The exclamation escaped young Rush almost before he realized it. He bit his lips, and his face flushed slightly.

"And while the strike was on your men and their families would go hungry?"

"Oh, no; we look out for that. We give them money."

"How much?"

"Enough."

"How much?" persisted Steve.

"A few dollars a week, perhaps, so long as the money holds out."

"Who gets the money that the men who join pay in?"

"The dues go to the union, of course. The initiation fee naturally goes to recompense the walking delegate who, you must understand, works without pay."

"It strikes me that he is pretty well paid. I have not had much experience in the world, gentlemen, but I am satisfied that your whole scheme is wrong. It is a hold-up game from start to finish----"

"You're a fool!" exploded Driscold. "You're a----"

"Never mind the tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs. I may be all you accuse me of, but I pride myself on possessing common sense. That, sometimes, is worth more than knowledge. Mr. Cavard, are you helping to unionize the mines here?"

"Whatever I am doing is done wholly in the interest of the rank and file of the mines," snapped Cavard. "You are making a mistake in antagonizing us in this way. We had hoped that you would see the matter in its true light, and that you might prove a valuable aid to us."

"In what way?" demanded Steve.

"You are popular with the men; you have a great deal of influence with them, even though you are a boy. We had hoped that you might enter into the plan and accept an important office in the union."

"So that's it, eh?"

"That is what we had hoped. Think it over. Say nothing to anyone, but go over the matter carefully, and I am sure you will change your mind. Meet us here to-morrow night at eight o'clock and give us your answer. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose."

"Gentlemen, there is no necessity of waiting until to-morrow night. I can give you my answer now. I want nothing to do with such crooked business as you have proposed to me to-night. I bid you good night, gentlemen."

Steve Rush rose and left the room without another word.

CHAPTER X

THE GENTLEMAN IN THE WOODPILE

"BOB, I've torn down the woodpile," announced Steve, as he entered their room at the boarding house half an hour later.

"What woodpile?" demanded Jarvis blankly.

"The one we have been guessing about; and I've found the black gentleman who has been in hiding there."

"You don't mean that you have solved the mystery?"

"I have."

"Well, you are a wonder. Tell me about it."

"They are trying to unionize the mines."

"You don't say! Who is trying to do it?"

"Cavard is at the bottom of the whole business, I believe. He has with him the president of the Central Iron Miners' a.s.sociation and they are putting up this job together, though I believe the Duke is the real man."

"So that's the game, is it?"

"It is."

"How did you chance to learn all this?"

Steve related what had occurred in the reading room of the hotel, telling his companion how he had been lured to Driscold's room on the pretext of looking over some samples of ore, and where they were soon joined by the Duke.

"What did they want of you?" questioned Jarvis.

"They wanted me to join the union, of course. They wanted me to use my influence with the men, promising me quick promotion if I did join in and help them to organize."

"What did you tell them?"

"I don't remember all I said, but I made it clear that I wanted none of it. I am satisfied that this union business is a delusion and a snare.

Mr. Carrhart talked with me quite a little on that subject when he was up here some months ago. He gave me a lot of points about the methods followed by some of these union organizers, and he showed me what miserable things strikes are."

"Yes; I guess they are pretty bad," agreed Jarvis. "I have never seen one."

"And I hope you never will. I don't believe a strike could ever benefit either employe or employer. Don't you get mixed up with them, Bob."

"Not I," answered Jarvis with emphasis. "I'm pretty well satisfied with the way I am being used. I've learned a lot of things in the past year, and most of them I have learned from you. I'm very much obliged for the licking you gave me. You hammered some sense into my head and I haven't lost all of it yet. When I do, you may give me another walloping."

"I'm afraid I should not be able to do it now. You have grown since then, Bob."

"So have you."

"Then we are in good shape to thrash somebody else, if the occasion demands, eh?"

"You bet! We'll do that, all right. Do you think there is going to be trouble?"

"I should not be surprised. I do not know, of course, how far this thing has gone, but the organizers have been working for a long time, as you and I both know. I am inclined to believe that the Duke has gotten a strong hold on the men. You observed how our fellows acted after they returned from their outing on Sunday?"

"Yes; I noticed it. They all acted as if they had lost their week's wages. So that's what was going on, eh?"