Page:Stanwood Pier--The ancient grudge.djvu/429

418 "Oh," she answered, "if it's necessary, Floyd, I can wait"

It occurred to him that here had been an opportunity for her to show an affectionate dependence and devotion; it might have been conveyed in the utterance of those very words. But she spoke them merely as the agents of an obvious, common-sense opinion, one so obvious that there was no necessity of connecting with it reluctance or regret.

The mills had been idle for three weeks when Hugh Farrell called on Floyd with a proposal for reopening them.

"There's enough men ready to break away from the Affiliated and go in with me," he said confidently. "Enough to start a couple of mills anyhow. There's a good many more that would be willing but are scared. I'm reckoning only on those that won't be scared—that will have the nerve to walk in first—right past the pickets. I've been feeling around some."

"I think it would be better for you," said Floyd, "to lie low and do nothing for the present. Is n't your situation—and Letty's—pretty uncomfortable? How are you being treated?"

"Oh," said Hugh, "a good many folks don't give us much chance to forget that we 're unpopular. But that's all right. That's because the Affiliated's got every one so terrorized. If once we can break in on them—why, the very fellows that are noisiest against me will be the first to desert. I'm not bothering on my own account. What I want is to get busy."

"Well," said Floyd, "you'd better feel round among the men a little longer. I'll think it over."

He consulted Gregg, who was of the opinion that a number of men would be glad to return to work, but doubted if many of them would dare to be the first. A few days later Farrell came to him again.

"It's all right," Farrell said confidently. "Just say the