Part 29 (1/2)
Mary saw them and they greeted her like old friends. It didn't take long to confirm the news of the strike's extension.
”How many men are out now?” one of them asked.
”About fifteen hundred.”
”What are you going to do when you have used up all your local women?”
asked another.
”What would you do?” she asked.
”I don't know,” he replied. ”I guess I'd advertise for women in other cities-cities where they did this sort of thing during the war.”
”Bridgeport, for instance,” suggested another.
”Pittsburgh--there were a lot of women doing machine work there--”
”St. Louis,” said a fourth. ”Some of the shops in St. Louis were half full of women--” With the help they gave her, Mary made up a list.
”Even if you could fill the places locally,” said the first, ”I think I'd get a few women from as many places as possible. It spreads the idea--makes a bigger story--rounds out the whole scheme.”
After they had gone Mary sat thoughtful for a few minutes and then returned to the drawing room. When she entered, Helen and Wally were seated on the music bench, and it seemed to Mary that they suddenly drew apart--or if I may express a distinction, that Wally suddenly drew apart while Helen played a chord upon the piano.
”Poor Wally,” thought Mary a little later. ”I wish he wouldn't look like that when he sings.... Perhaps he feels like I felt this spring.... I wonder if Ma'm was right.... I wonder if people do fall in love with love....”
Her reflections took a strange turn, half serious, half humorous.
”It's like a trap, almost, when you think of it that way,” she thought.
”When a man falls in love, he can climb out again and go on with his work, and live his life, and do wonderful things if he has a chance. But when a woman falls in the trap, she can never climb out and live her own life again. I wonder if the world wouldn't be better off if the women had been allowed to go right on and develop themselves, and do big things like the men do....
”I'm sure they couldn't do worse....
”Look at the war--the awfullest thing that ever happened: that's a sample of what men do, when they try to do everything themselves.... But they'll have to let the women out of their traps, if they want them to help....
”I wonder if they ever will let them out....
”I wonder if they ought to come out....
”I wonder....”
To look at Mary as she sat there, tranquil of brow and dreamy-eyed, you would never have guessed that thoughts like these were pa.s.sing through her mind, and later when Helen took Wally into the next room to show him something, and returned with a smile that was close to owners.h.i.+p, you would never have guessed that Mary's heart went heavy for a moment.
”Helen,” she said, when their visitor had gone, ”do you really love Wally--or are you just amusing yourself?”
”I only wish that Burdon had half his money.”
”Helen!”
”Oh, it's easy for you to say 'Helen'! You don't know what it is to be poor.... Well, good-night, beloved--
”Good-night, good-night My love, my own--”