"Nothing," said the man, "only I can't use you."

There was the same cold, hostile stare that he had had
from the boss of the fertilizer-mill. He knew that there
was no use in saying a word, and he turned and went
away.

Out in the saloons the men could tell him all about the
meaning of it; they gazed at him with pitying eyes --
poor devil, he was blacklisted! What had he done?
they asked -- knocked down his boss? Good heavens,
then he might have known! Why, he stood as much
chance of getting a job in Packingtown as of being chosen
mayor of Chicago. Why had he wasted his time hunt~
ing? They had him on a secret list in every office, big
and little, in the place. They had his name by this time
in St. Louis and New York, in Omaha and Boston, in
Kansas City and St. Joseph. He was condemned and
sentenced, without trial and without appeal; he could
never work for the packers again -- he could not even
clean cattle-pens or drive a truck in any place where they
controlled. He might try it, if he chose, as hundreds had
tried it, and found out for themselves. He would never
be told anything about it; he would never get any more
satisfaction than he had gotten just now; but he would
always find when the time came that he was not needed.
It would not do for him to give any other name, either --
they had company "spotters" for just that purpose, and
he wouldn't keep a job in Packingtown three days. It
was worth a fortune to the packers to keep their black~
list effective, as a warning to the men and a means of
keeping down union agitation and political discontent.

Jurgis went home, carrying these new tidings to the
family council. It was a most cruel thing; here in this
district was his home, such as it was, the place he was used
to and the friends he knew -- and now every possibility of
employment in it was closed to him. There was nothing
in Packingtown but packing-houses; and so it was the
same thing as evicting him from his home.

He and the two women spent all day and half the night
discussing it. It would be convenient, down-town, to the

[[234]]

p233 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p234w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p235

v?