Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1920-06-11
When Betty
Struck
By JANE OSBORN

paper Synulcdlo'J
Say, Ferdie"
my dear, wish you would not call
me 'Ferdie.' l don't mind 1t myself,
but don't want any OF the students
to get on to It. First thing, they'll be
calling me Uncle Ferdle.' or some
thing like that"
swell, then-Ferdlnand."
THAT sounds lot BETTER" and the
professor put his gold-rimmed spec
tacles back on his well-shapen nose
and went on with his reading.
What I was going to say is this
when are we going to be marriedf"
Ferdinand closed his book without
putting in bookmark, most unusual
event In his well-ordered life; took Off
his spectacles, shut his mouth tight
and looked at Betty.
To be sure, he and his young secre-
tary were engaged. He had fallen in
love with her when she was a student
in college and keeping the fact Of his
love for her secret, had convinced
her that she wanted to specialize In
economics" and, having guided her
through year of postgraduate work
in that science, he had then convinced
the faculty that he needed an assistant
and that Betty was the assistant he
needed. Then he proposed; and Betty,
who had been very much in love with
the good-looklng young professor all
along, accepted. Betty had been his
assistant for two years and, though at
first they spoke often OF the time when
they would be married, they had
hardly spoken Of 1t within the past few
months.
So this came as a surprise, and the
professor took some time to consider
before he answered. 1t seemed to
him a slightly unfeminine question TO
ask, though he was an avowed bellev-
er in equal privilege for the sexes,
spoke at all the feminist meetings and
was looked upon as a champion of the
goods in the university.
"Of course I'll have to get my book
finished. That VIII take several
months. With that on our hands we
would hardly want to think about it."
Ferdinand was deeply interested in
this book Of his, which was a study of
strikes In ancient Egypt, He consid-
cred that 1t would be really valuable
contribution not only to Egyptology
but to the cause of labor In general.
It seemed to his academic mind that
the present labor agitator would have
so much more power behind him,
would be able to further his cause so
much more convincingly If he had the
precedent of ancient Egypt. If he
could assure the capitalist that the
engineers Of the pyramids had had to
make concessions to organized labor
what boon 1t would be. But in order
to undertake this work Ferdinand had
had to delve deeply into hieroglyphics
and had had to spend hours in con-
ference with the department Of Egyp-
tology at the university.
1.-THE labor situation is growing
more lnsistent every day" he went on
to explain, "and must have my book
with the publishers before the year is
over. 1t would never do to pause now.
And then after that was thinking Of
spending my summer In one of the in
dustries that is likely to go on strike,
so that can give my actual bodily
support to a strike. / want to feel
that / have been In a strfke--that !
have rebelled against capital, that
r."
"Well, you can strike If you want
to, but 1 can't say that I'll have any
sympathy for you If you get your
nose broken, FerJ1ie-Ferdinand dear.
Tn not so sure that striking is the way
that labor ought to 90 about 1t. !
am not no sure that the strikers are al
ways In the right"
To the enthusiastic Ferdinand this
was rank heresy. Though he had hard
~ dared openly to espouse the cause
Of labor In his courses Of economies in
the university, he had hoped that the
result OF those courses always had
been to create a prejudice In favor of
labor and against capital In the minds
Of his students-this in spite Of the
fact that the university in question
owed Its existence, and he owed
rather generous compensation, to the
benefactiOns Of a certain liberal cap
italist. There was something Of the
fanatic IN Ferdinand.
l.. IN, not sfytaof
you want but to strike for IT," an
nounced he. ITO attempt diplomacy,
to wheedle, to compromise are
the methods Of insincerlty and labor
Is always sincere. II you believe you
are in the right, If you know you
are-why accept less than you wantf
Why not fight for III Nothing has
ever been gained without some sort Of
fighting. Every great advance in this
world has always been made by meth
DDS that are analogous to those Of the
strikers
Now, although Betty had heard all
this before, she listened with an at
tention that was unusual. Likewise It
was fattering to FerdiRand. He felt
that he was interesting her, as he had
apparently failed to do Of late. But
as he continued his laudation Of the
striker Betty's attention seemed to
wander. She was apparently intent on
something far Off She was no longer
needing him. phat night when Betty
left Ferdlnand's office In the univer@
slty building devoted to economics she
carried with her small volume from
his shelves on Methods In Striking"
The next day Betty arrived as usual
at slightly before nine o'clock. She