The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-04-19

|
had been properly registered the judge
gave them ballots. and then the fun be
gan, for they all went crowding into tn
same stall. How they did it | don
know, for the places are only just biz
enough for one respectable sized person
and they were none Of them falrylike II
proportions, but in they squeezed II
spite of the feeble renlonstrances OF the
Judge, when interposed. Ladies' sac
7 firmly, but, hope, politely, you can
do that If glances could kill / should
at this moment be a fit candidate fol
floral emblems But, although ] quail
ed before their wrath, / stood my
ground.
=" Sir remarked the oldest Of the trio
it's none Of your. business how we vote
oh, but it is says l mildly. This is
supposed to be secret ballot YOU
can't tell each other all about it, or see
what each other are doing. You must
each go into n stall and stay there TIL
the whole thing Is done
You needn't think you're going tc
browbeat u.s. snapped another We've
as many rights as you and we're going
to use them All right said I, as
. Iudlly IiSlllS, Jul NJ iiip' " -sDt i+iSSs
go into separate stalls, as the men have
to do
But 7 can't, said the littlest, in a
regular wall. ] never voted before and
l don't know bow. I've got to watch
her to see how sne does it,, and she
nodded towards the pert one, while the
other explained that she was i'll the
same predcament. But at last man
aged to explain, so that they saw TT
tie business in my harsh decree and went
| through the form of going into separate
stalls, though it didn't do much good,
after all, for they leaned around the
partitions and asked each other how
they were getting or, and where to put
crosses, and almost everything there
was TO be discussed How they voted
we didn't know and we didn't care,
either, but 1t was a relief when they got
out, l tell you, so we could laugh. al
though I'm afraid some Of the boys did
q little swearing, too.
"Thcn another woman came in. One
could see from her actions that every
thing was very strange to her, but she
was one Of those proud kind, and
wouldn't have owned up for the world
that she didn't know it all, and little
to spare. She got her ballot and went
into her STALL She stayed there long
time, fussing and folding and when at
last she appeared she had two little red
spots on her cheeks and looked as
though she had been doing days
work. The ballot was all folded wro,te
but she didn't deign to ask any help
there, either and just dropped 1t in the
box and walked off with her nose in tn ;
air. The boys watched for that ballot
when they counted the ballots at night,
and what do you think? Why, she
hadn't voted at all. Not single cross
had she put on the ticket, though ner
name and number were there all right.
What she was doing all that time is a
mystery yet tobesolved.
Most of the women come with their
husbands, and have been taught what
other day who had neglected to get her
information till the very last gasp. No
sooner did she get her ballot than she
began: Now, George, tell me just where
to mark. Isn't it a funny thing? Who
did you say you wanted me to vote
for?'
THE man got trifie red, and sided
off. I can't tell you that he said
You'll Just have to tell for yourself
Her eyes opened big.
oh, but you must she insisted,
with little stamp Of her foot Who
are you going to vote for, and what
are you going to do with your ticket?
want to watch you.
But you can't, madam, says /;
this, as we have explained a great
many times to-day, is a secret ballot.
You must not know how your husband
votes
"'Well, I'd just like to know why
not?' says she, spunky In minute.
Hes my husband, and it's my right to
know everything he does. George are
YOU going to let him talk to me like
that?'
But George didn't seem to mind
much. He was very red and was rath-
err putting her off himself. The end of
it was that she went, pouting and al
most crying, into a stall, called at her
husband through the partition, told her
opinion Of the judges and myself-par-
ticularly myself-in no measured terms.
and finally went out vowing that she
would never vote again If she had to be
insuted like that. For my part ] hope
she'll keep her word.
Another lady who arrived under her
husbands wing was more aggressive.
She seemed to have a dim idea what
she was to do but she also had an in
suit coming her way, because she had
only one ballot and her husband had
two. She acclaimed her rights, said at
this election she could vote for any
thing she pleasea and declared she was
not to be put off with but one ballot
and that a smaller one than either of
those given to her husband. She really
got so mad about it she marched out
of the booth altogether and didn't vote
at all, unless she came back considera-
bly, later in the day.
Lots of women came to vote who
hadn't registered and tried to get their
ballots just the same by explaining that
they forgot, or didn't have time, or
else of the sort, and would
it make any difference?' They were
quite astonished when they We're told
that it not only would, but did, and
were sent away in anything bus re-
joicng state of mind