” he called to his office boy, “ask Mr. Plumfield and Mr. West to step this way at once, will you?”