CHAPTER XVII
FACING THEIR ASSAILANTS
JARVIS was the first to recover himself. He found himself lying half onthe body of his companion.
"Steve, Steve!" he cried. "Are you much hurt."
Rush did not answer.
Bob, as soon as he could pull himself together sufficiently to do so,began shaking his companion.
"Wake up, wake up!"
"Huh?" muttered Steve, twisting and trying to raise himself.
"Thank goodness, they didn't kill you," exclaimed Jarvis, hugging hiscompanion delightedly. "Where are you hurt?"
"I--I thought the house fell on me. What was it?"
"Nothing much. I just landed on you from a second story window--that'sall. It's a wonder I didn't break every bone in your body."
A pile of rubbish had been thrown out that afternoon, in cleaning up thehall for the evening meeting. There were papers, excelsior, burlap andother soft substances in the heap. It was on this heap that the IronBoys had fallen in their plunge from the second story, and to that heapof rubbish they no doubt owed their lives. As it was, however, they werebadly bruised and shaken.
"They must have thrown us out," said Rush, sitting up and rubbing thebruised spots on his body. "The hounds! But no, I shouldn't blame themso much. Cavard is the man who incited them to violence. Bob, I believehe planned, before the meeting, to do that very thing. I was warned notto come here to-night, and the person who warned me was in a position toknow what plans Cavard had in mind."
"Who warned you?"
"You asked that once before, and I told you I could not tell you. Iwouldn't under any circumstances give the name of the person who warnedme."
"Let me help you up."
Steve was painfully getting to his feet.
"No; I am able to take care of myself."
"Came pretty near having a fight, didn't we?" grinned Jarvis.
"Almost," admitted Rush. "The ones I most wanted to hit weren't in thatmix-up. That is my greatest regret. Another is that we had to damagesome of the men who were once our friends."
"Served them right! They don't deserve sympathy," growled Jarvis. "Wedidn't give it to them hard enough. I guess some of them won't forgetthe walloping they got for many days to come."
"How about ourselves?" questioned Rush, laughing mirthlessly. "It occursto me that you and I are pretty well banged up. I can't see how youlook, but I think I must resemble the last rose of summer, with all thepetals blown off. My, but my head aches!"
"Never mind," soothed Bob. "You are not the only one. There are others,and there are other headaches just as bad as yours. What shall we donow?"
"Is the meeting still going on?"
"Yes; I hear them up there. They are finishing up the business that weinterrupted, I reckon."
"I'm going up there," announced Rush with decision.
"I wouldn't, if I were in your place. You are in no sort of shape to getinto any more trouble to-night," advised Jarvis.
"I do not intend to get into trouble. Bob. But I am going back for amoment, just the same."
"Then I'll go with you."
"Very well; but don't stir up any more trouble. We have had enough, andI am not sure that we are entirely blameless, but I could not sit thereand see that man leading the men into trouble, urging them on to theirown destruction, as it were."
"You might as well have kept still, for all the good it did."
"Yes, I guess that's so. You and I seem fated to get into trouble.Somehow we can't keep out of it."
"Unless we are thrown out," suggested Jarvis, at which both boys laughedas heartily as was possible with their aching bodies. The laugh did moreto restore them to a better frame of mind than anything else could havedone at that moment.
"Come on, then; we will go up as far as the door."
"What are you going to do?"
"I just want to say something, that's all; then we will go home, wherewe might better have stayed in the beginning."
The Iron Boys approached the front of the building and started to enter.They found their way barred by a guard at the foot of the stairs.
"You can't go in here," warned the man.
"Who says we can't?" demanded Bob.
"_I_ say so."
"Well, you don't count. We're going in, just the same, and if you getfunny I'll throw you out into the street. If you follow us up and raisea disturbance I'll kick you down stairs. I feel just like kickingsomebody real hard," growled Jarvis savagely, thrusting a belligerentchin close to the other man's face. "Go on, Steve; he won't bite."
"No, I hardly think he will," smiled Rush, as he started up the stairs,followed by his companion, the latter turning every few moments to seeif the guard were following them. The fellow had prudently remained atthe foot of the stairs. Perhaps he had seen something of the hittingpowers of the Iron Boys.
Steve Rush stepped into the meeting room and came to a halt about evenwith the chairman's platform.
Every eye in the room was instantly focused on the lad. He did notpresent a prepossessing appearance. His clothes were torn and coveredwith dirt, his face was streaked with blood where it had been cut whenhe crashed through the window in his flight from the hall, while hishands were in a similar condition.
Cavard discovered him about this time.
"Young man, haven't you caused enough trouble for one night, withoutcoming back looking for more?" demanded the chairman.
"I have not returned to look for trouble. I have come for one thing, towarn you."
"Against what?"
"Against trouble. I presume you have voted for a strike?"
"The members of the union have done so."
"Then let me tell you that that action, which you brought about byunderhand scheming, marks the beginning of your downfall, Mr. Cavard. Ibelieve you to be a scheming scoundrel, and I shall make it my businessto expose you to the men who are following you so blindly now. Look out,Mr. Walking Delegate and President. It's a pretty long level thatdoesn't bring up against a hard rock heading sooner or later. I wish myname taken from the roll of the union. I do not wish to belong to anyorganization that you are connected with. That is all I have to say toyou."
"Out with you, before I order you thrown downstairs!" shouted the headof the union. "You can't resign, because you've been bounced. The menfired you out of the window; then they fired you from the union, you andyour handy-fisted friend there."
"Thank you. Good night. When you men and your families are sufferingfrom hunger and cold, perhaps you may remember the warning I have givenyou."
Steve turned on his heel and limped down the stairs, with Bob as a rearguard.
"Hey, Steve!" called Jarvis, halting at the door.
"What is it?" demanded Rush, halting outside the door.
"Shall I hand this guard one for luck? Shall I punch him, just once,good and hard?"
"Certainly not. He hasn't done anything to you. We have had enoughfighting for one night. Besides, I am lame and sore, and I want to gethome. Come along."
Jarvis followed, but reluctantly. He could hardly restrain himself fromthrashing the grinning guard at the foot of the stairs.
When the Iron Boys removed their clothes and took their bath theyrealized, for the first time, how roughly they had been handled. Theirbodies were covered with bruises, but their faces were unmarked, savewhere Steve had been cut by the glass when he was hurled through thewindow. There were many other men, however, whose faces had not fared sowell, and they would bear the marks of the Iron Boys' fists for days tocome.
The boys were in bed soon after. On the morrow they were to awaken tonew experiences. Ahead of them was a great strike, in which the IronBoys were to play a tremendously important part, and during which theywere to win new laurels.
The Iron Boys as Foremen; or, Heading the Diamond Drill Shift Page 17
