"You can send daughter in," answered Piper, indicating Addie, who--far
from quailing--looked as serene and fresh as ever. "But I'm going to
stand in front of this door. Now," he continued, with determination,
fronting the rioters, "you leave the old man and his girl alone. If you
don't you've got to fight me. One of your locomotives run me off the
bridge t'other day and didn't kill me; and I guess you can't, either. I
promise to corral the whole herd, if you try to come in here."
Some of the men showed defiance, but those nearest were in no hurry to
attack. It had suddenly become apparent to them that their antagonist's
shoulders were particularly square and rugged. Scofield wondered whether
his champion knew what he was about; the Piper certainly seemed to be in
possession of all his faculties.
The leaders began to confer.
As luck would have it, the owner of the mill, who had been absent, and
was not aware of the immediate danger, just then came up. He had not
seen the crowd until within a few yards. At once a threatening cry
arose:
"Hounshell!"
A strange sensation came over Piper; a loud, tumultuous noise following
the word, filled his ears. Was it the rush of the river, or the thunder
of a railroad train? He could not tell; but he shouted suddenly with
fierce exultation:
"Hounshell--that's the name! Hounshell's the man!"
His memory had come back to him.
The strikers, diverted by this new object, turned as if to assault the
"boss;" but Piper was before them. He had darted forward and toward
Hounshell, who, blanched with fear, and thinking Piper in league with
the men, took flight, making for the bridge; the Californian after him.
The little mob, itself bewildered, followed; but Piper had already
clutched the fugitive when it caught up with them.
"I've got him," he cried. "This man's a fraud. Do you want to know why?
He took the money left to the other man--Scofield--hurrah! that's the
other name. He stole the money, I tell you, and bought that mill, and it
don't belong to him. The mill is Scofield's; d'you hear?"
"Let go," gurgled Hounshell, trying to wrench himself free. But his
captor shook him once, and he was quiet.
The workmen crowded up to get a clearer understanding of this
extraordinary statement; and as it broke fully upon them, "Throw him
over the bridge," became their watchword. But by this time several other
persons had advanced over the street bridge, among whom were Jonah and
Scofield.
"No violence, boys," said Jonah, lifting his voice, which had authority.
"You're disgracing the cause."
The men became silent, but Scofield was indignant with his ally of a
moment before.
"What are you doing to the boss?" he demanded, hotly. "You must be
crazy."
"Yes; he's crazy," said Hounshell, trying to assume the air of a
composed and meritorious person placed at a disadvantage.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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