"Ah, you Philistine," declared Mrs. Cedarquist. "And this from YOU!,
Presley; to attribute such base motives----"

"If the poets become materialised, Mr. Presley," declared Hartrath,
"what can we say to the people?"

"And Shelgrim encourages your million-dollar fairs and fetes," said a
voice at Presley's elbow, "because it is throwing dust in the people's
eyes."

The group turned about and saw Cedarquist, who had come up unobserved
in time to catch the drift of the talk. But he spoke without bitterness;
there was even a good-humoured twinkle in his eyes.

"Yes," he continued, smiling, "our dear Shelgrim promotes your fairs,
not only as Pres says, because it is money in his pocket, but because
it amuses the people, distracts their attention from the doings of his
railroad. When Beatrice was a baby and had little colics, I used to
jingle my keys in front of her nose, and it took her attention from the
pain in her tummy; so Shelgrim."

The others laughed good-humouredly, protesting, nevertheless, and Mrs.
Cedarquist shook her finger in warning at the artist and exclaimed:

"The Philistines be upon thee, Samson!"

"By the way," observed Hartrath, willing to change the subject, "I hear
you are on the Famine Relief Committee. Does your work progress?"

"Oh, most famously, I assure you," she said. "Such a movement as we
have started. Those poor creatures. The photographs of them are simply
dreadful. I had the committee to luncheon the other day and we passed
them around. We are getting subscriptions from all over the State, and
Mr. Cedarquist is to arrange for the ship."

The Relief Committee in question was one of a great number that had been
formed in California--and all over the Union, for the matter of that--to
provide relief for the victims of a great famine in Central India. The
whole world had been struck with horror at the reports of suffering
and mortality in the affected districts, and had hastened to send aid.
Certain women of San Francisco, with Mrs. Cedarquist at their head, had
organised a number of committees, but the manufacturer's wife turned the
meetings of these committees into social affairs--luncheons, teas, where
one discussed the ways and means of assisting the starving Asiatics over
teacups and plates of salad.

Shortly afterward a mild commotion spread throughout the assemblage of
the club's guests. The drawing of the numbers in the raffle was about to
be made. Hartrath, in a flurry of agi