Making People Happy

g fashion, the other occupants of the room turned amazedly, to

s of her form. Beneath, a luxurious chaussure in black showed the inimitable grace of tiny feet and ankles. Now, as she regarded the company in some astonishment, the perfect oval of her cheeks was broken by the play of dimples as she smiled a general welcome on the men before her. But her attention was particularly arrested by Schmidt, who, a

ed a guttural response, too much overcome by pleasure for coherent speech. The new-comer passed on, and

she exclaimed heartily. "Di

, constituted him

d, with somber impressive

d, with some trepidation. "I hope it's

it's only that we're talking business. It's a matt

his eyes heaven

em of the ten per cen

startled glanc

she exclaimed, involu

the most serious of business discussions-the intrusion of the female on

you know not

the weight of his

n you, Cicily." There was a patronizing qual

ct, but with a radically differ

libraries and gymnasiums. No, ma'am, it don't concern you. But it'll make some difference to our wives and daughters, I'

ything," Schmidt murmured cynically, bu

about her, and deemed it the par

Mrs. Ferguson and Mrs. McMahon are all coming around here th

iness man, clean-shaven save for the white tufts of side-whisker, was d

y!" he

oncerted, for all his familiarity w

ere?" he questi

e husbands of the women. Cicily, with the sensitiveness of her sex, sought

good of them? They have promised

o a Yankee propens

lancy and Mr. Hamilton w

ived his blunder, which might have a disastrous effect on the attitude

th the difficulties and the necessities of the situation. As I said before, I depe

his employer, with significant emphasis, before Schmi

strove to lighten t

ack in time to take your wives home, after they've joined the clu

committee out of the room than Cic

e! It's not true, is it, that there's

y impatiently from

and I are very busy. We have business

fulness, now read aright the resolute expression on her face. He tugge

getting more money than they ought to get. Charles can't make a penny profit, running his busines

w distinctly tip-tilted, what

sband, accusingly. "But, Charles, there is no reason why you should follow his advice. W

of his worries, began a sharp answer; but it was interrupt

e a child, like a fool.... And yo

ealed to Hamilton

you do everything that you wanted to do-no matter how-" In

at had been his during the years of guardianshi

ibraries, and such foolishness, to make the men dissatisfied. I wish somebody would tell me

you, you wouldn't listen,

isp of whisker, and wag

en these days are coming to,

which she was fighting. She went to the chair in which Ferguson had been sitting, and reclined there in a posture of graceful ease that was far from expressing the turmoil of her spirit. As he watched her movements, and studied the loveliness of he

it clear that a husband like himself would h

nd with a hint of amusement in his v

nation, he pulled so viciously on a whisker that he winced from

ma either, for that matter. Oh, no, you were too much absorbed in that horrid business of yours. You drove Aunt Emma into working for the heathen, and incidentally, yo

Now, he forgot the general charge against him in shocked

tes in the old First Presbyterian Church to marry your Aunt Em

ughed dis

r to the pained amazement expressed on her uncle's face, she continued succinctly: "Yes, I mean it, Uncle Jim. Aunt Emma has been second wife ever since those twenty-two minutes in the old First Presbyterian Church, t

had been bamboozled by the wayward humor of his niece. He moved toward the door at a pace as

thy!" he growled; and

the irrepressible Cicily called after him impertinently. But, if the reminder

of her uncle, but he was not given an opportunity. Before the door was fairly shut behi

s, why do yo

to," was the p

didn't yo

e man's tone was express

bravely, although her heart sank under th

it so," Hamilton admitted; "and you'

end," Cicily agre

ton was plainl

e tone of one arguing with labored patience to convince a child of some truism, "

is words to her own purpose. "Look here!" she went on in a caressing voice, utterly unlike the emphatic one in which she had spoken hitherto. "Do you for a moment imagine that I really like bus

tion shone. For the ten-thousandth time, he was reveling in the beauty of that oval contour, in the tender curves o

he said, with a smile of conscious sex s

patronizing manner, and replied with no

st it: I a

tly. "Surely, you know that I never thin

miled in h

"I'm not in the least afraid of any woman being m

ou do?" Hamilton i

ousness of power that is the prerogative of a lovely woman. Cicily l

'd play on your love and on your masculine jealousy. Oh, there'd be plenty of men to play the play with me. I'd be more alluring, more fasci

His cheeks flushed, under the provocation of the glances with which she marked the allurements of which she was the mistress. As she finished speaking, he sprang up from his chair, caught her in his arms, and dre

arles, and I can win. But this other rival,

rom him by the shoulders, mid

epeated, half in dou

ing from me more and ever more of your thoughts, of your heart, of your soul, changing you in every vital way, and doing it in spite of all that I

spirit?" Hamilton asked,

riousness that rebuked his levity in

eated his threa

ently, "you know that I

ical sadness in the wife

one just the same. But who wants

ders, and reseated himself, while she remained standing before him. There was pet

iciently expressed her weari

nt. Some day, the crisis will come. Then, you'll have to choose. It's a new triangle, Charles-the twentieth-century triangle

liness, never more daintily alluring to the eye of a man; yet, never had she seemed to hold herself so coldly aloof, to be so

he questioned. "I told you that y

re she replied. When, at last, s

ms that I could have used it to better advantage in helping to p

thing must be fought out, once for all. We are running at a loss. To take money from you would be merely to waste i

dmission as favoring h

" she declared, with spirit. "You

m caught between the two millstones: Morton, Carrington, the trust, above;

ave quite a lot, you know. It was accumulating, uncle said, all the time while I was growing up." She refused to be convinced by her husband's shake of the head in negation. "I've met a lot of their women and children, in these last few weeks, while I hav

little now, the factory must be closed down; all Dad's work must go for nothing. It's either I or them. If they don't take the cut for the time being, they'll soon be without any wages at all. Now, if you really want to hel

was elated by the fact that, at last, she was wholly within her husband's confidence; that, at last, she was actually to co?perate with him

in business, according to your heart's desire. You're on

of the impulsive bride. Of a sudden, sh

, Charles, in any way that I can, for a strike woul

he part of his wife. His usually firm jaw relaxed, dropped; he sat

e at the factory come between y

t it came, none the less-came fir

t let those women and those children suff

rse would be, the husband stiffened in his

e your money to help them? My wife use he

o cover her eyes from the menace in his. She was a woman of strongly fixed principles, however chimerical

en from starving to death," she said, in a

ation. He strove to master his wra

re my partner. As either, as both, you have respons

l," was the undaunted retort. "I wouldn't be fit to be a wife, i

is stubborn folly on his wife's part, as he esteemed it. "Strikers don't starve to death, nowaday

mong those people. I've seen them with three, six, children to feed and clothe, and rent to pay, on two to four dollars a day. What chance

cil

t to her husband, and kissed him, tenderly, so

door, Hamilton spoke again,

chance for all of us is that you should do your best now, at once, to prevent an issue that may spell catastro

ere was a trace of tears veiling the radiance of the golden eye

ght hard-my hardest-for my