After a round or two of applause and some shouts from the children, Tam broke out in a new air: 

  This is no’ my ain lassie,
  Kin’ though the lassie be,
  There’s a man ca’d Black Jock Walker,
  Shares this bonnie lass wi’ me. 
  She’s sweet, she’s kin’, her ways are fine,
  An’ whiles she gies her love to me. 
  She’s ta’en my name, but, oh, the shame,
  That Walker shares the lass wi’ me.

  This is no’ my ain lassie,
  She is changefu’ as the sea,
  Whiles I get a’ her sweet kisses,
  Whiles Black Jock shares them wi’ me. 
  She’s fat and fair, she’s het and rare,
  She’s no’ that trig, but ay she’s free,
  It pays us baith, as sure as daith,
  That Walker shares the lass wi’ me.

This sent the crowd wild with delight, and cries of “Good auld Tam!” were raised.  “Damn’d guid, Tam!  Ye’re as guid as Burns.”  All of which made Tam feel that at last his genius was being recognized.  The explanation of the joke was to be found in the fact, as one song had hinted, that the strikers had securely fastened the doors of all the blacklegs’ houses with ropes, and jammed the windows with sticks, so that the inmates could not get out.  Even the children could not get out to go to school.  It was late in the afternoon before the police heard of it, and came and cut the ropes, and so relieved the imprisoned inmates.

This happened for a morning or two, and then the practice stopped, for the police watched the doors throughout the whole night.  This preoccupation of the police was taken advantage of to raid again old Hairyfithill’s potato field, and also to pay a visit to the bing for coal, and a very profitable time was thus spent by the strikers, even though the blacklegs were at their work in a few days.

What was happening in Lowwood was typical of almost all other mining villages throughout the country.  Everywhere high spirits and cheerfulness prevailed among the men.  As for the leaders, the situation proved too big for some of them to cope with it, the responsibility was too great; and so they failed at the critical moment.  The demand of an increase of a shilling a day, for which the men had struck, had been conceded by some of the owners, whilst others had offered sixpence.  Some of the leaders were in favor of accepting these concessions, and allowing the men at the collieries concerned to resume work, and so be able to contribute considerably to help keep out those whose demands had not been met.  Others of the leaders refused to agree to this, and insisted that as all had struck together, they should fight together to the end, until the increase was conceded to all.  This difference of opinion was readily perceived and welcomed by the coalmasters, and stiffened their resolution, for they saw that disagreement and divisions would soon weaken the morale of the men, and such proved to be the case.

No one can imagine what Smillie suffered at this time, as he saw his splendid effort going to pieces; but being a big man, he knew that it was impossible to turn back.  His plans might for the moment miscarry; but that was merely a necessary, yet passing, phase in the great evolution of Industrialism, and his ideals must yet triumph.