登陆注册
4132700000027

第27章 THE DREAM OF DEBS(1)

I awoke fully an hour before my customary time. This in itself was remarkable, and I lay very wide awake, pondering over it.

Something was the matter, something was wrong - I knew not what. I was oppressed by a premonition of something terrible that had happened or was about to happen. But what was it? I strove to orient myself. I remembered that at the time of the Great Earthquake of 1906 many claimed they awakened some moments before the first shock and that during these moments they experienced strange feelings of dread. Was San Francisco again to be visited by earthquake?

I lay for a full minute, numbly expectant, but there occurred no reeling of walls nor shock and grind of falling masonry. All was quiet. That was it! The silence! No wonder I had been perturbed.

The hum of the great live city was strangely absent. The surface cars passed along my street, at that time of day, on an average of one every three minutes; but in the ten succeeding minutes not a car passed. Perhaps it was a street-railway strike, was my thought; or perhaps there had been an accident and the power was shut off. But no, the silence was too profound. I heard no jar and rattle of waggon wheels, nor stamp of iron-shod hoofs straining up the steep cobble-stones.

Pressing the push-button beside my bed, I strove to hear the sound of the bell, though I well knew it was impossible for the sound to rise three stories to me even if the bell did ring. It rang all right, for a few minutes later Brown entered with the tray and morning paper. Though his features were impassive as ever, I noted a startled, apprehensive light in his eyes. I noted, also, that there was no cream on the tray.

"The Creamery did not deliver this morning," he explained; "nor did the bakery."

I glanced again at the tray. There were no fresh French rolls - only slices of stale graham bread from yesterday, the most detestable of bread so far as I was concerned.

"Nothing was delivered this morning, sir," Brown started to explain apologetically; but I interrupted him.

"The paper?"

"Yes, sir, it was delivered, but it was the only thing, and it is the last time, too. There won't be any paper to-morrow. The paper says so. Can I send out and get you some condensed milk?"

I shook my head, accepted the coffee black, and spread open the paper. The headlines explained everything - explained too much, in fact, for the lengths of pessimism to which the journal went were ridiculous. A general strike, it said, had been called all over the United States; and most foreboding anxieties were expressed concerning the provisioning of the great cities.

I read on hastily, skimming much and remembering much of labour troubles in the past. For a generation the general strike had been the dream of organized labour, which dream had arisen originally in the mind of Debs, one of the great labour leaders of thirty years before. I recollected that in my young college-settlement days I had even written an article on the subject for one of the magazines and that I had entitled it "The Dream of Debs." And I must confess that I had treated the idea very cavalierly and academically as a dream and nothing more. Time and the world had rolled on, Gompers was gone, the American Federation of Labour was gone, and gone was Debs with all his wild revolutionary ideas; but the dream had persisted, and here it was at last realized in fact. But I laughed, as I read, at the journal's gloomy outlook. I knew better. I had seen organized labour worsted in too many conflicts.

It would be a matter only of days when the thing would be settled.

This was a national strike, and it wouldn't take the Government long to break it.

I threw the paper down and proceeded to dress. It would certainly be interesting to be out in the streets of San Francisco when not a wheel was turning and the whole city was taking an enforced vacation.

"I beg your pardon, sir," Brown said, as he handed me my cigar- case, "but Mr. Harmmed has asked to see you before you go out."

"Send him in right away," I answered.

Harmmed was the butler. When he entered I could see he was labouring under controlled excitement. He came at once to the point.

"What shall I do, sir? There will be needed provisions, and the delivery drivers are on strike. And the electricity is shut off -I guess they're on strike, too."

"Are the shops open?" I asked.

"Only the small ones, sir. The retail clerks are out, and the big ones can't open; but the owners and their families are running the little ones themselves."

"Then take the machine," I said, "and go the rounds and make your purchases. Buy plenty of everything you need or may need. Get a box of candles - no, get half-a-dozen boxes. And, when you're done, tell Harrison to bring the machine around to the club for me - not later than eleven."

Harmmed shook his head gravely. "Mr. Harrison has struck along with the Chauffeurs' Union, and I don't know how to run the machine myself."

"Oh, ho, he has, has he?" said. "Well, when next Mister Harrison happens around you tell him that he can look elsewhere for a position."

"Yes, sir."

"You don't happen to belong to a Butlers' Union, do you, Harmmed?"

"No, sir," was the answer. "And even if I did I'd not desert my employer in a crisis like this. No, sir, I would - "

"All right, thank you," I said. "Now you get ready to accompany me. I'll run the machine myself, and we'll lay in a stock of provisions to stand a siege."

It was a beautiful first of May, even as May days go. The sky was cloudless, there was no wind, and the air was warm - almost balmy.

Many autos were out, but the owners were driving them themselves.

The streets were crowded but quiet. The working class, dressed in its Sunday best, was out taking the air and observing the effects of the strike. It was all so unusual, and withal so peaceful, that I found myself enjoying it. My nerves were tingling with mild excitement. It was a sort of placid adventure. I passed Miss Chickering. She was at the helm of her little runabout. She swung around and came after me, catching me at the corner.

同类推荐
  • 阿毗达磨俱舍释论

    阿毗达磨俱舍释论

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 闽海赠言

    闽海赠言

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 众经目录序

    众经目录序

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 贤圣集伽陀一百颂

    贤圣集伽陀一百颂

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 海公大小红袍全传

    海公大小红袍全传

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 乾隆朝内府抄本理藩院则例

    乾隆朝内府抄本理藩院则例

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 春晚谣

    春晚谣

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 恋上极品未婚夫

    恋上极品未婚夫

    入学第一天,她强吻了美男。几天之后,无数绯闻传出:“神马?新来的那个范诗瑶和奕少关系很不错?两人上课有说有笑的?”“神马?那个范诗瑶又亲了奕少?”“神马?范诗瑶成了奕少的女朋友?”“尼玛的那范诗瑶这次又对咱们奕少做了什么不纯洁的事情!”“厄……据说范诗瑶的身份是奕少的未婚妻……一个很牛B的世家的继承人……”众花痴默……她们好像得罪了某位美女……可恶!都是那女人的错!一开始进学校干啥的不说明自己的身份,还在那里装穷!谁知道她是厉害人物诶!
  • 妙若风华

    妙若风华

    大家都是玩游戏的,为什么我就这么背?在大街上捡到的清心寡欲的师父,居然是个深藏不露的神秘大神?还一言不合就玩消失!放荡不羁的大神异人主动来勾搭,好不容易抱了大腿,大神相公居然劈腿!给我戴绿帽不说,狐狸精还污蔑我才是小三?还有那个方士,虽然你长得帅又有礼貌还牛逼轰轰但是你毕竟取过我的(小)命!即使游戏之路如此坎坷,但我是不会认输的!改头换面,变身大神重新归来你们这群小渣渣,都准备好承受我的怒火吧!
  • 至尊高校生:恶劣学长

    至尊高校生:恶劣学长

    冷傲的恶劣学长看上了顽皮学妹,听到同学们要去欺负她时,他会站出来狂傲不羁地说:“爷的女人谁敢动!”她伤心哭泣时,他会温柔地把她拉进怀里,霸道又蛮不讲理:“哭什么哭,再哭我就亲你!”与她擦肩而过时,他回头抓住她的手腕,用冰冷的指尖在她的手心里轻轻写下我爱你。
  • 太后的秘密

    太后的秘密

    被五岁小孩叫“母后”,那是晦气,穿越成一个十九岁的太后,那是霉气。天下初定,根基未稳,敌国进犯,边关不宁....这...这...好像跟她这个现代人没一丁点关系都没有吧,为什么她需要留在宫里劳心劳力受侮辱?姑娘她不干了,翘宫。她发誓,翘宫是故意,遇到那个在月下吹箫的神秘男子,不是本意。一不小心发展出感情不是本意,滚到床上更不本意。***【第一卷】江山美人在宫里,他是一人之下万人之上的摄政王她是垂帘听政的太后在宫外,他是相思楼醉酒唱相思的面具公子她是一曲动天下的神秘蒙面女怎样的身分都逃不开彼此的吸引他甘愿为她放弃江山,又为她而重夺江山换来的却是她的不理解,离宫出走以及,强大的报复心痛之余,他只能有暗夜里默默的舔着伤口****他犹豫不决:“夺得江山真是惟一的办法吗?”她倾城一笑:“我会把他找回来,如果你还了他皇位,那我就跟你走!天涯海角,生死不渝!”【第二卷】寻找之路五岁宝宝之死让她下定了不报血仇誓不为人的决心可是寻找之路何其艰辛?尤其要找的还是恨透自己的前夫!当她出现在他面前,爱妃之死重现眼前,他红了双眼,欲置她于死地甚至为了复仇,而与坤国皇帝展开了一场生死较量却让她发现了另一个惊天秘密原来下情盅竟是他所指使?从头到尾,他们都不过是棋局上的子而已爱就要占有,爱就是不达目的不罢休甚至不惜陷她于不义吗?这样的爱,她要不起……**他愤怒:“这样为你,还不够吗?”她凄绝一笑:“陷我于不义,也是为我好吗?”【第三卷】谁主天下一个为子报仇,一个为情而来兄弟对峙,一触即发至爱面前,情难自制大军压阵,高座庙堂上的他惨淡一笑:“原来这就是逆天的代价!”“我会如约还了他帝位,你是不是还会跟我走?”他轻声呢喃“你杀了烨儿,还妄想我会原谅你吗?”她冷哼,红颜一怒火冲天此时,他才发现,人生有太多的意外,太多的不可预期一旦拉上了弓,就再回不了头**天外一隔霜成山,回眸相见梦相隔。江山、美人,到底孰轻孰重?//
  • 拿得起,还要放得下

    拿得起,还要放得下

    我们每一个人都希望成功,渴望拥有一份理想的工作,有一个幸福美满的家庭,因为我们每天都为之奋斗。但我们在奋斗的过程中往往会忘记我们的初衷,在每天的勾心斗角和尔虞我中慢慢迷失了自己,当所有的一切都堆积在我们面前,压抑在我们心上的时候,我们茫然了。我们不知道自己如何拿得起,放得下。所以,就从这些角度出发,本书为你一一解开心中的疑惑,让我们都能在人生的道路上,不再徘徊、迷惑,更好地找准位置,走出一条自己的路来。真诚地希望每一位阅读者都能从中受益!
  • 爱你掠不过沧海

    爱你掠不过沧海

    相遇相知不到一年,我已情根深种,你却渐行渐远。冥婚,肖易楚要把梅钰玲活埋,阴差阳错被救,却被他当成了代孕的工具。梅钰玲恨他入骨,却不曾想一年时间,她却爱上了最恨的人。但她嘴硬,同他一样。“肖易楚,你承认吧,你是爱上我了!”“你是不是幻想症犯了?”其实对于爱情有时候你不得不承认,它不是在特定时间来,也不是在特定地点到,它就那么悄然而至,打得你措手不及。--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 名门千金:下堂逍遥妃

    名门千金:下堂逍遥妃

    “本王娶你,全是因为皇上那个荒唐至极的梦!”在喜庆的洞房中,她的挣扎,只换来高高在上的男人更加凶猛羞辱的对待。她,一朝穿越成将门千金,却被皇上为保江山社稷许配给了狠辣霸道的祈亲王。新婚第二天,她被丢进了荒凉的角落里,成了令天下人笑柄的下堂王妃。但是有谁知道无数个夜里,那个将她弃之如敝履的男人却夜夜索情,还高傲的宣称:“贱人,你不配得到本王的爱,你永远只是本王的肉娈!”**海阔凭鱼跃,天高任鸟飞,当下堂王妃一跃成为逍遥王妃时,她微微一笑,也能引无数英雄竞折腰。彼时,她面对那个男人嫣然一笑,倾倒众生。“赫连祈风,凭你称霸天下,位尊九五,也配不上我的爱!”而男人却笑的自信而邪魅,“那本王就用整个天下来换你的爱,可好?”
  • 时空紊乱

    时空紊乱

    当时空迁越技术被研发,人类却收到了遥远星系的警告。是帮助,还是保护?人类只能用搭载了这项技术的星舰——“星辰号”去探求真相。