The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-09-04

| I'd go to the committee, or whatever IL
is, and tell them all about 1t. Why
don't you. do 1t. oh, / wish you
wouldr' And though she changed the
subject soon, Van Brunt wore a pre-
| occupied air when he bade her good
day. He headed a deputation of
wheelmen in the council committee
chamber not thirty-six hours later, and
talked learnedly of vitrified brick.
Faith had an uncle whose public
spirit was one of his many good traits
| The old gentleman had leisure and
brains. and delighted in writing letters
to the newspapers signed PRO Bono
Publico." Valuable letters they usual
ly were, containing information or sug-
! gestons few others would have taken
the trouble to work out. To him Faith
| carried one day a number of newspaper
| clippings concerning the use of wood
| blocks for paving material in London
and other European cities. There was
an account also of the laying of expert
mental pavement in New York of Karri
and Jarrah woods, which come from
Australia and last like iron for things
like these"
81 thought you might like these, I'm
| Gle Jim, on account of Zenobia ave-
nue." was all that she said. But she
was not surprised to see, two days
later, an exhaustive essay in the
| Morning Post" about the advantages
of wood pavement, its noiselessness, Its
ease of repairment and it's probable
first cost. And the writer backed up,
as was his wont, printers ink with per-
| sonal appeal.
The vitrifed brick bicycle party was
promptly opposed in committee by an
| equally energetic delegation sounding
| the praises of asphalt. This might be
taken as a matter automatic; for, as In
the material world action and reac-
tion are always equal and in opposite
directions, so strong advocacy of poll
cies always develops the party of dis
sent.
The concrete-block faction cost
Faith some trouble, however. She had
through her Uncle Jonas in New
York, who always obeyed her orders
and asked no questions, procured a
sheaf of circulars relative to block
pavement as laid eXperimentally upon
some of the park walks in the cities
These she had lying upon her table
quite by accident, one day when May
Benson called. May was born to be a
"managing woman" ana was already
hatchet-faced and vocferous.
whats this?" she demanded
pouncing upon the papers.
"Oh, dear" sighed Faith. weakly
"they seem to be some circulars about
| paving, but I'm sure l don't know
what to do with them"
Miss Benson, who rode a bicycle
also several hobbies--with savage ener'
gy, was deep in their perusaL
CAPITAL idea" she commented after
| a minutes absorption. Ordinary as
| phale wears in holes and ruts, and Is
difficult to repair, Hexagonal concrete
blocks of uniform size can always be
um--um-let me have these circulars
will you, Faith, dear?"
"Of course you can have them, May
they're of no use to me. And L dc
think it would be nice if somebody
would poke up the--the Mayor"
Common council committee" cor
rected May Benson, who attended
meetings of the Woman's Health Pro-
tective association.
"Well, the committee, then; but
could never do a thing like that.
should just faint right away. l know
! would"
"Oh, you dear little goose! I thinl
it's about time we women took hanC
ir this Zenobia avenue business. The
men have bungled it long enough"
She went away with the exalted feel
ing of, reformer. Faith ran to he
mirror, inclined her head jauntily t.
one side, and slowly and impressivelI
closed her left eye in wicked Winl
at her reflected personality. Then sh'
went about her business.
What that business was, at the tim'
whereof this history speaks, Dobbs &
Harding would have been the last t
conjecture, although they were to he
as clay in the potter's hands. Besides
being the leading merchants of Pal
myra, Dobbs & Harding were clos
personal friends and lived as nea
neighbors on Zenobia avenue. Neithe
of them, after they had plunged pell
nell into the paving controversy a
advocates of "just plain macadam
sir" would probably have rememberet
that it was Faith Stoddards soft voice
chatting with the senior partner jus
at the psychological moment when h
had checked up a considerable bill o
goods purchased by her. which ha,
suggested to Henry f. Dobbs the fea
lest the thrashing out of the pave
ment controversy might involve tn
choice of the most expensive materia
and construction, at the cost of tn
abuttirlg owners and for the mail
benefit of a suburb beyond the distric
of assessment. Indeed, her suggestion
: was made so carelessly, and with sue
charming ignorance of technical terms
that Dobbs would have been quite jus
t titled in scorning the idea that he
words could have had serious weigh
l with him.
l It'll be so nice to have your stree
done over" she had said, but won
, der why they don't begin work. It
4 awful, the way it is"
"They don't seem to agree upon tn
method" replied Mr.. Dobbs, but
: | presume they will settle upon macad
+. am"
$ DO you really think so? Why,
r whole lot of people have told me tina
v they were going to put down the mos
r expensive pavement of blocks of con
l crete or asphalt or something. Every
t body says that's the way it will enc
D You know Annie Scott, who lives 4
HE~-IsN~~N