Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1917-10-02
|HIs Dream CAME TRUE
sy ELSIE LEE.

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Alice was beginning to realize
| iong-cherished dream of an old-fasn
Toned flower garden. When the Las
brown beds of loose earth had beef
smoothed and the tiny border plant
had been transplanted by her rheumau'
OLD negro gardener, she surveyed I'M
result with satisfied smile.
At precisely the same moment, Da
yid Markham, seated at his desk In I'M
| towns biggest bank, was saying e
himself that he could not live without
Alice. Two weeks before Alice nae
told him that 1t would be easily pos
sible. as well as desirable, for her tt
live without him. Their quarrel, re
sultinr from David's demand that she
refrain from publicly indorsing equal
suffrage, was probably responsible FOL
Auce's undivided attention to her gar
den-making.
The county convention was to take
place the next day, and Alice was &c
| appear before 1t 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 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 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 surreptitious glance showed him
that he had never seen her look more
bew1tching. And her speech was
brief.
Concluding, she said: SIS chivalry
built upon such an unstable foundation
that It falls tottering to earth merely
because q woman walks into booth
and puts piece of paper into box
as means Of approving or disapprov-
ing Of certain public servants? We
women well knew that 1t is not"
It was significant that just at this
point she dropped her lace handker-
chief, and of the four men who darted
for 1t, David was the successful cap
tor who restored it to her.
II have planted garden of flowers"
she resumed. II 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, civic
gardens-gardens that grow human
flowers. They need the ballot as
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
man. we know that what we ask will
be given u.s.
After the completion of the speeches
the carefully planned psychological
moment came and went with the con-
7ention's unanimous Endorsement of
equal suffrage. David's FAYE" was
given In an unnatural voice, and he had
q trembling feeling In his legs as he
rose with the other men while the
ladies' passed from the room.
As Alice passed through the door
she turned her head, pressed her lace
handkerchief to her lips and flashed
upon David forgiving glance that
made him entirely oblivious of what
transpired for the next few minutes.
He gave himself up to brief but &C.
static dream Of days to come when he
would be a welcome visitor to the sum-
nner house in her flower garden and
subsequently his dream came true.
Copyright, 1917 by the Mcclure Nevsna
Der Syndicate)