Plume jerked his thumb over his shoulder.  “With the lady?”

Wickersham sniffed.  “All right.”  He drifted for a moment into reflection.  “The little fool’s got conscientious doubts,” he said presently, with a half-smile.  “Won’t go unless—.”  His eyes rested on Plume’s with a gauging expression in them.

“Well, why not?  That’s natural enough.  She’s been brought up right.  They’re proud as anybody.  Her grandfather—­”

“You’re a fool!” said Wickersham, briefly.

“You can get some one to go through a ceremony for you that would satisfy her and wouldn’t peach afterwards—­”

“What a damned scoundrel you are, Plume!” said Mr. Wickersham, coldly.

Plume’s expression was between a smile and a scowl, but the smile was less pleasant than the frown.

“Get her to go to New York—­When you’ve got her there you’ve got her.  She can’t come back.  Or I could perform it myself?  I’ve been a preacher-am one now,” said Plume, without noticing the interruption further than by a cold gleam in his eyes.

Wickersham laughed derisively.

“Oh, no, not that.  I may be given to my own diversions somewhat recklessly, but I’m not so bad as to let you touch any one I—­I take an interest in.”

“As you like,” said Plume, curtly.  “I just thought it might be a convenience to you.  I’d help you out.  I don’t see ’t you need be so—­squeamish.  What you’re doing ain’t so pure an’ lofty ’t you can set up for Marcus Aurelius and St. Anthony at once.”

“At least, it’s better than it would be if I let you take a hand in it,” sneered Wickersham.

The following afternoon Wickersham left New Leeds somewhat ostentatiously.  A few strikers standing sullenly about the station jeered as he passed in.  But he took no notice of them.  He passed on to his train.

A few nights later a tremendous explosion shook the town, rattling the windows, awakening people from their beds, and calling the timid and the curious into the streets.

It was known next morning that some one had blown up the Great Gun Mine, opened at such immense cost.  The dam that kept out the water was blown up; the machinery had been wrecked, and the mine was completely destroyed.

The Clarion denounced it as the deed of the strikers.  The strikers held a meeting and denounced the charge as a foul slander; but the Clarion continued to denounce them as hostes humani generis.

It was, however, rumored around that it was not the strikers at all.  One rumor even declared that it was done by the connivance of the company.  It was said that Bill Bluffy had boasted of it in his cups, But when Mr. Bluffy was asked about it he denied the story in toto.  He wasn’t such a ——­ fool as to do such a thing as that, he said.  For the rest, he cursed Mr. Plume with bell, book, and candle.

A rumor came to Keith one morning a few days later that Phrony Tripper had disappeared.