Black No More by George S. Schuyler & Danzy Senna

Author:George S. Schuyler & Danzy Senna
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2018-01-16T05:00:00+00:00

SEVEN

One June morning in 1934, Grand Exalted Giraw Fisher received a report from one of his secret operatives in the town of Paradise, South Carolina, saying:

The working people here are talking about going on strike next week unless Blickdoff and Hortzenboff, the owners of the Paradise Mill, increase pay and shorten hours. The average wage is around fifteen dollars a week, the work day eleven hours. In the past week the company has speeded up the work so much that the help say they cannot stand the pace.

The owners are two Germans who came to this country after the war. They employ 1000 hands, own all of the houses in Paradise and operate all of the stores. Most of the hands belong to the Knights of Nordica and they want the organization to help them unionize. Am awaiting instructions.

Matthew turned to Bunny and grinned. “Here’s more money,” he boasted, shaking the letter in his assistant’s face.

“What can you do about it?” that worthy inquired.

“What can I do? Well, Brother, you just watch my smoke. Tell Ruggles to get the plane ready,” he ordered. “We’ll fly over there at once.”

Two hours later Matthew’s plane sat down on the broad, close-clipped lawn in front of the Blickdoff-Hortzenboff cotton mill. Bunny and the Grand Giraw entered the building and walked to the office.

“Whom do you wish to see?” asked a clerk.

“Mr. Blickdoff, Mr. Hortzenboff or both; preferably both,” Matthew replied.

“And who’s calling?”

“The Grand Exalted Giraw of the Ancient and Honorable Order of the Knights of Nordica and his secretary,” boomed that gentleman. The awed young lady retired into an inner sanctum.

“That sure is some title,” commented Bunny in an undertone.

“Yes, Givens knows his stuff when it comes to that. The longer and sillier a title, the better the yaps like it.”

The young lady returned and announced that the two owners would be glad to receive the eminent Atlantan. Bunny and Matthew entered the office marked “Private.”

Hands were shaken, greetings exchanged and then Matthew got right down to business. He had received contributions from these two mill owners so to a certain extent they understood one another.

“Gentlemen,” he queried, “is it true that your employees are planning to strike next week?”

“So ve haff heardt,” puffed the corpulent, undersized Blickdoff.

“Well, what are you going to do about it?”

“De uszual t’ing, uff coarse,” replied Hortzenboff, who resembled a beer barrel on stilts.

“You can’t do the usual thing,” warned Matthew. “Most of these people are members of the Knights of Nordica. They are looking to us for protection and we mean to give it to them.”

“Vy ve t’ought you vas favorable,” exclaimed Blickdoff.

“Und villing to be reasonable,” added Hortzenboff.

“That’s true,” Matthew agreed, “but you’re squeezing these people too hard.”

“But ve can’t pay dem any more,” protested the squat partner. “Vot ve gonna do?”

“Oh, you fellows can’t kid me, I know you’re coining the jack; but if you think it’s worth ten grand to you, I think I can adjust matters,” the Grand Giraw stated.

“Ten t’ousand dollars?” the two mill men gasped.

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