move nor nothin'."
Watching the effect of his words upon the girl, he went on, carried away
by the importance of his announcement. "That's why we're puttin' it up
to you. You've always shot pretty square with us. But money talks, and
we all got to look out for Number One. I reckon none of the boys is
honein' to go to work for a furrinor, but we all knows his money's good
as yours and that's what counts."

"You mean you're going to ditch me for Mascola?"

Blagg dropped his eyes to the planks of the wharf before the girl's
steady gaze.

"We don't aim to ditch nobody," he said awkwardly. "But we got to live.
The dago's offered us six day straight with double for overtime and
Sundays. We ain't decided yet. We waited to give you a chance."

Dickie Lang listened quietly, her eyes roaming among the knots of silent
fishermen. Some she noticed stood close and as their spokesman went on,
shuffled closer. Others held aloof. When Blagg had concluded, she began
to speak in a voice which carried to the detached groups of men standing
in the back row.

"I'm not going to say much. But what I do say I want it to sink in. Come
up closer all of you where we can see one another."

When the fishermen ranged themselves about her, she looked hard into
their weather-beaten faces and went on earnestly: "Boys, you've known me
since I was a kid. Most of you knew my dad. If you did, you knew a man.
He had to fight hard for a living. But he shot square every foot of the
way. Some of you were here when he came."

She singled out a few of the older men and spoke directly to them: "Do
you think you'd be here now if it hadn't been for Bill Lang? What were
the Russians and Austrians doing to you when he came? You were all down
on your uppers and didn't know where your next meal was coming from. Who
was it that took up your fight? Who backed you with boats and gear and
taught you how to fish so you could hold your own against the outsiders?
You know without my telling you."

Some of the older fishermen dropped their eyes to the rough board planks
at the girl's words. There was no doubt that Lang had been square. But
as Blagg had pointed out, a man had to look out for himself.

"You think that hasn't anything to do with your quitting me to get more
money? All right. I'll show you that it has. Let me ask you some
questions. What is Mascola paying his own fishermen? Why should he pay
you fellows twice that much? Does he think you'll rob more trap