TOM SEEKS HELP FROM THE ENEMY
At the end of work the next day Tom joined the rush of men down the ladders and the narrow servants" stairways, the only ones in as yet, and on gaining the street made for the nearest saloon. Five cents invested in beer secured for him the liberty of the house. He washed himself, brushed his hair and clothing, and set forth for the office of Baxter & Co.
Baxter & Co. occupied one side of the tenth floor of a big downtown office building. Tom found himself in a large waiting-room, divided by a wooden railing, beyond which at a desk sat an imperious youth in a blue uniform.
"Is Mr. Baxter in?" Tom inquired.
The uniform noted that Tom"s clothes were worn and wrinkled. "He"s busy," it said stiffly.
"Is he in?"
"I s"pose he is."
"Well, you tell him I want to see him. Keating"s my name. I"ll wait if he"s busy."
The uniform carelessly handed him a slip of paper. "Write down yer name an" business, an" I"ll see if he"ll see youse."
With a gleam in his eyes Tom took the printed form, wrote his name and "on business of the Iron Workers" Union."
The boy accepted the slip and calmly read it. Tom gave him a push that sent him spinning. "Get a move on you, there! I"m in a hurry."
The boy gave a startled look back, and walked quickly down an alley that ran between two rows of offices. Tom sat down in one of the leather-bottomed chairs and with a show of coolness, but with inward excitement, waited his interview with Mr. Baxter. He had never met an employer in his life, save regarding his own work or as a member of a strike committee. And now the first he was to meet in a private interview was the most prominent employer in his trade--head of the big firm of Baxter & Co., and president of the Iron Employers" a.s.sociation.
Several minutes pa.s.sed before the uniform reappeared and led Tom into Mr. Baxter"s office, a large, airy room with red burlap walls, cherry woodwork, cherry chairs, a long cherry table, a flat-top cherry desk.
The room was absolutely without attempt at decoration, and was as clean as though it had been swept and dusted the minute before. The only piece of paper in the room was an architect"s drawing of a facade, which Mr.
Baxter was examining.
Mr. Baxter did not look up immediately. Tom, standing with hat in hand, was impressed with his busyness. He was not yet acquainted with the devices by which men of affairs fortify their importance.
Suddenly Mr. Baxter wheeled about in his chair. "I beg your pardon. Be seated. What can I do for you?"
He was perhaps forty-five or fifty--slender, of high, narrow brow, steely eyes, and Vand.y.k.e beard. His neatness was equal to that of his office; he looked as though he were fresh from barber, haberdasher and tailor. Tom understood the success of the man in the first glance at his face: he was as quick to act upon the opportunity as a steel trap.
Tom sat down in one of the polished chairs, and affected composure by throwing his left arm across the cherry table. "I belong to the Iron Workers" Union. To come right to the point----"
"I shall be obliged if you will. I"m really very busy."
Mr. Baxter"s tone was a model of courtesy. A more a.n.a.lytical man than Tom might have felt the distinction that it was the courtesy a gentlemen owes himself, not the courtesy one man owes another. Tom merely felt a vague antagonism, and that put him at his ease.
"I"m busy, too," he returned quietly. "What I"ve come to see you about is a matter which I consider of great importance to the bosses and the union. And I"ve come to see you because I know you are friendly to the union."
"I believe that in most cases the interests of the employers and the interests of the union are practically the same."
"And also because you don"t like Foley."
Mr. Baxter fingered his narrow watch chain a moment. "So you"ve come to see me about Mr. Foley?"
"Yes. There"s no use going into details with you, Mr. Baxter. You know the sort Foley is as well as I do. He bullies the union. That"s nothing to you. But he"s not on the square with the bosses. That is. As you said awhile ago, the interests of the bosses and the union are the same. It"s to the interest of both to get rid of Foley. That"s so, ain"t it?"
Mr. Baxter"s face was inscrutable. "You"re going to turn him out then?"
"We"re going to try to."
"And what will be your policy then?--if you don"t mind my asking it."
"To run things on the square."
"A praiseworthy purpose. Of course you"ll put in a square man as delegate then."
"I"m going to run myself."
Tom thought he saw a significant look pa.s.s across Mr. Baxter"s face.
"Not because I"m anxious for his job," he hastened to explain. "But somebody"s got to run against him."
Mr. Baxter nodded slightly. "I see. Not a very popular risk." His keen eyes never wavered from Tom"s face. "How do you propose to defeat Foley? But don"t tell me anything you don"t want to."
Tom outlined his plans for organizing the better element against Foley.
"That sounds feasible," was Mr. Baxter"s comment when Tom had concluded.
His eyes were still fastened on Tom"s face. "And after you win, there"ll be a strike?"
This question, asked quietly but with electrical quickness, caught Tom unprepared. He floundered an instant. "We"ve got to bridge two or three rivers before we come to that one," he answered.
Mr. Baxter hardly moved an eyelash. "That"s obvious. And now, aside from the benefit which we are to secure by the change, how does your plan concern me?"
"Since you are going to profit by the fight, if we win, I thought you might help us. And you can do it easy enough. One thing that"ll keep a lot of the members from joining in the fight is that they"re afraid, if Foley wins out, he"ll get "em all fired. Now if you"ll simply guarantee that you"ll stand by the men, why, they"ll all come out against Foley and we"ll beat him five to one. There"ll be no chance for us to lose."
Mr. Baxter"s white brow wrinkled in thought. Tom waited his words in suspense. At length he spoke.
"You will readily realize, Mr. Keating, that it is an almost unprecedented step for us to take such a part in the affairs of a union.
Your suggestion is something I must think about."
Tom had been certain Mr. Baxter would fall in with his scheme enthusiastically. It required so little, merely his word, and a.s.sured so much. Mr. Baxter"s judicial reception of his plan shot him through with disappointment.
"What, don"t it appeal to you?" he cried.
"It certainly seems full of promise."
"It will clear us of Foley--certain! And it is to the interest of both of us that the union be run on the square."
"That"s true,--very true. But the most I can say to you now, Mr.
Keating, is that I"ll take the matter under advis.e.m.e.nt. Come to see me again in a few days."
Mr. Baxter began to finger the drawing on his desk, whereby Tom knew the interview was at an end. Greatly dashed, but somewhat rea.s.sured by the contractor"s last words, he said good-afternoon and withdrew. The uniform respectfully opened the gate in the railing. In the uniform"s book of wisdom it was writ down that anyone who could be closeted with your boss was deserving of courtesy.
The instant the office door closed on Tom"s back Mr. Baxter quickly rose and paced the floor for several minutes. Then he sat down at his desk, took a sheet of paper from a drawer, and dashed off a note to Foley.
Mr. Baxter did not rise to greet Foley when the walking delegate entered his office the next afternoon. "Mr. Foley," he said, with a short nod of his head.