Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1920-03-04
When Betty
Struck
Copyright. 1919. by the Mcclure News
paper Syndicate)
By JANE OSBORN


"My dear, | wish you would not call
me Ferdie.' | don't mind ii myself
but / don't want any of the students
to get on to 1t. First thing, they'll be
calling me Uncle Ferdie, or some
thing like that"
"Well. then--Ferdinand."
"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 married.
Ferdinand closed bis book without
putting in bOokmark, a most unusual
| event in his weItordered life; took Oft
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
owe with her when she was student
"a college and keeping the fact of his
spve for her a secret, had convinced
her that she wanted to specialize In
economics" and, having guided her
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-looking 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 it within the past few
months
So this came as n surprise, and the
professor took some time TO consider
before he answered. II seemed TO
him a slightly unfeminine question TO
ask, though he was an avOwed believ-
er in equal privilege for the sexes.
spoke at all the feminist meetings and
was looked upon as champion of the
goods in the university.
"Of course IN have to get my book
finished That will 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 lie consid-
cred that ii would be really valuable
contribution not only to Egyptology
but To the cause of labor in general.
II seemed To his academic mind that
the present labor agitator would have
50 much more power behind him,
would he able TO further his cause 50
much more convinclngly 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 labos-
what boon it would be- But in order
10 undertake this work Ferdinand had
had to delvc deeply into hierogIyphics
and had had to spend hours in con.
ference with the department of Egyp-
tology at the university.
The labor situation is growing
more insistent every day" he went on
to explain. "and must have my book
with the publishers before the year is
over. II would never do 10 pause now.
And then after that | was thinking of
spending my summer in one of the in
dustries thut is likely TO 20 on strike,
50 that can give my actual bodily
support to a strike / want to feel
HAT | have been in strike-that
have rebeled against capital that
T."
'1Wel, you can strike II you want
to. but | can't say that I'll have any
sympathy for you if you get your
nose broken, Ferdle-Ferdinand dear
I'm not so sure that striking is the way
that labor ought to go about it. /
am not so sure that the strikers are al
ways in the right"
To the enthusiastic Ferdinand this
was rank heresy Though he had hard
ly dared openly to espouse the cause
of labor i'm his courses of economics in
the university, he had hoped that the
result of those courses always had
been tn create 81 prejudice in favor Of
labor ana against capital in the minds
of his students this in spite of The
fact that the university i'm question
owed It's existence, and he owed a
rather generous compensation. to the
henefactions of certain liberal cap
taIist There was something Of the
fanatic in Ferdinand.
There is no other way To get what
You want but 10 strike for it, am
nounced ne. 40 attempt diplomacy,
10 yyhecdle. tea compromise those are
the methods OF inSiueerity, aud labor
is always sincere II you believe YOU
are i'm the right if you know you
are-why accept less than you want?
Why rot fight for it? Nothing has
e,pr hegu gained without some sort OF
hshtiug Every great advance In this
world has always beer made by meth
Oh, that ur, analogous To those Of The
strikers
Now. although Betty had heard al
this before. She listened With an Mt
tentiou that wss unusual Likewise IL
wa, Gathering % Ferdinand. He felt
thar he was interesting her rs he had
apparently failed TO a. ~ late, Bu'
aS he oanliuu.l his laudadou Of the
striker Rettys attention seemed to-
a..