Sister Carrie Theodore Dreiser (e reader books TXT) đ
- Author: Theodore Dreiser
Book online «Sister Carrie Theodore Dreiser (e reader books TXT) đ». Author Theodore Dreiser
At last, however, troubles became too thick. The hounding of creditors, the indifference of Carrie, the silence of the flat, and presence of winter, all joined to produce a climax. It was effected by the arrival of Oeslogge, personally, when Carrie was there.
âI call about my bill,â said Mr. Oeslogge.
Carrie was only faintly surprised.
âHow much is it?â she asked.
âSixteen dollars,â he replied.
âOh, that much?â said Carrie. âIs this right?â she asked, turning to Hurstwood.
âYes,â he said.
âWell, I never heard anything about it.â
She looked as if she thought he had been contracting some needless expense.
âWell, we had it all right,â he answered. Then he went to the door. âI canât pay you anything on that today,â he said, mildly.
âWell, when can you?â said the grocer.
âNot before Saturday, anyhow,â said Hurstwood.
âHuh!â returned the grocer. âThis is fine. I must have that. I need the money.â
Carrie was standing farther back in the room, hearing it all. She was greatly distressed. It was so bad and commonplace. Hurstwood was annoyed also.
âWell,â he said, âthereâs no use talking about it now. If youâll come in Saturday, Iâll pay you something on it.â
The grocery man went away.
âHow are we going to pay it?â asked Carrie, astonished by the bill. âI canât do it.â
âWell, you donât have to,â he said. âHe canât get what he canât get. Heâll have to wait.â
âI donât see how we ran up such a bill as that,â said Carrie.
âWell, we ate it,â said Hurstwood.
âItâs funny,â she replied, still doubting.
âWhatâs the use of your standing there and talking like that, now?â he asked. âDo you think Iâve had it alone? You talk as if Iâd taken something.â
âWell, itâs too much, anyhow,â said Carrie. âI oughtnât to be made to pay for it. Iâve got more than I can pay for now.â
âAll right,â replied Hurstwood, sitting down in silence. He was sick of the grind of this thing.
Carrie went out, and there he sat, determining to do something.
There had been appearing in the papers about this time rumours and notices of an approaching strike on the trolley lines in Brooklyn. There was general dissatisfaction as to the hours of labour required and the wages paid. As usualâ âand for some inexplicable reasonâ âthe men chose the winter for the forcing of the hand of their employers and the settlement of their difficulties.
Hurstwood had been reading of this thing, and wondering concerning the huge tie-up which would follow. A day or two before this trouble with Carrie, it came. On a cold afternoon, when everything was grey and it threatened to snow, the papers announced that the men had been called out on all the lines.
Being so utterly idle, and his mind filled with the numerous predictions which had been made concerning the scarcity of labour this winter and the panicky state of the financial market, Hurstwood read this with interest. He noted the claims of the striking motormen and conductors, who said that they had been wont to receive two dollars a day in times past, but that for a year or more âtrippersâ had been introduced, which cut down their chance of livelihood one-half, and increased their hours of servitude from ten to twelve, and even fourteen. These âtrippersâ were men put on during the busy and rush hours, to take a car out for one trip. The compensation paid for such a trip was only twenty-five cents. When the rush or busy hours were over, they were laid off. Worst of all, no man might know when he was going to get a car. He must come to the barns in the morning and wait around in fair and foul weather until such time as he was needed. Two trips were an average reward for so much waitingâ âa little over three hoursâ work for fifty cents. The work of waiting was not counted.
The men complained that this system was extending, and that the time was not far off when but a few out of 7,000 employees would have regular two-dollar-a-day work at all. They demanded that the system be abolished, and that ten hours be considered a dayâs work, barring unavoidable delays, with $2.25 pay. They demanded immediate acceptance of these terms, which the various trolley companies refused.
Hurstwood at first sympathised with the demands of these menâ âindeed, it is a question whether he did not always sympathise with them to the end, belie him as his actions might. Reading nearly all the news, he was attracted first by the scare-heads with which the trouble was noted in the World. He read it fullyâ âthe names of the seven companies involved, the number of men.
âTheyâre foolish to strike in this sort of weather,â he thought to himself. âLet âem win if they can, though.â
The next day there was even a larger notice of it. âBrooklynites Walk,â said the World. âKnights of Labour Tie up the Trolley Lines Across the Bridge.â âAbout Seven Thousand Men Out.â
Hurstwood read this, formulating to himself his own idea of what would be the outcome. He was a great believer in the strength of corporations.
âThey canât win,â he said, concerning the men. âThey havenât any money. The police will protect the companies. Theyâve got to. The public has to have its cars.â
He didnât sympathise with the corporations, but strength was with them. So was property and public utility.
âThose fellows canât win,â he thought.
Among other things, he noticed a circular issued by one of the companies, which read:
Atlantic Avenue Railroad.
Special Notice.
The motormen and conductors and other employees of this company having abruptly left its service, an opportunity is now given to all loyal men who have struck against their will to be reinstated, providing they will make their applications by twelve oâclock noon on Wednesday, January 16th. Such men will be given employment (with guaranteed protection) in the order in which such applications are received, and runs and positions assigned them accordingly.
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