Smyrna times., 1917-06-27
HIS DREAM CAME TRUE
BY ELSIE LEE.

Alice was beginning to realize a
lOng-cherished dream of an old-fash-
Toned flower garden. When the last
brown beds of loose earth had been
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 it would be easily pos
sible, as well as desirable, for her to
live without him. Their quarrel, re-
sulting from David's demand that she
refrain from publicly indOrsing equal
suffrage, was probably responsible for
Alice's undivided attention to her gar
den-making.
The county convention was to take
place the next day, and Alice was to
appear before it as one of committee
of three women who would request
the conventions Endorsement of equal
suffrage. David, though younger than
the other members of the "Old 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
Of Aho
went back to the afternoon session
sanguine of carrying the day accord
ing to his desires. Not man of them
suspected that the suffrage commit
tee had cOllabOrated 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 woman's 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.
Second came Mrs. Ellis. She was a
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 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: "Is chivalry
built upon such an unstable foundation
that it falls tOttering to earth merely
because a woman walks into a booth
and puts a piece of paper into a box
as a 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. 81 shall have to use
much care to keep the soil in good con
dition 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, civil
gardens-gardens that grow human
flowers. They need the ballot as {
tool to keep conditions such that thei
human flowers may grow strong. Is /
chivalrOus to withhold that tool? W.
women do not ask to usurp the plac'
of men; we ask you to help US stel
from the pedestal where your well
meant but misguided chivalry has s.
long kept us, and we ask you to un
= derstand that what we want is t
walk and work side by side with you
Knowing the underlying principle o
Justice in the heart of the American
= man, we know that what we ask vii
be given u.s."
l. After the completion of the speeche
the carefully planned psychologists
moment came and went with the cor
!. vention's unanimous Endorsement Q
l. equal suffrage. David's "aye" wa
;, given in an unnatural voice, and he ha
a trembling feeling in his legs as h
rose with the other men while tn
e ladies passed from the room.
n AS Alice passed through the doc
she turned her head, pressed her lac
handkerchief to her lips and flashe
upon David a forgiving glance ths
made him entirely Oblivious of whs
< transpired for the next few minute
He gave himself up to brief but e.
static dream of days to come when b
would be a welcome visitor to the sun
mer house in her flower garden an
= subsequently his dream came true.
Copyright. 1917. by the Mcclure Newsp'
4 per Syndicate.(