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

And
A Victory For the
Wives
By CLARISSA MACKIE

AlOnzO DiDDieS store on ue halu
street of Roseville and In the same
room with the postofice was the forum
in which the male citizens Of the vii
lage got together to discuss every new
departure from the beaten track of the
worlds ongoing.
Alonzo Dibble, being pecuniarily
interested In the sale Of twenty-five
cent packages of smoking tobacco and
cigars at prices all the way up from
one cent stogies to FIVE cent ~perfectos,
took care that the meetings should not
want for a topic and that the debate
should not end when 1t struck q rut.
While the men of RoseviiIe had been
discussing these problems the women
had started the suffrage society. The
men had not yet entered upon this
topic and might not have done 80 had
not Amos Gwynne squelched the war
In Mexico by his unpatr1otic remark.
There had been no sales Of stogies for
some time, and no n had called for
birch beer. The shopkeeper, fearing
that the meeting would break up with
out any more purchases, placed the
palm Of his hand ON the counter and
flourished his other arm dramatically.
II say" he shouted, there's more
honor for a woman to bake a perfect
loaf of bread than 1t Is to vote nine
times for a president of the United
States.'
There was an ~instant's silence among
the men gathered around the glowing
stove; then Hen Lariday broke the
stiffness.
There amt much honor for any
one, man, woman or child, to vote nine
times for president-not OH the same
day, no, sir!"
After the laughter had died away the
~storekeeper resumed his exhortation.
ITS all right to make fun of 1t, Hen,
but you amt got no wife, and your
ma is n of the God fearin', old fash
toned kind who don't want no votes
but the vote of her family that she's
the best mother and the best cook in
the world But what 1 do mean Is this:
Ever since the women of Rosevtlle
started this here Ladies' Suffrage So
ciety they've stopped being such good
housekeepers. Look at the business In
homemade baking that Mrs. Dell Smith
has built up. Why, I'll bet I've sold
more flour to Mrs. Smith than to n
II else in town. See 'em come in here
day after day and buy Mrs. Smiths
bread and take 1t home to their fam
lilies. III bet there's more men in this
here store this minute who said to his
wife at supper tonight, What good
bread Mrs. Dell Smith makes!' When
a man says that, well, his wife amt
got anything to be proud Off"
You're right, Alonzo," agreed James
Gray. But what we going to do
about ftY'
Alonzo was distinctly cross eyed.
Now, n Of his orbS was fixed on
James Gray and the other wandered
over to the door where a woman's form
stood motionless by a barrel of brooms.
Eyes, what we going to do about TT"
hawhawed Hen Lariday.
Cant do anything" said Alonzo
slowly. "But I don't blame any man
for getting tired of q woman who blats
all day about running the gov'ment
when she can't even bake a decent loaf
of bread! Some day the women will
wake up and find they've got the vote
and nothing else, by gosh!'
The door closed gently.
The woman by the barrel of brooms
had slipped out.
who was that? asked Hen Lariday.
Susie Pinkham."
Great heck! Do you suppose she
heard what you said, Alonzo?"
Il hope So" said the s~torekeeper
grimly.
"If she did," went on Hen impress
sively, 'the news is running like wild
fire through the hull village. Susie
Pinkham's the worst gossip In Rose
Vile"
"And the best is Hen Laridayw Jibed
Alonzo.
James Gray walked slowly up the
street toward home. He was turning
In his mind all that Alonzo had said
about bread md women, and he had
reason to agree with the ~storekeeper
on more than one point of his argu.
ment.
Mrs. James Gray was the president
Of the Ladies' Suffrage society, and she
it was who was urging the fair mem
bers to affiliate themselves with the
state organization. 1t was Mrs. Gray
who had suggested to Dell Smiths wife
that home baking would be a profitable
enterprise, and from that moment the
idea had taken possession of Roseville
women.
Husbands found delicious homemade
bread on the table. but Mrs. Smith had
baked 1t; likewise crisp cookies and
loaf cake and pies. The members of
the society to a woman turned their
weekly baking owe to the industrious
little woman who was not even a
member Of their club.
"Oh, 1 haven't got any time" Mrs.