the night session. They are eager to hear the reading of the list.

CHAPTER XIII.

THE LIST OF TRANSGRESSORS.

At length the hour arrives in which the men are to be given the names of
the transgressors. It would be disastrous to have any knowledge of the
affair fall into the possession of the sleuths of the Trusts; so every
precaution for secrecy is observed. The loft of the deserted mill is
again chosen as the place of meeting. A thorough search of the
storehouse is made, and then the committee assembles in the narrow
semi-circle.

After the meeting is called to order, there is an apparent apathy on the
part of a number of the Eastern members. When questioned they freely
admit that they do not believe their constituents would sanction the
drastic measure.

Nevins is absent on his visit to Trueman. He has arranged with Professor
Talbot and Stahl to delay the meeting and put the members through
another test.

The proposition is argued anew.

It is explained that each man is called upon to make an equal sacrifice;
that there is no difference in declaring one's patriotism by enlisting
in the army or navy to fight a common foe, or in being one of a
numerically small and intrinsically strong army of forty. The Trusts and
Monopolies have proven a menace to the people, and can consequently be
looked upon as a foe to the government, to be dealt with accordingly.

A unanimous decision to carry out the plan is reached.

At this juncture Nevins appears.

He asks permission to proceed with the reading of the list of the
proscribed. He is recognized and begins his startling speech.

"In the lapse of years one is apt to forget the springs from which the
wells of human action are fed; it is commonly the lot of man to sink
into a state of mind that is at once unreceptive and unretentive. The
result is that at the age of thirty he finds himself incapable of
grasping new and difficult conceptions. This is the reason why so many
injustices are permitted to exist in the world. Men in their youth are
thoughtless; in their mature and old age they are neglectful or
willingly negligent.

"A degree of success or a degree of failure has a like tendency to blunt
the finer qualities of the mind. A man with a competency will not take
the troubles of his fellow man to heart. The unfortunate man who has not
the wherewithal to support his family is in no position to take the
initiative in a labor movement or in a political revol