to drop a few useless letters out of a
measly three hundred words! I tell you these changes in spelling should
have been made long ago. Long ago. This is the business man's age, Mr.
Gratz-and-the-rest-of-it. Yes, sir! And you, as a business man, should
be proud of this concession made by our most noted scholars to the needs
of the business man."

"Look at 'em!" sneered Mr. Gratz, patting the list of three hundred
revised words with his finger, and shoving the newspaper under Mr.
Smalley's nose. "Poor bob-tailed, one-eyed mongrels! Progress! It is
anarchy--impudence--Look at this--'t-h-r-u!' What kind of a word is
that? 'T-h-o!' What kind of a thing is that? What in the world is a
's-i-t-h-e,' I would like to know?"

Mr. Smalley had not been sufficiently interested in the matter of new
spelling to save his morning paper. He had not even read through the
list of three hundred words. But he was interested now. The new spelling
had become the thing most dear to his heart, and he pulled the paper
from Mr. Gratz's hand and slapped the list of words warmly.

"Progress! Yes, progress! That is the word. And economy!" he cried.
"That is the true American spirit! That is what appeals to the man who
is not a fossil!" This was a delicate compliment to Mr. Gratz, but Mr.
Gratz was so used to receiving compliments when Mr. Smalley was talking
to him that he did not blush with pleasure. He merely got red in the
face. "Think of the advantage of saving one letter in every word that is
written in every business office in America?" continued Mr. Smalley
excitedly. "The ink saved by this company alone by dropping those
letters will amount to a thousand dollars a year. And in the whole
correspondence of the nation it will amount to millions! Millions of
dollars, in ink alone, to say nothing of the time saved!" He got out of
his chair and began to walk up and down the office, waving his arms. It
helped him to get hot, and he liked to get hot when Mr. Gratz called. It
was the only time he indulged himself. So he always got as hot as he
could while he had the chance.

"Yes, sir!" he shouted, while Mr. Gratz sat shrunken down into his chair
and watched him with a teasing smile. "And I will tell you something
more. The policy of this company is to be economical. Yes, sir! And this
company is going to adopt the simplified spelling! Going to adopt it
right now! In spite of all the old-fogyism in the world!--Miss Merrill!"

The office-door ope