The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-11-13


practically disguised his features even
from those who loved him best. Col.
onel William Randolph Skillit got back
to Hennerracker yesterday. after an
absence OF SIX gloomy months. When
he reached home. his wife. Mrs. Nish
Skillit. fell upon his bosom and was
comforted not. The little Skilli,s stood
there aghast.
Not dead yet, doll baby" said the
colonel, as he stroked the arm OF his
wife, but l have suffered because i
feared that when 1 got here i would
find you with another name. But l
am glad you are not Now fetch me
the shaving things and see what you
can do about stirring. up little food"
Later in tho day, when ne had de-
stroyed his whiskers the colonel sat
down with that happy group about him
to tell of himself. for last reports hnd
1t that he was killed months ago on
the Mexican border while trying to beat
a freight train. When the Dumbarton
widow-who Is still a widow through
no fault of her own--admitted re-
porter Bill greeted him coldly with
the statement that he did not seek
further notoriety.
Not Drop I'm Nincty-seven Dnys.
But you might make note of the
alleged fact" he said. that I haven't
touched drop of liquor in ninety seven
days and eight hours. When man
has served sixty days in jail for put
ting a barroom on the bum because It
wouldn't let him sign tickets for q inks.
| and then served six hours as "A watch
man at suffragette headquarters, he
naturally loses that thirst for liquor
because of it's utter weakness. While
in Jail / thought of the many timea
Nish had asked me TO pass up the booze
and IT seems to me that Nish had one
In bar ha ~ I
gratificd. When 1 got out, without
friends or money. a kindly bunch of
| sufraEettes gave me Job ,as outside
sentinel at the lodge, but when stood
there for six hours and found myself
just ten feet in front of ut, saw
II was no place for preachers son.
| j duckcd But In those six hours
learned enough 10 know that l would
cut off these three liquor measuring
| fingers from my drinking hund before
| I would permit Mrs. Skilit TO join.
| But with the experience 1 gained in
| those six dreadful hours 1 had enough
dope to lecture in the country, and
| with these whiskers-or those whis-
kers on the floor--1 made a hit, because
anybody could sec that 1 had been
| through the mill.
Colonel SkiIIit TO the Women
There was a little town In Kansas
where lived an old maid who read in
some paper that the best way to get
into society was through the suffrage tic
door. She had some money. and I
called one day TO organize league.
| we framed 1t UP. and a night or two
later / was advertised to speak, using
Nish for my subject. only didn't go
/ by theFn name Of Skillit The meeting
was delayed an hour until they came
across with the money. and when the
local professor introduced me theFe was
some cheering-some cheering, friends.
| believe me. / handed out that same
| line of dope you have read thousand
| times around here. and then 1 sud-
denly switched to the other side and
explained why Kansas could not afford
| to give the ballot into female hands.
suppose you have q machine L
said in my speech, and the best Gle
Inent is trying 10 beat 1t, and you give
the women the ballot. The machine
| husband will vote his wife and chillun
and make itself stronger. Do you fol-
low me? Suffragism is like matrimony
| those that IS In wants to get out
and those that Is out wants to get in.
I will never forget what my old father
said to me once, that when woman
| becomes engaged she cries for Joy,
| while the man goes out and takes a
drink. Can you blame him? In the
same way the temperance orders OPP
| pose Mormonism because they believe
that more than one wife will drive a
man to drink. On the old colonial
! style houses where ] come from they
| have knockers on the front door in
stead of bells. but I have seen the
| greatest number of knockers at a
| suffragette meeting. They remind me
| of the baby that is always crying for
something it doesn't want, something
| IL doesn't understand"
did they stand for that, Wlllie?"
| asked Mrs. Nish.
Many Arms Went to Sleep.
| Stand for it?" he screamed they
| ate 1t up. Now I want all of you
women what is not married, but hope
10 be. to stand up ] continued, until
you are counted by the secretary: but
wait added, I want you TO hold up
your hands If you would rather be a
| wife than a suffragette,' and every
woman who wasn't married or para
lyzed hoisted her hand and refused to
take ii down until her arm went to
i sleep We are getting along nicely,
| / said, and with this evidence before
me I am sure the country hasn't gone
! to h yet and everybody laughed
| Then proceeded Woman was made
| TO cook, not to vote. You have heard
| Of second-story men, but did you ever
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