giving women full right of
franchise. We tried to soothe his fears. We delicately and tactfully
declared that his wife was safe. She would not be asked to go to
Parliament by any of us--we gave him our word that she was immune from
public duties of that nature, for we knew the lady and her limitations,
and we knew she was safe--safe as a glass of milk at an old-fashioned
logging-bee; safe as a dish of cold bread pudding at a strawberry
festival. She would not have to leave home to serve her country at
"the earnest solicitation of friends" or otherwise. But he would not
sign. He saw his "Minnie" climbing the slippery ladder of political
fame. It would be his Minnie who would be chosen--he felt it coming,
the sacrifice would fall on his one little ewe-lamb.

After one has listened to all these arguments and has contracted
clergyman's sore throat talking back, it is real relief to meet the
people who say flatly and without reason: "You can't have it--no--I
won't argue--but inasmuch as I can prevent it--you will never vote! So
there!" The men who meet the question like this are so easy to
classify.

I remember when I was a little girl back on the farm in the Souris
Valley, I used to water the cattle on Saturday mornings, drawing the
water in an icy bucket with a windlass from a fairly deep well. We had
one old white ox, called Mike, a patriarchal-looking old sinner, who
never had enough, and who always had to be watered first. Usually I
gave him what I thought he should have and then took him back to the
stable and watered the others. But one day I was feeling real strong,
and I resolved to give Mike all he could drink, even if it took every
drop of water in the well. I must admit that I cherished a secret hope
that he would kill himself drinking. I will not set down here in cold
figures how many pails of water Mike drank--but I remember. At last he
could not drink another drop, and stood shivering beside the trough,
blowing the last mouthful out of his mouth like a bad child. I waited
to see if he would die, or at least turn away and give the others a
chance. The thirsty cattle came crowding around him, but old Mike, so
full I am sure he felt he would never drink another drop of water again
as long as he lived, deliberately and with difficulty put his two front
feet over the trough and kept all the other cattle away.... Years
afterwards I had the pleasure of being present when a delegation waited
upon t