The spread of the strike had been flashed out by the news association early in the afternoon, and the eight-ten train had brought a company of reporters.
"There are half a dozen of them," said Hutchins, noble in voice and deportment.

"Knowing your kindness to them before, I took the liberty of showing them into the library.

Do you care to see them, or shall I tell them you are out ?" Mary saw them and they greeted her like old friends.

It didn't take long to confirm the news of the strike's extension.
"How many men are out now ?" one of them asked.
"About fifteen hundred." "What are you going to do when you have used up all your local women ?" asked another.
"What would you do ?" she asked.
"I don't know," he replied.

"I guess I'd advertise for women in other cities-cities where they did this sort of thing during the war." "Bridgeport, for instance," suggested another.
"Pittsburgh--there were a lot of women doing machine work there--" "St.Louis," said a fourth.