El Diablo, Page 7

  CHAPTER VII

  YOU'LL HAVE TO SHOW ME

  The sky was reddening in the east when the last of the nets were pulledaboard. Rounding Long Point, the _Petrel_ took up the homeward track asthe sun peeped over the low brown hills and caressed the sea. DickieLang looked back at the wreck of the _Roma_ and the light of victorydied slowly from her eyes.

  "I'm not sorry for Mascola," she exclaimed. "He got only what was comingto him. But I am sorry for the little boat. She was a good little scoutand she was game to the end. You'll find that boats are a good deal likepeople," she went on, "when you know them as well as I do. Some of themare cranky and have to be coaxed along. Others are just plain lazy andmust be pounded on the back. And there are some that are treacherous andthe minute they get you in a tight place, they will lay down cold."

  Her last words gave her the cue to continue: "And the ocean is full oftight places. Mascola found himself in one this morning. He had thesense to realize it and act before it was too late. It went against hisgrain to be beaten by a girl. But by cashing in when he did, he saved aboat perhaps. So he put his pride in his pocket. Sometimes you've gotto do that," she concluded seriously. "It hurts. But it's business."

  Gregory's face showed his surprise at her annunciation of the businessprinciple and, sensing that her admission might become embarrassing atsome future time, the girl changed the subject abruptly.

  "Did you see McCoy yesterday?" she asked.

  "Yes. We had a long talk last night. He's coming to work for me ashouse-foreman."

  "That's fine," Dickie commended. "You'll like him. He'll be just the manfor you."

  Gregory nodded. "Yes," he answered. "I think we'll get on fine when weunderstand each other better."

  "What do you mean? You haven't had a row with Jack already, have you?"

  "Not exactly. Just a difference of opinion. I had an idea I worked outyesterday. McCoy couldn't see it."

  "What was the idea?"

  "It was a plan I had for getting labor. I wanted to hire a certain classof men. McCoy didn't."

  "How did it come out?"

  "I'm going to hire them, of course. I told McCoy if he didn't like it,he could take the job or leave it. He decided to take it."

  "It's the foreman's job to hire the help," the girl observed. "What wasyour plan?"

  Gregory looked the girl full in the eyes for a moment. Then he began:"I'm going to organize my business on a cooperative basis, make myemployees partners, pay them a graduated minimum wage and a share in theprofits which will be held back as a bonus to make it worth their whileto stick with me during the season."

  "And McCoy thought it wouldn't work?"

  "Yes."

  "Neither do I."

  "Why not?"

  Dickie knew the question was coming and was already prepared to give herreasons.

  "When a man works for you," she explained, "he wants his money everySaturday night. He's earned it and he should have it. He may leave theminute it's in his fingers and hit the grit again. But he's worked aweek at least and that's something. If he thinks you're holding out onhim to get him to stick, he wouldn't even start."

  "That is what McCoy said. But you are both wrong. The men I am figuringon hiring will stick. That is why I am hiring them."

  "Don't think much of a bunch like that," Dickie commented. "A man thatcan't get a job to-day is a bum. And the fellow doesn't live that evergets through knocking around. That is if he's a real man."

  "You're wrong again," Gregory contradicted. "They are eighteen-caratmen. I've tried them out already. I know."

  "Where?"

  "In France."

  "You mean soldiers?"

  "Yes. I called up a friend of mine last night in Port Angeles. He usedto be first lieutenant in my company. He's a reporter on _The Times_now. Hawkins told me a lot of the boys were out of work and he promisedto look up a number of addresses of men in my old outfit. To-morrow I'mgoing to the city to round them up. They've stood by me before in many atight place. It cost them a lot sometimes. But they stuck just the same.Now I've got a chance to stick by them. And I'm going to do it because Iknow they'll come up to the scratch."

  The girl was impressed by the earnestness of his words. He meant well ofcourse. It was a splendid idea but----

  She voiced her objections. "You'll find business is a different gamefrom war."

  "Perhaps. But in both there is hard fighting. And when you are goinginto a scrap with all you've got, you want men behind you you can bankon."

  "I wouldn't bank on them too strong. A lot of the ones I've seen thinkthey're too good to work at an ordinary job. They have an idea the warhas made them worth a lot more money than they really are. They like totell what great things they've done. But when it comes to----"

  "I've seen that kind, too. On both sides of the water. Over there no onedepended on them. They were shunted from pillar to post until they hit aplace where they couldn't even hear the guns. When the war was overthey came back. They were whole. And they talked."

  He paused for a moment and looked down at the deck. Then he went on in alow voice: "The kind I'm figuring on are not whole. And they don'ttalk."

  Dickie Lang said no more. When a man spoke with such depth of feeling,what was the use of trying to talk him out of it. Of course he waswrong. But he'd just have to find it out for himself. In silence theyneared the entrance to the bay and threaded their way among thefishing-boats as they drew up to the Lang wharf. Gregory roused himselfat the sight of the Lang dock and turned to the girl.

  "You took me out this morning," he said, "to show me you knew yourbusiness. Now it's up to me to show you I know mine. I'm going right towork. I expect a hard fight, but I'll tell you right now this idea ofmine is going to win out."

  Dickie smiled as they drew alongside the dock.

  "Go to it," she said. "I won't say you're wrong. But you'll certainlyhave to show me."