fidence.

"Aye, minister," said the mother with a chuckle of delight. "That's you!
That's you! Haud at him! Haud at him! That's you!"

They took seats about the blazing fire for the evening was still shrewd
enough to make the fire welcome.

"Noo, Mr. Matheson," said the old lady, leaning toward him with keen
relish in her face, "read me the union demands. Malcolm wadna read nor
talk nor anything but glower."

The Reverend Murdo read the six clauses.

"Um! They're no bad negotiating pints."

"Negotiatin' pints!" exclaimed her son indignantly. "Noo, mither, ye
maun play the game. A'm no gaun tae argue with ye to-night. Nor wi' any
of ye," he added.

"Nonsense, Malcolm. You can't object to talk over these points with us.
You must talk them over before you're done with them. And you'll talk
them over before the whole town, too."

"What do you mean, 'before the whole town'?" said Malcolm.

"This is a community question. This community is interested and greatly
interested. It will demand a full exposition of the attitude of the
unions."

"The community!" snorted McNish in contempt.

"Aye, the community," replied the minister, "and you are not to snort at
it. That's the trouble with you labour folk. You think you are the whole
thing. You forget the third and most important party in any industrial
strife, the community. The community is interested first, in justice
being done to its citizens--to all its citizens, mind you; second,
in the preservation of the services necessary to its comfort and
well-being; third, in the continuance of the means of livelihood to wage
earners."

"Ye missed one," said McNish grimly. "The conserving of the profits of
labour for the benefit of the capitalist."

"I might have put that in, too," said the minister, "but it is included
in my first. But I should have added another which, to my mind, is of
the very first importance, the preservation of the spirit of brotherly
feeling and Christian decency as between man and man in this community."

"Aye, ye might," replied Malcolm in bitter irony, "and ye might begin
with the ministers and the churches."

"Whisht, laddie," said his mother sharply, "Mind yer manners."

"He doesn't mean me specially, Mrs. McNish, but I will not say but what
he is right."

"No," replied McNish, "I don't mean you exactly, Mr. Matheson."

"Don't take it back, McNish," said the minister. "I need it. We all need
it in the churches, and we will take it, too