own him, if it wasn't for
spoiling water that the poor folks are drinking."

Farr shook his head and walked on.

He was a rather striking figure for a New England city as he strolled
along. It did not seem to be affectation for this man to wear a
frock-coat without a waistcoat, a flowing black tie setting off his
snowy linen. The attire seemed to belong to his physique and manner.

Women smiled at him in friendly fashion; men gave respectful and
affectionate salutation.

Soon he stepped off the street into a room where a group of men were
waiting for him, so it appeared, because they all rose when he entered.

He called the little meeting to order promptly, informing them that he
would detain them only a short time.

"I rise to make a motion," said a man at one stage of the proceedings.
"There have been so many volunteers in the work and the folks have been
so ready to pay for real water in place of that stuff we get from the
taps, that three hundred dollars have accumulated in the treasury. We
all know that there is just one man who had been responsible for this
whole plan and has given his time and has run about our state and hasn't
charged anything but expenses for doing it all. I move we give that sum
to Mr. Farr--wishing it was more."

The speaker was loudly applauded.

Farr was so quickly on his feet and spoke so promptly that he clipped
the man's last words.

"A moment, my friends, before that motion is seconded." He held up his
hand and checked their protests against what his air told them. "Because
my little plan has succeeded better than I hoped is not due to me, but
to the generous co-operation of good men who have given their time. We
are saving the babies, thank God! But do you know what else we have done
by our hard toil and our devotion? We are propping up the Consolidated
Water Company in this state. Understand me! I am not attacking that
company because it is a corporation. If it were now making preparations
to pipe down to us clean water from the hills I would gladly go
on giving my time to this cause in order to help the case of the
Consolidated. But the men in control are deliberately shutting their
eyes to the real situation. Now that folks aren't dying, they claim
all the credit--when we know the credit is due to weary men who go on
working after their day's toil is over. It isn't right--it isn't just!
My friends, I have got hold of a bigger thing than I reckoned on when I
started out to