Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1917-05-08

BY ELSIE LEE.

smoothed and the tiny border plants
had been transplanted by her rheumatic
old negro gardener she surveyed the
result with a satisfied smile.
At precisely the same moment Da.
vid Markham, seated at his desk in the
towns biggest bank, was saying TO
himself that he could not live without
Alice. Two weeks before Alice had
told him that II would be easily pos
sible, as well as desirable, for her to
live without him. Their quarrel, re-
sulting from Davids demand that she
refrain from publicly indorsing equal
suffrage, was probably responsible for
Alice's undivided attention to her gar
den-making.
I The county convention was to take
place the next day, and Alice was to
appear before it as one of a committee
of three women who would request
the conventions Endorsement Of equal
suffrage. David, though younger than
the other members Of the cold guard"
was a local leader, but his efforts to
prevent giving a hearing to the wom-
ans committee had been'fruitless.
The morning session of the county
convention was given up to reports
from township chairmen and to other
routine work. After the midday din
ner at the Watkins house, each man
went back to the afternoon session
sanguine of carrying the day accord
ing to his desires. Not a man of them
suspected that the suffrage commit
tee had elaborated with Mrs. Wat
kins in arranging the menu for that
satisfying dinner, so they did not rea-
lie that an unseen wire connected
their optimistic frame of mind with
the appearance of the womans COM
mittee Immediately after the after
noon session opened.
First, Mrs. Worthington spoke. Be
ing the middle-aged mother of four sue
cessful sons, there was some weight to !
her argument.
handsome matrOn who had been a |
trained nurse before her marriage.
Third, Alice Hanson spoke, and chiv- !,
airy was her theme. David Markham |
frightened his lips as if to prevent re-
leasing the bitter words within. At |
first he heard not a word she said, but |
even a surreptitious glance showed him
that he had never Seen her look more |
bewitching. And her speech was
brief.
Concluding, she said: as chivalry
built upon such an unstable foundation
that it falls tottering to earth merely
because woman walks into booth |
and puts a piece of paper into a box
as means of approving or disapprov-
Ing of certain public servants? We
women well know that it is not"
1t was significant that just at this
point she dropped her lace handker-
chief, and of the four men who darted
for it, David was the successful cap
tor who restored it to her.
81 have planted a garden of flowers"
she resumed. II shall have to use
much care to keep the soil in good con-
aition and to keep away harmful in
sects. That care will require proper
tools. All over the world women are
planting gardens-home gardens,
school gardens kitchen gardens, civic
ADMINISTRATIONS that grow human
lowers. They need the ballot as a
tool to keep conditions such that their
human flowers may grow strong. Is it
chivalrOus to withhold that tool? We
women do not ask to usurp the place
Of men; we ask you to help us step
from the pedestal where your we'll
meant but misguided chivalry has so
long kept us, and we ask you to I'M
derstand that what we want is to
walk and work side by side with you.
Knowing the underlying principle of
Justice in the heart of the American
nan, we know that what we ask will
be given u.s."
After the completion of the speeches
he carefully planned psychological
moment came and went with the con-
unanimous Endorsement of
,qual suffrage. David's AYE" was
,iven in an unnatural voice, and he had
! trembling feeling in his legs as he
'ose with the other men while the
aides passed from the room.
AS Alice passed through the door
he turned her head, pressed her lace
handkerchief to her lips and flashed
lpon David a forgiving glance that
made him entirely obliviOus of what
for the next few minutes.
lie gave himself up to a brief but &C. ,
tatic dream of days to come when he ,
would be welcome visitor to the sum
ner house in her flower garden and
his dream came true.