Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1916-06-09

delicious graham bread and a plate of
cake that was undeniably Mrs. Smiths
production.
James washed his face and hands
and brushed his hair; then he sat
glumly down to supper. Mrs. Gray
had put away the pamphlet and was
sitting behind the teapot when he en-
tered.
There were only two of them, for
their daughter, Annibel, was married
and lived across the way with her
husband, Oscar Wren.
Good bread!" muttered James dark
ly, as he helped himself to a second
slice.
isn't it?" asked his wife eagerly.
Lizzie Smith can make the best bread
In town."
"She can hold the championship so
long as none of the other women COM
pete with her," limited James mo-
rosely.
Mrs. Gray regarded her husband with
calm surprise.
II suppose you were In the store
when Alonzo expressed his opinion of
the Ladies' Suffrage society,"" she asked
%curiously.
Susie Pinkham been here?" he u
tered.
"Why?"
"Oh, l recognize the signs. Please
pass me some of Mrs. Smiths CAKE
he said pleasantly.
Mrs. Gray frowned and was silent
1r1yf,o, %y,o o.aos,Ia- 20 Al. -oa.
After supper James put on his coat
and went to the lodge meeting. Mrs.
James put on her hat and went to a
special meeting of her society.
Three weeks later AlonZo Dibble
entered his store one evening and
found his plump little wife in posses
sion of the ~bookkeeper's desk.
where's Ida Jones?" asked Alonzo.
81 sent her home-paid her off and
discharged her." responded his wife,
making an entry In the daybook and
carefully blotting 1t. 1--WE got plenty
of time to do this work"
what? You give up that fool soci-
ety." demanded Alonzo.
mo. l can do both If you don't both
er me by talking too much" she smiled
at him.
"Oh, I amt got any time to talk" he
said hastily. You know I've got my
hands full looking after this store. You
can't do more'n one thing at q time,"
he added as he moved away.
Mrs. Dibble looked at the three clerks
nimbly waiting on customers. She
glanced at the stableman standing by
the barn door. She thought of herself
In the ~bookkeeper's cage, and a little
smile curled her lip.
"Alonzo certainly has plenty of help"
she unused, dipping her pen in the ink.
For a number Of weeks Alonzo Dbl
BILE was silent on the question of wo-
mems votes. He noticed that Mrs.
Smith omitted her usual order for
-four, and he told his clerks that she
was probably buying from his COM
petitor.
On the tables Of the members of the
suffrage society continued to appear
delicious home baked bread, toothsome
pies and cakes, and the town rang
with the praises accorded Mrs. Dell
Smith as a model wife and mother and
gave credit to the fact that she vas
not a member of the society.
"A woman can't be a good wife and
mother and tend to her baking and
brewing and do mems voting too" de-
clared Alonzo Dibble to his usual audi
ence.
From the back door leading to his
house came the calm voice of AlonZo
hibblA3H <-fP n1la-I ~. o-4v
strong, were the members Of the So
ciety.
"FIddlesticksf' said Mrs. Dibble.
Just because a Ia can't attend to
more than one thing at a time it's no
indication that a woman may not be
able to do two or three things WELL"
prove it," barked Alonzo. Just
look at all Mrs. Smiths bread and
cake and pies we've been eating, all
because our wives amt got time to do
1t and run their blamed old society.
PoohT'
A ripple of feminine laughter came
from the back door.
you tell them, Mrs. Smith," urged
Mrs. Gray's voice.
WELL" began Mrs. Dell Smith in
her brisk manner, "I1l confess I
haven't done any baking for any one
outside my family for over three
weeks. If you men folks have enjoyed
your bread and cake and pies I guess
It's all to the credit of your wives. I
think they p~atronized my home cook
Ing more to help me pay off the mort
gage than anything else" Her voice
broke, and she hid herself among her
friends.
Mrs. Dibble finished the argument.
80 you see," she said, the women
OF Roseville can attend to their house
keeping, do their sewing and hs e
their w bread and organize a srf
rage society and vote when the time
comes"