The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1918-04-02
The Kings
Castles
~0
BY JAMES NEWTON
Copyright. 1918. by the Mcclure Newspa
per Syndicate)

In college Yates Barlow had gone In
for economics and Sociology. When
he was graduated and started In law
studies. though he did not dub himself
q socialist. still he persuaded himself
that in the management of the rnther
comfortable estate left him by his
grandmother he would fall into none
OF those errors % selfishness that too
frequently as he was convinced -
characterize the dealings OF men OF
| capital with those who labor for them.
And although he decided to leave the
management Of the large uptown
| apartment house, pretentiously dubbed
Kings Castles" that constituted one
OF his most remunerative investments
In the hands OF his fathers office force
| until he had finished his law course.
he made II perfectly clear that he
sought no profits from that undertake
ing that might he made at the ex-
pense OF fair play TO the folk who
worked under the spacious roof OF the
apartment house.
Maybe there isn't any eight-hour
law for women In this state" he said
to his father. maybe there isn't
we haven't come to II in law lecture
yet. But eight hours is all any woman
ought TO he asked to work, and ] tell
you right here that I'm not going 10
have any woman work longer than
the one who works for me-"
The genial elder man looked up
with smile. the serenity of which
rather annoyed Yates. "She is a nice
little girl" he said. with an emphasis
on the verb that seemed To betoken
that Yates knew TO whom the pronoun
referred.
~ guess Mt your age I'd have had
| the same ideas about working hours
| for women. especially II the only wOm-
an employed happened to he eighteen
| and as fresh ms snow apple. She Is
nice girl, isn't she?"
III you mean Miss Sarter-yes. She
seems 10 he lot better than you
| usually get To tend an apartment house
| telephone switchboard. That's got
nothing 10 do with the fairness of
| making her work nine hours day or
| Keeping her at the switchboard on hOl-
| idays."
"Bnt. man alive. she wants to do it,
| explained the father.
mo girl of spirit likes To show her
unwilingness to do what she's got 10
| do" pronounced the son with the air
| os one who felt that he possessed keen
| insight into feminine psychology.
"WeA. you've got lot more sense
| than some boys your age" was the
| fathers only retort. IF you take n
| fancy to pure-hearted country girl
like Abby Starter instead of some
cmpty-pated. ovcr-dresscd society girl,
you're all right"
Yates had taken n fancy 70 Abby.
hut for some reason he did not like TO
have the fact taken for granted. He
could not explain To himself just why
his fathers remarks that morning
proved so Irritating.
AS time went, on Yates developed n
keen interest In the management of
his apartment house. He loved to
think of the time when-his law course
ended-he would take over the entire
management of the place himself and
not actually needing to net the largest
possible income from 1t. strive to run
the house along ideal lines. He even
thought Of putting the girl ut the
switchboard on six-hOur schedule.
but somehow he never thought Of
Abby Sarter's continuing to sit at the
switchboard when he put his plans in
working order.
Meantime Abby Starter sat at the
switchboard In the corner of the spac-
ious, many-mirrored. much-begilt en-
trance of Yates uptown apartment
house. for nine hours day. and never
thought Of having holiday other than
Sunday. Sometimes she came In for
few hours even on that day OF rest.
To Yates that entrance hall was not
entirely satisfactory. He could see the
cheap plaster behind the thin veneer
Of marble on the walls. The colors Of
the heavy plush rugs that lay on the
tile floors looked crudcr 10 him every
time he saw them. The lights that
blazed forth from the chandeliers and
were reflected again and again In the
hong mirrors were glarlsh and smOte
his eyes extensively. Yet he knew that
IT was that spacious. garisb hall that
attracted tenants and made them
willing to pay good rents for small
apartments, and he realized that he
would he beneftlng no one hut him
self II he toned down the garishness to
suit his own taste. He had no way of
knowing at first how Respondent II
looked to Abby-Abby. who basked IN
the efulgence of n dozen bright lights
now. and In the days on the farm had
known only the glow of single oil
lamp as she sat In the farmhouse sit
| ting room. To her the entrance OF the
| apartment house was the sum total of
urbane luxury and elegance and the
| people who came and went through
the hall and were bowed to by the
hall attendants In proportion to their
most recent gratuity were to her
among the favored ones Of the earth.
She did not know that her share
Of enc of the farms at home wenld
put her into the possession of bank
account several times as large as that
held by any OF these cliff dwellers.
Abby knew none of the, tennnnts