Omaha daily bee., 1919-12-21
By MARGUERITE E. HARRISON

~ AA0NNo LIN ~ Ss AAAANANASSt'
London, Dec. 20.-(My Mail)-
Probably no political campaign ii
recent years has aroused more inter
est on both sides of the Atlanti,
shan that of Lady Aston, who
was recently elected. She is tn,
first woman to sit in the Brit
ish House of Commons, but nc
one who has not seen "Our Nancy
as her Plymouth constituents have
christened the former Nora Lang
horne of Richmond, Va, in the
thick of the fight, can possibly real
ize the task she has cut out fol
herself.
mo one but an American woman
could do it," she said to me or
Armistic day when | spent severa
hours with her in Plymouth, and
soon came to the conclusion thai
it would not take an American
woman, but an American super.
woman, to put it over as Lady
Astor did
Four Speeches Day.
For the last three weeks she has
made at least four set speeches a
day, with a dozen impromptu ones
thrown in; she has shaken hands
with numberless constituents; I am
quite sure she has lost count OF
the babies she has kissed, and she
has been photographed hundreds oil
times. / saw her pose for a picture
beside a fireman from the dock
yards, in the toughest section OIL
Plymouth, where she was holding
. meeting in opposition to Gay, the
labor candidate.
The fireman, Charlie by name
was one of the toughest-looking
customers I have ever seen and after
he had heckled her from the crowd
tor at least 10 minutes, asking her
how her husband liked her running
around the country, if she knew how
to cook and if she had ever washed
unmentionables for her babies as
his 'missus" did, he ended by put
ting his grimy hand on her shoulder
while they were snapshotted by a
battery of cameras.
At Work at 9 A. M.
When | arrived at Lady Astor's
headquarters at 9 o'clock in the
morning I found that she was al
ready hard at work going over her
mail. and there were at least a
dozen people waiting to see her.
Her Ladyship will see you at
H." said an attendant, so at FIVE
minutes before the hour I was at
headquarters, across the front Of
which a sign in letters nearly two
feet high insisted on "Astor Again"
for her husband, Viscount Astor,
before succeeding to his fathers
title, was the member for Plymouth
in Parliament. Before the door was
an automobile decorated with red,
white and blue ribbons, in charge of
a chauffeur and an individual who
WAS. the very image of John Bull,
fat, rubicund and imposing. On his
chest was a rosette as big as pie
plate, in the middle of which was a
photograph of her ladyship. He
was Churchward, the family coach
man. unofficial campaign manager,
without whose advice she never
Irade speech or attended meet
ing.
At Home in Car.
beg pardon, Miss" he said, 'but
her Ladyship decided as 'ow she
houghter go to church, and she
left word for you to get in the car
and make yourself at 'ome till we
goes to pick her up" SO | took a
seat in the limousine and, waited
for II and England's two minutes
of silence in honor of Armistice
day. Churchward swung himself UP
beside the chauffeur and they both
sat motionless.
Outside, on the promenade look
ing toward the harbor, there were
perhaps hundred people coming
and going, babies in perambulators.
soldiers, loahng on the benches,
women with market baskets. Sud-
denly the town clock began to strike
and simultaneously every ship in
the harbor sounded its siren or its
whistle. Pedestrians stopped just
where they were, the soldiers stood
at attention and all was still. A
woman near me crossed herself, a
young girl burst into tears. The
only sound was that of a small
group Of little children. All un
conscious of the great moment
they were marching happily down
the street with improvised cymbals
made of two tin pans and ringing
a big dinner bell, For them the past
held no memories.
Suddenly there flashed into my
mind an inscription in the lobby of
Drury Lane theater. l repeated it
softly: ITO the living dead; that
company of shining souls who gave
their youth that the world might
grow old in peace" Time and space
did not seem to count at all. | was
back in Baltimore, in scores of
homes, whence some one had gone
on 1ifc's most beautiful adventure.
Of to Church.
The silence was broken by a
bugle from the barracks sounding
the .'last CALI" Our motor whirred.
q locomotive blew its whistle, the
people scattered in all directions;
England was her work-a-day self
again. In a minute we were off to
church to meet Lady Aston.
Outside there were at least 1000
persons waiting to see her, for she
always drew 4 crowd wherever she
went.
DO you think Lady Aston will
VIM" l asked a woman who was
standing near me.
sThat I do, man," she replied
promptly. "The women of Ply
mouth is behind 'er."
Don't leave out the men," said
an individual at my right. Il was
at a meeting few days ago when
some one shouted at her Don't you
nt,fNH . q