“Mr. Edgerton,” I says, “I wish you would tell me how anybody that has
got sense enough to make a speech can be such a fool as to believe in
dividing up because can’t they see that if you was to do it it wouldnt
be a week before the smart ones like you and me would have it all
again?”
“Well,” he says, “the fact is that a lot of these Reds dont want to
divide up their idea is just the opposite they want to concentrate the
ownership and have the government run things.”
“Yes,” I says, “and wouldnt that be great?” I says. “Imagine the Elite
Beauty Parlors being run by the government and all us girls setting
with our feet up on the top of the tables instead of doing our work!”
“Well,” says he, “as a matter of fact wouldnt there be a lot of
customers come in to see that sight?”
But the subject is too serious for kidding so I says, “How much liberty
would us girls have left, if we all had to be government help? And who
would give us our jobs would we have to go to some politician from
North Carolina that has got the Spokesman’s ear? No, Mr. Edgerton, the
prosperity of this country is based on individual effort and freedom
of everybody to make his own way in the world. Just compare our wealth
with what they have got over in them bureaucratic and Socialistic lands
overseas.”
Mom, that was an awful mouthful, but I had learned it word for word out
of Pop’s letter, I got it off without a slip and Mr. Edgerton was very
much impressed he stopped joking and sat and thought it over and he
says, “Yes, Miss Riggs, I am inclined to think that is sound doctrine
and a good illustration. I think that will serve admirably for the talk
which the Spokesman is to give to the reporters in the morning. They
have asked Him several embarrassing questions about the big banker in
his cabinet who has been let off a lot of his income taxes, and these
ideas of yours I am sure He will consider much more suitable for public
discussion. I think I had better run over and see Him at once and make
the suggestion.”
So then we gets up to go and then oh Mom a most dreadful embarrassing
thing happens. Mr. Edgerton goes for to pay the bill for our dinner
and the coffee and the other things in coffee cups that we has had
and he takes out his leather wallet and finds that the least he has
is a hundred dollar bill. He takes it out and gee it most burns my
eyesight it is more money than I ever seen all at once in my whole life
before--just a little bit more than I earn in a month only I get it
by the week and it has started to go before it comes. Well the waiter
looks at it and says somethink about not thinking they’d have change
for that at the desk and Mr. Edgerton says to me, “Do you happen to
have a smaller bill with you Miss Riggs?”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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