f the government.

It would have been hard to say who was the chief. Belle had been the
planner and executor and now was not only a governor, but secretary and
head of the women's department, on a fair business basis. But the growth
of power in Jim was obvious. It had all been very new to his ways of
thinking and, after all, Links and Chicago have little in common. Belle
had a business training that was essential, and her quick judgment
helped at every turn for it is a fact that second-class judgment right
now is better than first-class judgment to-morrow. The full measure of
her helpfulness in bearing the burdens was made transparently clear by a
sudden crisis in their affairs. A telegram from Cedar Mountain arrived
for Belle.

Mother very ill. Come at once--FATHER.

It was impossible for both to go, so Belle set off alone for Cedar
Mountain, leaving Jim in charge of the flock at the Mountain House.
Alone--he didn't think it possible to feel alone in such a crowd. His
work was doubled in the absence of Belle, although Dr. Mary Mudd gave
not a little help in the mothers' department. It was a good thing for
Jim to find out just how much he owed to his wife. There was a
continuous stream of callers at the office with requests or complaints.
These had all been met by Belle. She had an even poise, a gentle
consideration for all, and certain helpful rules that reduced the
strain, such as exact hours for work, one call at a time, and written
complaints only. Jim's anxiety to placate and smooth out led him to
undertake too much, and the result was a deluge of small matters of
which he had previously known nothing. The exasperating accumulation of
annoyances and attacks, in spite of all his best and kindest endeavours,
invoked a new light.

"Oh, if Belle were only here!" was his repeated thought. "I don't know
how she manages, but she does. It's mighty strange how few of these
annoyances came up when she was in the office." He began to realize more
and more her ability. "She has more judgment, more tact than any of us;
she has been meeting these things all along, and saving me from them by
settling them without me. Yes, she's wiser than I am in such matters."

So he wrote her of his troubles. He detailed many cases in point and
added: "We miss you awfully; every one in the House complains. I haven't
got your cleverness and tact. It seems as if I made enemies every time I
tried to make friends. Come back as soon as you