Didactic fiction; Political fiction; Social problems -- Fiction
It was near five in the afternoon when Yetta reached the brown-stone
front which held the offices of the Woman's Trade Union League. It had
once been a comfortable residence. But Business, ever crowding northward
on Manhattan Island, had driven homes away. The house seemed dwarfed
between two modern buildings of twelve and eighteen stories.
In what had formerly been the "parlor," Yetta found a rather barren,
very businesslike office. Two stenographers were industriously hammering
their typewriters, but the chair behind the big roll-top desk was empty.
"Hello," one of the girls greeted her, hardly looking up from her notes.
"What do you want?" "I want to see Miss Train."
"Sit down. You'll have to wait. Advisory Council."
She jerked her head to one side to indicate the double doors which in
more aristocratic days had led to the dining-room. It was anything but a
cordial welcome. To be sure the two girls were "organized." Miss Train
had persuaded them to form a union. One was president and the other was
secretary, and there were about six other members. They had done it to
please her, just as they would have done anything to please her.
Nevertheless they felt themselves on a very much higher social plane
than mere shop girls.
Yetta sat down disconsolate. She had not expected to have to wait. She
did not appreciate the overwhelming importance of an Advisory Council.
In fact, she did not know what it was. And she did not think that there
could be anything more important than the strike in her shop. In a few
minutes her impatience overcame her timidity.
"Say," she said, getting up and coming over to the girl who had spoken
to her. "You tell Miss Train that I'm here. It's important--about a
strike."
"Humph," the stenographer snorted, "skirt-finisher?"
"No. I ain't a skirt-finisher. I work bei vests. It's a new strike. Miss
Train'll want to know about it right away."
"What do you think?" the stenographer asked her companion. "Can't
disturb the Advisory Council, can I?"
The two girls cross-questioned Yetta severely, but at last gave in to
her insistence. One of them knocked at the double doors. They were
opened from the inside a couple of inches and Mabel looked out.
"We've struck," Yetta cried, rushing towards her.
Mabel turned towards the occupants of the inner room and asked to be
excused a moment.
"I'm very busy just now," she said as she sat down beside Yetta. "Tell
me about it quickly."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account