ized and lofty purposes fulfilled."

She sat down exhausted and the crowd saw that she was near to
over-taxing her strength. They began to disperse, but one cried out:

"The little secretary, too. Three cheers for Mary Snow!"

They were given spontaneously, ringing to the echo, and Mary, blushing
and tremulous, rose and thanked them. Then the crowd parted to let the
two women descend and go up to the hall. Had they been men and the same
feeling prevailed, the mayor would have been carried in on broad
shoulders, and amid shouts and cheers; but although the thought occurred
to the leaders of the good-natured mob, there was something about her
that made them remember the old Senator.

"She's not the kind for that," they said, and stood with bared heads
while she passed in and out of sight.

"Oh, but it's good to get back here," said Mary, as they found
themselves once more in the mayor's rooms. "I shall be glad to buckle
down to work again."

But there was little chance for "buckling down" that day. Even as she
spoke, Bailey Armstrong was beside Mary Snow with warm greetings and
Allingham was exchanging salutations with the Mayor herself. A stream of
others were coming in, all the employees about the place, and hundreds
of others, who wanted to clasp the hands of the returned prisoners, and
assure them of their loyal support.

The women of the city began to arrive about ten o'clock, the
"Progressives" arriving at that hour in a body, and everyone of them
clasping and kissing the Mayor as, it is safe to say, no incumbent of
that office was ever hugged and kissed before--at least, during office
hours.

"O, Gertrude," said Mrs. Blake, "we would never have put you in, if we'd
known what it would bring you."

"To think we were letting you in for kidnaping and imprisonment," said
Mrs. Turner.

"Like a criminal--or step-child," added Mrs. Mason.

"O, Gertie!" cried the fluffy woman known as Bella, "and I brought it on
by telling you all that stuff my laundress told me. Rudolph says I did."
And she burst into tears.

"Don't cry, Bella," said the mayor, soothingly. "I was finding things
out, anyway. It would have been just the same in the end."

"But Rudolph says--" insisted the weeping one, when the push from behind
carried her on out into the corridors.

Club-women, patriotic women, stay-at-home women were followed by women
from the poorer classes who had waited until their morning's work was
done before coming