th more money, they would have advanced him. But on the other hand
was the well-known meanness of the partners. Nothing short of a threat
to quit by one or another of their valuable men had ever served to pry
them loose from any cash.

Presently Skinner stepped out of his cage and locked the door behind him.
As he entered the long passageway that led to McLaughlin's office.
Skinner felt like a man who had emerged from a bath-house and was about
to traverse a long stretch between himself and the icy water into which
he was to plunge. Within a few paces of the great glass door marked "MR.
MCLAUGHLIN," Skinner hesitated and listened, hoping to hear voices, which
would give him an excuse to retreat. But there was no sound. Skinner
tapped at the door, turned the knob, and took the plunge into the icy
water!

When he came to the surface and partially recovered his senses, he found
himself facing McLaughlin, president of McLaughlin & Perkins, Inc.
McLaughlin sat at his desk, rotund, red-faced, and pig-eyed, his stubbly
hair bristling with chronic antagonism. Those pig eyes and that stubbly
hair were a great asset to McLaughlin when it came to an "argument."
They could do more fighting than his tongue or his fists, for that matter.

"Hello, Skinner," he said; then waited for the cashier to state his
business.

Skinner had outlined a little argument, but he forgot it, and to cover
his confusion he dragged a chair close to his employer's desk, a
proceeding which rather puzzled the boss.

"What's the row?" he asked.

On his way down the long passageway that led to McLaughlin's office,
Skinner had made up his mind to "demand" a raise. Then he thought it
might be better to "ask" for a raise. Then he decided on second
thoughts, that to "demand" would be a little too stiff, while to "ask"
would put him in the suppliant class. So he compromised with himself and
concluded merely to "suggest" a raise.

"Mr. McLaughlin, I came in to see how you felt about giving me a little
more money."

McLaughlin flushed and swung around in his swivel-chair with a ready
retort on his lips; but, meeting the quiet, gray eyes of his subordinate,
he said simply, "Raise your salary?"

Skinner nodded. "I just wanted to know how you feel about it."

"You know how we feel about it. We have n't done it, have we?"

Skinner saw that the "merely suggest" scheme did n't work. He might have
urged as a reason for his demand his value to the ho