"The present question is: How can we settle this matter to suit both sides ?" "Of course I can't discharge any of the women," said Mary thoughtfully, "and I don't think they want to leave--" "They certainly don't look as if they did--" "I have another plan in mind," she said, more thoughtfully than before, "but that's too uncertain yet....

The only other thing I can think of is to equip some of our empty buildings and start the men to work there.
Since our new prices went into effect we have been turning business away." "You'll do that, Miss Spencer ?" "Of course the men would have to do as much work as the women are doing now--so we could go on selling at the new prices." "You leave that to us--and to them.

If there's such a thing as pride in the world, a thousand men are going to turn out as many bearings as a thousand women!" "There's one thing more," said the second; "I notice you have raised your women's wages a dollar a day.

Can we tell the men that they are going to get women's wages ?" They laughed at this inversion of old ideas.
"You can tell them they'll get women's wages," said Mary, "if they can do women's work!" But in spite of her smile, for the last few minutes she had become increasingly conscious of a false note, a forced conclusion in their plans--had caught glimpses of future hostilities, misunderstandings, suspicions.

The next remark of one of the labour leaders cleared her thoughts and brought her back face to face with her golden vision.
"The strike was silly--yes," one of the leaders said.