ly realised by strikes directed against the whole community.
Mr. SEDDON, of the National Democratic Party, compressed the same
argument into an epigram. If the miners' full demands were conceded
they would have "an El Dorado for one minute and disaster the next."

* * * * *

FROST AND THAW.

I was earlier than usual that morning, which was bad luck, as I
heard Fitz-Jones click his gate behind me and thud after me in his
snow-boots. Fitz-Jones and I had a little disagreement, not long ago,
about the sole possession of a servant-maid. Since then there has
been a coolness. Curiously enough, the hideous frost that raged at the
moment (the thermometer stood at twenty-five degrees in the henhouse)
seemed to thaw Fitz-Jones. And I knew why.

Last summer Fitz-Jones had spent four torrid days with the thermometer
at 75 degrees, winding up his pipes in straw "against" the winter. I
had seen his purple face as I hammocked it with an iced drink. He had
seen and heard me laugh.

"Ah," he croaked, "you may laugh on the other side of the hedge now,
but you'll laugh on the other side of your face later."

So now I knew that he was thudding after me in the snow, bursting to
hear that my pipes had burst or were about to burst.

"Hallo, Browne," he began, "how'd you like this?"

"Oh, all right," I said airily. Here I did a wonderful step. Slide
on the right heel--hesitation shuffle on the left toe--two half
slips sideways. Wave both arms--backward bend. Recover.
Jazz--tangle--tickle-toe was nothing to it.

"Slippery, isn't it?" he said. "My flannel was frozen to the
wash-stand to-day--had to get it off with a chisel."

I was prepared for these travellers' tales. I knew he was leading up
to water-pipes.

"Couldn't get my cold tub," he went on; "frozen solid overnight."

I had heard of this cold tub before. "My tooth-brush froze on to my
teeth," I capped him; "the teapot spout was hung with icicles, and the
cat's tongue froze on to the milk when it was drinking."

"How about your pipes?" he began, "Who was right about wrapping?"

"Rapping," I said in well-feigned innocence--"rapping? Who rapped?
Rapped on what?"

That set him going.

I gathered when we reached the station there was a strike on. But we
found a milk-lorry travelling our way. So Smith had the entire use of
my right ear into which to say, "I told you so," for an hour, while we
travelled to the spot on which we win our bread. He