its meaning;
but most are either young or beautifully unobservant who remain
wholly unaware of the inner poignancies the words convey: "a rain of
misfortunes." It is a boiling rain, seemingly whimsical in its choice of
spots whereon to fall; and, so far as mortal eye can tell, neither the
just nor the unjust may hope to avoid it, or need worry themselves by
expecting it. It had selected the Adams family for its scaldings; no
question.

The glue-works foreman, standing in the doorway of the brick shed,
observed his employer's eccentric approach, and doubtfully stroked a
whiskered chin.

"Well, they ain't no putticular use gettin' so upset over it," he said,
as Adams came up. "When a thing happens, why, it happens, and that's all
there is to it. When a thing's so, why, it's so. All you can do about it
is think if there's anything you CAN do; and that's what you better be
doin' with this case."

Adams halted, and seemed to gape at him. "What--case?" he said, with
difficulty. "Was it in the morning papers, too?"

"No, it ain't in no morning papers. My land! It don't need to be in no
papers; look at the SIZE of it!"

"The size of what?"

"Why, great God!" the foreman exclaimed. "He ain't even seen it. Look!
Look yonder!"

Adams stared vaguely at the man's outstretched hand and pointing
forefinger, then turned and saw a great sign upon the facade of the big
factory building across the street. The letters were large enough to be
read two blocks away.

"AFTER THE FIFTEENTH OF NEXT MONTH
THIS BUILDING WILL BE OCCUPIED BY
THE J. A. LAMB LIQUID GLUE CO. INC."

A gray touring-car had just come to rest before the principal entrance
of the building, and J. A. Lamb himself descended from it. He glanced
over toward the humble rival of his projected great industry, saw his
old clerk, and immediately walked across the street and the lot to speak
to him.

"Well, Adams," he said, in his husky, cheerful voice, "how's your
glue-works?"

Adams uttered an inarticulate sound, and lifted the hand that held his
hat as if to make a protective gesture, but failed to carry it out; and
his arm sank limp at his side. The foreman, however, seemed to feel that
something ought to be said.

"Our glue-works, hell!" he remarked. "I guess we won't HAVE no
glue-works over here not very long, if we got to compete with the sized
thing you got over there!"

Lamb chuckled. "I kind of had some such notion," he said. "You see,