She left her husband home to do the housework and today is washday--that's the funny part of it!" Whatever Mrs.Ridge's ability as a critic of humour might be, at least she was a good prophet.

Nearly all the machines were busy the next morning, and new arrivals kept dropping in throughout the day.
Mary began to breathe easy, but not for long.
"I don't want to be a gloom," reported Archey, "but the lathe hands are trying to get the grinders to walk out.

They say the men must stick together, or they'll all lose their jobs." She looked thoughtful at that.
"I think we had better get the nursery ready," she said.

"Let's go and find the painters." It was a pleasant place--that nursery--with its windows overlooking the river and the lawn.

In less than half an hour the painters had spread their sheets and the teamster had gone for a load of white sand.