Omaha daily bee., 1896-12-06
SI@ o.

! with some of the men-with thc-ah-rns-
! leaders don't you know"
! "You mean the leaders. Barnard?"
"Yos, something of that sort, don't pre-
/ tend to understand the baly wortingmon,
| you know, but there's lots OF sense in what
they say They know what they want"
Did you find Mr.. Sartwell obdurate?"
"Oh bless you no. mater Sartwell's the
| most reasonable OF men"
Indeed? 1t never occurred to me to place
| him in that category"
Don't you make any mistake about Sart-
well mater You won't find him stand in
| your way at all. He's perfectly willing to
do whatever you want done. Barney, my
| boy, said he to me. when | told him what
! you thought about this trouble Barney says
he after all is said and done, it's the
women's affair more than ours
THE womenS AFFAIR." said Mrs. Hope,
drawing herself severely up "Do | under
stand you to mean Barnard that the man
was referring to Mrs. Monkton and myself?'
"Woll, mater, YOU see we were talking
freely together as man to man-and-hars
it all! you know, it is your affair and MrG.
Monktons. more than old Monktoh's and
fathers, | don't suppose they care so very
much"
Mrs. Hope slowly raised her glasses to her
eyes and stared at her son, who was looking
at The hearth rug now. resting his weight
on his toes and then coming down on his
heels
~ haven't the least idea what you are
talking about Barnard
II am talking about the proposed strike,
mater; about the demands OF the men"
Requests, my SON The men request an
audience with Mr.. Sartwell and he refuses
it, as If he were prime minister"
''Thats just what | said to Sartwell.
'Sartweil, said |, you're hsh-hanled with
the men, He admitted 1t, but he'd that If
he had a conference with them no good
would be accomplished unless he acCeded to
their dem-requests."
"iIe could compromise-he could make
some Concessions. and then everything would
80 smoothly again. He has no tact"
Quite so. quite so. But you see the men
| want only one thing. not several They
are perfectly logical about it. had
talk with them, and they were very much
gratiled to hear that you were On their
side. There will be no trouble with them
in future if Sartwell is only reasonable.
They look at it like this They work ten
hours a day and get on an average a pound
a weel-or- -sh-sCmething like that for
get the exact amount although they had it
there in Shillings and pence. Now father
and MOnkton work four or five hours a
day--nct very hard either-and go to Switz-
erland in the summer and Algiers in the
winter, yet they draw 10000 a year each
out Of the business The, the men claim
Is unjust, and, Of course, | quite agree with
them. It's outrageous. ana | said so. Well
the men are prepared to DO the most gen
ercus things. In order to compromise they
Will allow the partners ten times what the
real workers get M,nldCn and father are
each to draw $500 year out OF the business
and the 100000 is 10 be- divided among the
workers. | thought that it was an exceed
ingly liberal proposal, and | told them
So"
During this able, if mythical. exposition
of the worknen's views, Mrs. Hope gazed at
her son with ever-increGscd amaZement
When he had concluded, she was standing
nm
frown on her brow. Lady Mary looked with
timtd anxiety from one to the other There
seemed to be a sweet reasonablencss in the
young mans argument, and yet something
hopelessly wrong about The proposition.
Five hundred pounds year.-to me-"
cried Mrs. Hope, at last.
"Wel-to father technically-same thing
of course"
Five hundred n year! Barnard. II any
one had told me an hour ago that you were
"A fool five hundred ycar!-how can peo-
pie exist on five hundred a year,"
Barney looked reproachfuly at his mother
He was evidently hurt.
That's just the way Sartwell talks, and |
suppose he thinks I'm a fool. too, merely be-
cause I'm trying to understand the labor
prohlem. 1t seemed to me that II a workman
with twelve children to support can live on
$50 year. an elderly pair with but one
child and he about to make a fortune in
amount"
"Oh. I've no patience with you Barnard"
And then, Sartwell says, look at the capi,
tai invested"
Certainly. He is perfectly right, and any
one with grain of sense would see that
There are thousands and thousands expended
IN the buildings and in the development OF
the business The worlmen never think of
that-nor you, either, it appears"
You see, mater it's out of my line But
lrt pali col aIa,,t
me think"
Think" exclaimed his mother with
withering contempt
Yes" Continued Barney. placidly. 80
went to the workmen to see what they had
to say about IL. They said at once that the
capital had been refunded over and over
again. | went back to sartwcll to see If this
were true and 1t was true. Well, then"
'What them"
"Under the circumstances It seemed to me
that the workmen had made a most mag
unanimous proposal If a man would paint a
picture for rue which | could sell for $500
ana he was content to take ESQ for it and
leave me the other $3.50. | should think him
the most generous of men"
stop talking nonsense, please. Is Sart-
well going to receive the men?"
81 suppose So"
Then you must instantly go back to the
city and tell him he is to do nothing of the
sort
But mater" protested the young man.
He looked uncasily around the room and
saw that Lady Mary had slipped away un-
perceived.
Don't talk. You've done enough harm
already. Try and undo H."
But | say! It's rather rough on me- |
mater When you promised me a check for
$500 | didn't imagine | would have to see |
old Sartwell a second time and take bacI, |
all said. He would think me an ass then" |
He thinks it already. But 1t doesn't mat |
ter what he thinks. 1t is what he does that |
you have to deal with. You must see him |
at once aud stop this nonsense about a con, |
ference"
Barney shook his head dolefully.
Il don't see how | can face him again |
mater ia rather lose the $500 check" |
The check has nothing to do with the |
tending to this for the $500. But I'll write |
you check for $500, II that will satisfy you.
Then | hope to hear no more about $500 a |
year. BE consistent at least. Barnard"
Thanks. mater, I'll try. And while you |
are writing out the check III have a word |
with Lady Mary"
Very we'll" said his mother rising The
request did not seem TO displease her
When the young lady came In Barney was
wonderfully bright after his long discussion.
II wss afraid | was in the way" said
Lady Mary, modeStly. ~ don't know much
about work people"
"'rhe labor question" said Barney. sis an
don't quite understand II IN all its bearings
myself; but it's most interesting. / assure
YOU most interesting I'm a iaboring man
al