The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-03-20
: OUR DAILY SHORT STORY

NtHIEA ARA*f WA@ Af9&A%. 4Nt~tN3 " 4 t~N~T~- shelters. where we will prepare to meet the enemy" and she pointed tragIcaiiy toward a targe barn at the rear of the school-hcuse.
 Under the stimulus of the words Of their leader. the forces rallied snf- ficientiy to reach the heepftabis roof of Widow Faaherty's barn. Widow of the barn, was a dsvout admtTer of the departed Miss Mullins. and, Mas gle knew, would be q valuable addition to her forces.
 when the policemen made khsir way to the temporary fDrtr0as.. with many sly Jokes and laughs ak the easy task before them, they met with locked doors below and vigorous response from the upper window:
 And don't ye dare set a foot on me premises, not one of yes and if my voice can't make it plain to ye. I've somethin' that will talk so ve'il nnder- stan It." ana she held to their view a kettle of boiling hot water.
 The arguments of the widow proved unhnswerable, and the policemen de- parted.
 The victory was won. but alas for the way of great leaders. In the cor- ner Of Mrs. FlaherEys barn. as the November afternoon darkened into evening, sat the victorious leader of the hundred. her face buried in her apron, weeping with a woe not to be comforted. What cared she that to- night her name would be upon the tongue of every boy and girl in the ward. that even new the newsboys in the streets were crying her as the chief attraction of the evening paper?
 These things were as nothing, for-- awful thought--Rod oderick Dlu, the idol Of her heart, was lost In that fearful Fs1R xsybn ha nf fan h. emy seemed to endanger her cause she had dropped the hand Of the in- fant Roderick, and in the confusion which followed he had strayed away.
 It grew still darker. Something must be done. for Roderiek Dhu feared the dark shadows or the night, and 1t was drawing near to that delicious hour when he was wont to lay his lit- tie head upon Maggie-s devoted shoul- der and start on his journey to Slum- beFland.
 As she hurried past the deserted school-house, she berhought herself that she had forgotten to search that building.
 was that a light at the end of the hall? Probably the 1anitor. still at work.
 Through the glass door Maggie peeped. She drew back in disnay She had quite forgotten that this was the office of the Gespised principal How the hot blood did pump itself up from her valiant heart, as she beheld the hated tyrant sitting in bis chair, reading lamp by his side. What was that? Aaggie's heara stopped pumping for very astonishment, for. snuggled close in the tyrant's arms, as com fortably as he ever lay in Maggies own, was the reereant Roderick look ing up into the tyrant-s face with the same fascinating good-night baby ways that Maggie loved. And the ty- rant--the hated tyrant--Maggie's eyes almost swallowed uD her face, they grew so large from looking, this same tyrant was smiling down into the baby eyes as he softly erooned a lullaby. The voice ceased singing, and the wor- ried look that Maggie had noticed upon the face of the principal that morning, returned. The intuition of troubled conscience, told Maggie that the worried look was one for which she was responsible. As if fearful that she might be led to change her mind, she bolted into room, planted her self in front of the astonished princi- pal, and explained somewhat inco- herentiy;
 F'Oh. sir, it was me that did it all! I stirred 'em up, l did. They'd never a one of lem dared do 1t without; they said to theiFselves. And when the cops came, they'd everyone of 'em backed out, buG l called 'em towards. And it was then lost the baby and I wished I'd never been born before 1 ever heard of a strike or a union, sir. And then you found. him and cuddled him up for the night just as he likes to be euddled, and I'm so sorry l made all the trouble. and you don't need to worry any more about the old strike, for I'll declare it all off tomorrow morning, and the kid that dares to
 away, IIl-Ill"-- and although Maggie's ferVent voice and earnest interrupted by a strange choking in her throat.
 If the reporters could have looked into the Skelton school just then, they would have found abundant material for a scoop. for the erstwhife leader of the strike, as the pent-up emotions of the day found vent in a veritable of teafs. felt herself drawn close to the tyrant's side. her head resting upon his immaculate coat sleeve as he tenderly wiped away the tears
 When interviewed the next day as to the settlement or the novel strike, the principal only smiled quiet smile and said.
 Yes. the strike is settled. and an- ticipate no further trouble. And the medium you ask? We'll" and the principal thoughtfulIy stroked his mustaehe, you can tell the public that 1t was accomplished through the me- alum of a board of arbitration. a very small board, weighing in the aggre- , gate not over sixty pounds"
 When pressed for details by the cur lous newspaper men. he pleaded urgent business engagements,