All morning this went on and long into the afternoon.He made three such trips.The dinner he had was no stay for such work and the cold was telling on him.At each end of the line he stopped to thaw out, but he could have groaned at the anguish of it.One of the barnmen, out of pity, loaned him a heavy cap and a pair of sheepskin gloves, and for once he was extremely thankful.
On the second trip of the afternoon he ran into a crowd about half way along the line, that had blocked the car's progress with an old telegraph pole.
"Get that thing off the track," shouted the two policemen.
"Yah, yah, yah!" yelled the crowd."Get it off yourself."
The two policemen got down and Hurstwood started to follow.
"You stay there," one called."Some one will run away with your car."
Amid the babel of voices, Hurstwood heard one close beside him.
"Come down, pardner, and be a man.Don't fight the poor.Leave that to the corporations."
He saw the same fellow who had called to him from the corner.
Now, as before, he pretended not to hear him.
"Come down," the man repeated gently."You don't want to fight poor men.Don't fight at all." It was a most philosophic and jesuitical motorman.
A third policeman joined the other two from somewhere and some one ran to telephone for more officers.Hurstwood gazed about, determined but fearful.
A man grabbed him by the coat.
"Come off of that," he exclaimed, jerking at him and trying to pull him over the railing.
"Let go," said Hurstwood, savagely.
"I'll show you--you scab!" cried a young Irishman, jumping up on the car and aiming a blow at Hurstwood.The latter ducked and caught it on the shoulder instead of the jaw.
"Away from here," shouted an officer, hastening to the rescue, and adding, of course, the usual oaths.
Hurstwood recovered himself, pale and trembling.It was becoming serious with him now.People were looking up and jeering at him.
One girl was making faces.
He began to waver in his resolution, when a patrol wagon rolled up and more officers dismounted.Now the track was quickly cleared and the release effected.