e of them
fiercely.

"Aw, shut up. If she went over here, she'll come out here. We'll wait."

The midnight gong and the noise of the women shuffling out into the
courtyard drowned that conversation for E. Eliot. She stood and watched
the gatekeeper saunter indoors, not waiting for the man who relieved him
on duty. She watched Genevieve go forward and meet the factory hands.

The newcomer shyly spoke to the first group. The eavesdropper could not
hear what she said. But the crowd gathered about the speaker, shuffling,
chaffing, finally listening. Somebody captured the gatekeeper's stool
and Genevieve stood on it.

"What I want to tell you is how beautiful it is for women to stand
together and work together to make the world better," she began.

"Say, what is your job?" demanded a girl, suspicious of the soft voice
and modulated speech.

"Well, I--I only keep house now. But I intend to begin to do a great
deal for the community, for all of you----" "She keeps house--poor
little overworked thing!"

"But the point is, not what you do, but the spirit you do it in----"

"What is this, a revival meetin'?"

"So I want to tell you what the women of this town mean to do."

"Hear! Hear! Listen at the suffragette!"

"First, we mean to clean up the Kentwood district. You all know how
awful those cottages are."

"Sure; we live in 'em!"

"We intend to force the landlords to tear them down and improve all that
district."

"Much obliged, lady, and where do we go?" demanded one of her listeners.

"You must have better living conditions."

"But where? Rents in this town has boomed since the war began. Ain't
that got to you yet? There ain't no place left fer the poor."

"Then we must find places and make them healthy and beautiful."

"For the love of Mike! She's talkin' about heaven, ain't she?" "She's
talkin' through her hat!" cried another.

"Then, we mean to make the factories obey the laws. They have no right
to make you girls work here at night."

"Who's makin' us?"

"We are going to force the factories to obey the letter of the law on
our statute books."

A thin, flushed girl stepped out of the crowd and faced her.

"Say, who is 'we'?"

"Why, all of us, the women of Whitewater."

"How are we goin' to repay the women of Whitewater fer tearin' down our
homes an' takin' away our jobs? Ain't there somethin' we can do to show
our gratitood?" the new speaker asked earnestly.

"Go to it--let her have it, Ma