care before we
knew it. After that, a refusal to carry it would be like hoisting the
white flag; and that is something which never yet flew on the West End.

"Turn it over to the Columbian," said the general superintendent; but
the general superintendent was not looked up to on our division. He
hadn't enough sand. Our head was a fighter, and he gave tone to every
man under him.

"No," he thundered, bringing down his fist, "not in a thousand years!
We'll move it ourselves. Wire Montgomery, the general manager, that we
will take care of it. And wire him to fire Crazyhorse--and to do it
right off." And before the silk was turned over to us Crazyhorse was
looking for another job. It is the only case on record where a freight
hustler was discharged for getting business.

There were twelve car-loads; it was insured for eighty-five thousand
dollars a car; you can figure how far the title is wrong, but you never
can estimate the worry that stuff gave us. It looked as big as twelve
million dollars' worth. In fact, one scrub-car tink, with the glory of
the West End at heart, had a fight over the amount with a sceptical
hostler. He maintained that the actual money value was a hundred and
twenty millions; but I give you the figures just as they went over the
wire, and they are right.

What bothered us most was that the strikers had the tip almost as soon
as we had it. Having friends on every road in the country, they knew as
much about our business as we ourselves. The minute it was announced
that we should move the silk they were after us. It was a defiance; a
last one. If we could move freight--for we were already moving
passengers after a fashion--the strike might be well accounted beaten.

Stewart, the leader of the local contingent, together with his
followers, got after me at once.

"You don't show much sense, Reed," said he. "You fellows here are
breaking your necks to get things moving, and when this strike's over if
our boys ask for your discharge they'll get it. This road can't run
without our engineers. We're going to beat you. If you dare try to move
this stuff we'll have your scalp when it's over. You'll never get your
silk to Zanesville, I'll promise you that. And if you ditch it and make
a million dollar loss, you'll get let out anyway, my buck."

"I'm here to obey orders, Stewart," I retorted. What was the use of
more? I felt uncomfortable; but we had determined to move the silk:
there was nothing more to be