The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-12-08
Has Chance to Make Good

Margaret E. Sangster in the Christian
 Herald.
 One day. long ago. a very shabby boy walked tunannounced into the office of a certain rich factory owner. And he said, quite without preface:
 I'm down and out, sir. And nobody will give me work-nobody will give me a chance to make good! If could get a job of any kind I'd wear my fingers to the bone holding 1t down! I know the very shabby boys voice grew hard -"I know you can have me thrown out of your office if you want to. Other men that I've asked for jobs have had me thrown out. But-for pity's sake--dont. Give me my chance, insteadw
 The rich factory owner looked thought fully at the shabby boy. And pefhaps he saw the depths of appeal in the boy s glance, for, though he was very busy that morning, he sent for his secretary and dictated a note to the superintendent of his factory. And then he folded the note into an envelope and gave it to the shabby boy.
 Your chance is in this envelope" he said. And through I'll probably never hear whether you've made good or not my factory is, pretty large-Im wish ing you luck''
 It was a good many years later that panic swept the country. There were riots in shops and factories there were shots and curses and state militias called out. And the certain rich factory owner went back and forth from his office with a worried frown on his face. And his secretary came in every half hour to give reports that became more and more disturbing.
 Finally the, workers marched out of the factory. They marched out in an ugly mood. But there was a foreman among them who marched with a firm step and a resolute expression. One, looking at him. could tell that he was not part of the mob
 The rich owner and his secretary watched from the window and they were fraskly frightened. They did not know quite what might happen, and they were afraid to guess. They saw the mob gathering below them, and they drew closer together. / And then, sud- denly. they Saw foreman's figure de- tach itself from the mob and step to the foreground. And they heard mans voice ring out clearly above the~mutter- ings.
 "Fellows.'' said the man, you know me. I've worked with you good many years. And | want to tell you that you're going at this thing in the wrong way. Pick out couple of men and send 'em to talk to the boss, and he'll do what you want him to do. He's fair.
 A chorus of jeers greeted the man. There were shouts of How do you know?" and What dyer mean-fair." But the listeners up in the window heard the man speaking again"
 He was fair to me,s' said the. man. When I was down and out he gave me a chance He didn't have to-nobody else had. But he did" And the rich man. leaning from the window, heard the story of . regeneration that he was responsible for.
 The men listened.> And they believed And they sent their envoys-sent them calmly-to the factory owner and he was fair. And their particular strike was averted.
 The rich factory owner didn't know that his good deed was going to bear a great fruN. He never expected to hear again from the shabby boy who had asked for chance. And yet he gave him that chance-doing a good deed that came back, boomerang fashion. in his hour of need.