after that the cruise of the comet was a sort of preliminary honeymoon; and never did a gayer, happier party sail upon the rolling deep, nor was there ever a happier bridegroom-to-be than robbie. all day long he fed his eyes upon the radiant vision, and whispered to himself that she was his. and so they steamed down the florida coast, and at last came to palm beach, and went ashore; there he found a telegram awaiting him, signed by the superintendent of the hungerville mills.

"mr. r. van rensselaer,

"palm beach, florida.

"the trouble is over and the strike broken. damage has been repaired, and the mills are moving as usual. have retained chiefly non-union men. newspapers virulent.

"grinder."

[58]and mr. van rensselaer folded the telegram, and put it in his pocket, and smiled. "damn the newspapers," he said meditatively, and sent his valet to procure some. when he got them he sat on the deck and read them while the cool sea breeze fanned his forehead.

there had been quite a time at hungerville, so it appeared. the strikers had held meetings; the whole town had been in an uproar. strange as it might seem, a considerable part of the press had taken the side of the men. there had been no violence, however, until strange faces began to appear in the town, and some old abandoned freight cars outside the mills were burned. then a force of five hundred detectives were rushed into the mills, and a high fence was put up, with loopholes. on the third day the company sent up a car load of non-union men—men who had been out of work for a year, since the closing of the mills the hungerville company had beaten down. instantly the town was in an uproar, and in spite of all precautions[59] the "scabs" were stoned and beaten. the detectives fired upon the mob, killing three men, a woman, and two children, and wounding a dozen more; and that same night, the sheriff having appealed to the governor, the first companies of militia arrived.

following that were three days of furious excitement; on several occasions a pitched battle all but occurred. twice the soldiers fired on the mob, killing several, and one militiaman was stabbed in the dark. but the company insisted upon starting the mills; and the strikers being without money, and many of them half-dead with starvation, they gave up in scores. at last reports the union had been on the point of abandoning the strike, so that its members might secure what few places were left.

then mr. robert van rensselaer read his telegram again, and smiled.

"tell me, dearest," said miss paragon, "what good news have you heard?"

"that you will soon be mine," he answered her.