he foreman's job to hire the help," the girl observed. "What was
your plan?"

Gregory looked the girl full in the eyes for a moment. Then he began:
"I'm going to organize my business on a cooperative basis, make my
employees partners, pay them a graduated minimum wage and a share in the
profits which will be held back as a bonus to make it worth their while
to stick with me during the season."

"And McCoy thought it wouldn't work?"

"Yes."

"Neither do I."

"Why not?"

Dickie knew the question was coming and was already prepared to give her
reasons.

"When a man works for you," she explained, "he wants his money every
Saturday night. He's earned it and he should have it. He may leave the
minute it's in his fingers and hit the grit again. But he's worked a
week at least and that's something. If he thinks you're holding out on
him to get him to stick, he wouldn't even start."

"That is what McCoy said. But you are both wrong. The men I am figuring
on hiring will stick. That is why I am hiring them."

"Don't think much of a bunch like that," Dickie commented. "A man that
can't get a job to-day is a bum. And the fellow doesn't live that ever
gets through knocking around. That is if he's a real man."

"You're wrong again," Gregory contradicted. "They are eighteen-carat
men. I've tried them out already. I know."

"Where?"

"In France."

"You mean soldiers?"

"Yes. I called up a friend of mine last night in Port Angeles. He used
to be first lieutenant in my company. He's a reporter on _The Times_
now. Hawkins told me a lot of the boys were out of work and he promised
to look up a number of addresses of men in my old outfit. To-morrow I'm
going to the city to round them up. They've stood by me before in many a
tight place. It cost them a lot sometimes. But they stuck just the same.
Now I've got a chance to stick by them. And I'm going to do it because I
know they'll come up to the scratch."

The girl was impressed by the earnestness of his words. He meant well of
course. It was a splendid idea but----

She voiced her objections. "You'll find business is a different game
from war."

"Perhaps. But in both there is hard fighting. And when you are going
into a scrap with all you've got, you want men behind you you can bank
on."

"I wouldn't bank on them too strong. A lot of the ones I've seen think
they're too good to work at an ordinary job. They have an idea the war
has made them worth a lot more money t