From the walk below sharp commands rang
out. Again the sound of men moving about came in through the windows.
The president of the bicycle company and the advertising man ran to
the window. There on the cement sidewalk stood the men of the company
formed into columns of fours and separated into companies. At the head
of each company stood a captain. The captains swung the men about.
"Forward! March!" they shouted.
The fat man stood with his mouth open and looked at the men. "What's
going on down there? What do you mean? Quit that!" he bawled.
A derisive laugh floated up through the window.
"Attention! Forward, guide right!" shouted a captain.
The men went swinging down the broad cement sidewalk past the window
and the advertising man. In their faces was something determined and
grim. A sickly smile flitted across the face of the grey-haired man
and then faded. The advertising man, without knowing just what was
going on felt that the older man was afraid. He sensed the terror in
his face. In his heart he was glad to see it.
The manufacturer began to talk excitedly. "Now what's this?" he
demanded. "What's going on? What kind of a volcano are we men of
affairs walking over? Haven't we had enough trouble with labour? What
are they doing now?" Again he walked up and down past the table where
the advertising man sat looking at him.
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