Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1916-05-26

4Hsledu OI keeping MS DOCKS as she
had heretofore she had pleaded too
much other work In hand, so AIonzo
had hired a bookkeeper.
The supper table was set when James
Gray entered the house. His wife was
perusing a pamphlet and smiled a
greeting over the top of it, but she
went back to her reading without MAX
ing any remark
The table looked very inviting. There
were an immaculate cloth, the white
and gold china, platter of pink boiled
ham from the store, a dish of store
pickles, another dish of timed baked
beans, a glass dish of canned peaches
from the store, some of Mrs. Smiths
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 q 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.
Il suppose you were in the store
when Alonzo expressed his opinion of
the Ladies' Suffrage society?" she asked
curiously.
Susie Pinkham been here?" he coun-
tered.
"Why?"
"oh, 1 recognize the signs. Please
pass me some of Mrs. Smiths cake"
he said pleasantly.
Mrs. Gray frowned and was silent
during the remainder of the meal.
After supper James put on his coat
and went to the lodge meeting. Mrs.
James put on her hat and went to O
special meeting of her society.
Three weeks later Alonzo Dibble
entered his store one evening and
found his plump little wife in possess
sion of the bookkeeper's desk.
where's Ida Jones? 2" asked Alonzo.
81 sent her home-paid her off and
discharged her," responded his wife,
making an entry in the daybook and
carefully blotting it. give got plenty
of time to do this work"
what? You give up that fool soci-
ety." demanded Alonzo.
mo. can do both if you don't both
er me by talking too much" she smiled
at him.
"Oh, 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 a 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
smile curled her lip.
"Alonzo certainly has plenty of help"
she unused, dipping her pen in the ink.
For number of weeks Alonzo Did,
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 was
not 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 toow de-
clared Alonzo Dibble to his usual audi
ence.
From the back door leading to his
house came the calm voice of Alonzo
Dibble's wife. Behind her, twenty
strong, were the members of the So
ciety.
"Fiddlesticksv' said Mrs. DibbIe.
"Just because a man can't attend to
more than one thing at time it's no
indication that woman may not be
able to do two or three things wellp'
prove itW 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
it 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, "I'll confess 1
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 1 guess
it's all to the credit of your wives. l
think they patronized my home cook
ing more to help me pay of the mort
gage than anything else" Her voice
broke, and she hid herself among her
/