登陆注册
5235700000127

第127章 CHAPTER XXIX.(6)

I've seen three cripples crawling about that have been set on by numbers and spoiled for life, and as many fired at in the dark; one has got a slug in his head to this day. And, with all that, the greatest cowards in the world--daren't face a man in daylight, any two of them; but I've seen the woman they knocked down with their fists, and her daughter too, a mere child at the time. No, the cutlers are men, but the brickmakers are beasts."

All the more reason for avoiding silly quarrels with the brickmakers," said Little.

Thus snubbed, Mr. Bolt retired, muttering something about "bad to beat." He found Harris crying over the ashes of his mare, and the man refused to wheel any more machine-made bricks. Other carters, being applied to, refused also. They had received written warning, and dared not wheel one of those bricks for their lives.

The invincible Bolt bought a cart and a horse, hired two strangers, armed them and himself with revolvers, and carted the bricks himself. Five brickmakers waylaid him in a narrow lane; he took out his revolver, and told them he'd send them all to hell if one laid a finger on him; at this rude observation they fled like sheep.

The invincible carted his bricks by day, and at night rode the horse away to an obscure inn, and slept beside him, armed to the teeth.

The result of all which was that one day he burst into Little's studio shouting "Victory!" and told him two hundred thousand bricks were on the premises, and twenty bricklayers would be at work on the foundations that afternoon.

Henry Little was much pleased at that, and when Bolt told him how he had carted the bricks in person, said, "You are the man for me; you really are bad to beat."

While they were congratulating each other on this hard-earned victory, Mr. Bayne entered softly, and said, "Mr. White--to speak to Mr. Bolt."

"That is the builder," said Bolt. "Show him up."

Mr. White came in with a long face.

"Bad news, gentlemen; the Machine Brickmaking Company retires from business, driven out of trade by their repeated losses from violence."

"All the worse for the nation," said Bolt; "houses are a fancy article--got to be. But it doesn't matter to us. We have got bricks enough to go on with."

"Plenty, sir; but that is not where the shoe pinches now. The Brickmakers' Union has made it right with the Bricklayers' Union, and the Bricklayers' Union orders us to cart back every one of those machine-made bricks to the yard."

"See them ---- first," said Bolt.

"Well, sir, have you considered the alternative?"

"Not I. What is it?"

"Not a bricklayer in Hillsboro', or for fifty miles round, will set a brick for us; and if we get men from a distance they will be talked away, or driven away, directly. The place is picketed on every side at this moment."

Even Bolt was staggered now. "What is to be done, I wonder?"

"There's nothing to be done but submit. When two such powerful Unions amalgamate, resistance is useless, and the law of the land a dead letter. Mr. Bolt, I'm not a rich man; I've got a large family; let me beg of you to release me from the contract."

"White, you are a cur. Release you? never!"

"Then, sir, I'll go through the court and release myself."

Henry Little was much dejected by this monstrous and unforeseen obstacle arising at the very threshold of his hopes. He felt so sad, that he determined to revive himself with a sight of Grace Carden. He pined for her face and voice. So he went up to Woodbine Villa, though it was not his day. As he drew near that Paradise, the door opened, and Mr. Frederick Coventry came out. The two men nearly met at the gate. The rejected lover came out looking bright and happy, and saw the accepted lover arrive, looking depressed and careworn; he saw in a moment something was going wrong, and turned on his heel with a glance of triumph.

Henry Little caught that glance, and stood at the gate black with rage. he stood there about a minute, and then walked slowly home again: he felt he should quarrel with Grace if he went in, and, by a violent effort of self-restraint, he retraced his steps; but he went home sick at heart.

The mother's eye read his worn face in a moment, and soon she had it all out of him. It cost her a struggle not to vent her maternal spleen on Grace; but she knew that would only make her son more unhappy. She advised him minutely what to say to the young lady about Mr. Coventry: and, as to the other matters she said, "You have found Mr. Bolt not so bad to beat as he tells you: for he is beaten, and there's an end of him. Now let ME try."

"Why, what on earth can you do in a case of this kind?"

"Have I ever failed when you have accepted my assistance?"

"No: that's true. Well, I shall be glad of your assistance now, heaven knows; only I can't imagine--"

"Never mind: will you take Grace Carden if I throw her into your arms?"

"Oh, mother, can you ask me?"

Mrs. Little rang the bell, and ordered a fly. Henry offered to accompany her. She declined. "Go to bed early," said she, "and trust to your mother. We are harder to beat sometimes than a good many Mr. Bolts."

She drove to Dr. Amboyne's house, and sent in her name. She was ushered into the doctor's study, and found him shivering over an enormous fire. "Influenza."

"Oh dear," said she, "I'm afraid you are very ill."

"Never mind that. Sit down. You will not make me any worse, you may be sure of that." And he smiled affectionately on her.

"But I came to intrude my own troubles on you."

"All the better. That will help me forget mine."

Mrs. Little seated herself, and, after a slight hesitation, opened her battery thus:--"Well, my good friend, I am come to ask you a favor. It is to try and reconcile my brother and me. If any one can do it, you can."

"Praise the method, not the man. If one could only persuade you to put yourself in his place, and him to put himself in yours, you would be both reconciled in five minutes."

"You forget we have been estranged this five-and-twenty years."

"No I don't. The only question is, whether you can and will deviate from the practice of the world into an obese lunatic's system, both of you."

"Try ME, to begin."

同类推荐
  • 龙川略志

    龙川略志

    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。
  • 双节堂庸训

    双节堂庸训

    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。
  • 家常语

    家常语

    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。
  • 大乘中观释论

    大乘中观释论

    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。
  • 益州嵩山野竹禅师后录

    益州嵩山野竹禅师后录

    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
  • 美国佬都是骗子:英汉双语对照(双语译林)

    美国佬都是骗子:英汉双语对照(双语译林)

    《美国佬都是骗子》是一部现代短篇小说集,共收录短篇小说作品十一篇,分别出自英国和爱尔兰现当代文坛上的九位著名作家之手,时间跨度大致从十九世纪下半叶到二十世纪二十年代。一书在手,即能欣赏到诸多年代、诸多成名作家的传世之作,这可说是本书的一个特色;除译文之外,还附上了英文原文,便于有兴趣的读者直接欣赏英语语言之美,这也是本书的另一特色。
  • 逍遥小赘婿

    逍遥小赘婿

    大乾十年,天下靖平,诗书盛行,通商发达。虽然外表看似光鲜亮丽,但却难掩其腐朽的内在。帝王世家,皇权争斗,阳谋阴谋,杀机四起!官府荒淫,蒙混倾轧,迂腐暴敛,昏天黑地!名门望族,淫邪荒诞,绣榻野史,丑陋不堪!敌国虎视,烽烟欲起,群雄逐鹿,波云诡谲!而在此时,风云变幻的温陵城中,一个卖包子的街边小贩,阴差阳错入赘商贾之家,开始偷偷过着他那与娇妻斗嘴、潇洒风流、悠闲自在的逍遥人生……书友群:814590240【注:架空幻想,悦己悦人,混口饭吃,切勿较真。】
  • 武陵记

    武陵记

    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。
  • 皮克的情书:彭家煌作品精选

    皮克的情书:彭家煌作品精选

    本书是感悟文学大师经典,本套丛书选文广泛、丰富,且把阅读文学与掌握知识结合起来,既能增进广大读者阅读经典文学的乐趣,又能使我们体悟人生的智慧和生活哲理。本套图书格调高雅,知识丰富,具有极强的可读性、权威性和系统性,非常适合广大读者阅读和收藏,也非常适合各级图书馆装备陈列。
  • 善于变通

    善于变通

    穷则思变,变则思通。穷则变,变则通,通则久。让问题迎刃而解,让人生游刃有余。四两拨千斤的睿智,败局变胜局的法宝;走出职场迷途的罗盘,告别人生困境的圭臬;战胜职场危机的利刃,走向人生成功的秘诀。山重水复+变通=柳暗花明,穷途末路+变通=康庄大道。
  • 海岩纯爱四部曲

    海岩纯爱四部曲

    海岩的作品有他非常特别的气质,那就是情不自禁,时时流露出极大的柔情,有时他对这种柔情的关注程度甚至超过对案情本身发展的关注,以至于你搞不清他究竟是写犯罪,还是借犯罪在写情感。这在《一场风花雪月的事》和《永不瞑目》中尤为明显,案情发展到后来基本是靠情感来推动的,情感在这里成了故事的核心,破案与否已不再重要,人们更关心感情的下落。
  • 女人好口才,职场好未来

    女人好口才,职场好未来

    语言表达是女人形象和能力的一个重要组成部分,职场中的女人们若想自己的能力得到认可,当然不能放过这个好工具、好帮手。一个聪明的女人懂得拿起语言的工具并且善加利用,让自己成为一个吐气如兰、妙语连珠的职场新女性。这样的女人自然能够博得老板、同事、客户、家人、朋友的青睐,必然可在职场生涯中获得好人气、好运气、好福气。
  • 途合

    途合

    现在,在这寂静的夜里,捧着那一信封的信件,呆坐到地毯上,她才终于恍然大悟。是啊,是终于,她在凯西离开一个多星期后的今天,才终于明白了凯西那天朝她大光其火,并最终甩手离去的原因。可是,是真的明白么?不细想罢了,稍往深处细想;还不依旧是漏洞百出?她想起了那天的情形。那是个下午,一推开门,自己就傻了,因为整个房间如遭洗劫般给翻了个底儿朝天。那个在她印象中,始终绵软、瘦弱,如小猫咪一样的女孩子凯西,因她的到来,迅速停止了翻找,在那一片狼藉之中,向她转过身来。
  • 王阳明心学

    王阳明心学

    王阳明,是中国历史上没有争议的立德、立功、立言三不朽的圣人,是曾国藩、梁启超、伊藤博文、稻盛和夫等中外名人共同的心灵导师。王阳明创立了解决一切心灵问题的利器——“阳明心学”。穿越时空,让我们与这位圣哲对话,聆听王阳明的思想,以此来净化我们的心灵,塑造成功心理与高尚人格。
  • 爱上恶少

    爱上恶少

    20以下 ,你相信偶像剧 ,那就算了。 20以上 ,你还相信偶像剧 ,那就完了。可是,我怎么就遇上这么戏剧的事情……