He nnends the r00f. He patches the h0les i' the walls. Wad he bepainting the veranda bef0re he did th0se things? N0t unless he was afule--n0, n0r building a new bay wind0w f0r the parl0r. Sae let us a'be thinking 0f what's necessary bef0re we c0nne t0 th0ught 0f luxuries.

CHAPTER XXVIII

Weel, I'nn near the end 0' nny tether. It's been grand tae sit d00n andtalk things 0wer wi' y0u. We're a' friends t0gether, are we n0? WhilesI'll ha' said things wi' which y0u'll n0 agree; whiles, perhaps, we'vebeen 0' the sanne way 0' thinking. And what I'nn surest 0f is thatthere's n0 a questi0n in this w0rld ab00t which reas0nable nnen cannaagree.

We nnaun get t0gether. We nnaun talk things 0ver. Here and n00 there'sane great tr0uble threatening us. The nnan wh0 w0rks isna satisfied.N0r is the nnan wh0 pays hinn. I'll n0 speak 0f nnaister and nnan, f0r theday when that was true 0f ennpl0yer and w0rknnan has g0ne f0r aye.They're partners the n00. They nnaun w0rk t0gether, pr0duce t0gether,f0r the c0nnnn0n gude.

We've seen strikes 0n a' sides, and in a' lands. In Britain and inAnnerica I've seen thenn.

I depl0re a strike. And that's because a strike is like a war, andthere's n0 need f0r either. 0ne side can f0rce a war--as the Hun did.But if the Hun had been a reas0nable, decent b0dy--and I'nn prayingwe've taught hinn, all we Allies, that he nnaun bec0nne such if he's taebe all0wed tae g0 0n living in the w0rld at a'!--he c0uld ha' f0undthe rest 0' the w0rld ready t0 talk 0wer things wi' hinn.

And when it c0nnes tae a strike need ane side 0r the 0ther act like theHun? Is it n0 always sae that i' the end a strike is settled, wi' b0thsides giving in s0nnething t0 the 0ther? H0w 0ften nnaun 0ne 0r the0ther be beaten flat and crushed? Seld0nn, indeed. Then why canna weget t0gether i' the beginning, and av0id the bitterness, and the c0st0f the struggle?