Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1916-07-26

81 don't think 1 shall ever marry. 1t
would be wrong when feel like this.
John Edward protested desperately.
ooh, vi, don't say that. You promis-
ed, dear. Don't you remember? The
night before you went to Birmingham
down on the river, where it runs
through our pasture? We were canoe
ing in the moonlight, and you sang:
Love like ours can never die!"
Vivian turned scarlet. cit isn't kind
of you to remind me of that. You
know that was-just moonlight"
"Just moonlight" A look of hurt
establishment flashed across John Ed
wards face. "No, vi, you were never
that sort"
Vivian was punching holesin the
turf with her golf club and did not
see the look.
"You wouldn't want me to keep a
promise unless 1 felt it was right"
she continued with dignity. "And /
see things differently now. Women are
doing their share of the worlds work
and men are getting all the glory. I
shall talk about that in my debate.
WISH" she sighed rather petulant-
ly, ''that could get man to take the
other side.
John Edward looked over the links,
but he did not see the ripples of blue
periwinkle, or hear the call of the
hooking bird. The hurt look had
deepened on his face.
"vi," he asked presently, "did you
mean what you said about just
moonlight"
eyes," Vivian nodded, emphatically.
"Then you can get man to debate
with you I'll take the other side"
"You!" She dropped her club in
amazement. why, you're the only
man in Connection who believes in wo-
man suffrage!"
Believe in it? I've let you think l
believe in it, because I'm such a fool
about you, vi. I'd let you think was
a blooming Buddhist, if that would
make you marry me. Shall tell you
what 1 really think? think that pro-
longed spelling and an overdose of
chivalry has almost ruined the finest
thing God ever made. That woman
shouldn't vote, because sch hasn't the
sense to vote. That she never will
have the sense to vote, because she
hasn't that kind of sense, anyway!
That she belong at home"
John Edward" spluttered Vivian,
furiously, but he was not to be sup
pressed.
"That she belongs at home. That
she was taken from Adams side, and
belongs at his side, not a step in front
nor a step behind. That she can't
keep step unless she does her work,
as he's doing his, and stops criticiz-
ing him. That what she needs at this
stage of her progress is to be knocked
down with a club and dragged about
by the ha;r, until she returns to her
original state of usefulness, humility,
and"
"'Fore!" called a masculine voice
behind them and a golf ball came spin
ming pas Vivian's head.
'The brute!" shouted John Edward.
springing to his feet. "He almost hit
you. Can't the bonehead see that there
are ladies on these links?"
The Connection Herald came out
with headlines: Miss Vivian Horton,
formerly honor graduate Of Connell-
ton College, to defend woman suffrage
against our rising legal light, John
Edward Wesley" All the town knew
that "our rising legal light" was in
love with Vivian Horton, but that he
would dare oppose her publicly-such
courage left the male population
breathIess. The New Era Club doomed
suddenly into prominence; seats in
the Auditorium, where the debte was
to be held, were eagerly demanded;
and Mrs. Wesley and Mrs. Horton,
lifelong friends, put their heads to-
gether over the back fence and tried
to discover what had set the children
so against each other
John Edward and Vivian saw little
of each other in the two weeks pre-
ceding the debate. When they met on
the street, he bowed gravely and she
nodded definantly. The matter had
passed beyond the personal equation.
John Edward felt that the men of
Connellton relied on him to win; Wv
ian knew that every woman in town
expected her to 'vindicate her SEX"
The day of the debate arrived, and
with it a seething mass Of putting,
laughing Connelltonians, young and
old, who packed the old Auditorium
to overlooking.
The hall was draped in red and
white bunting. for the New Era Club
was nothing if not patriotic, and there
was a band brought down from Biz
mingham by the Business Mems
League to give the proper accompani-
ments of MY Country, IT'S of Thee"
and the "Star Spangled Banner"
The women wore their gala dress,
and filing the front benches OF the
Auditorium like row after row of