Upon strolling abroad that morning we found a huge placard bearing the
advice--"Vote for Olliver Henderson, M.L.A., the Local Candidate,"
decorating the post of the gateway through which we gained the
highroad.

Uncle Jake was credited with this erection, so Andrew made himself
absent at a time when there was need of his presence, and thereby
caused a deal of friction in the vicinity of grandma, but with the
result that by midday Uncle Jake's placard was covered by another,
reading: "Vote for Leslie Walker, the Opposition Candidate, and Save
the Country!"

At three o'clock this was obscured by a reappearance of Henderson's
advertisement, which was the cause of Uncle Jake being too late to
catch that evening's train with a load of oranges he had been set to
pack. At the risk of leaving the milking late, Andrew was setting out
to once more eclipse this by Walker's poster, only that grandma
adjudicated regarding the matter.

"Jake, you have one side of the gate, an' Andrew you take the other.
Put up your papers side by side and that will be a good advertisement
of liberty of opinion; an' Jake, if you haven't got sense to stick to
this at your time of life, I'm sorry for you; and if you haven't
Andrew at yours, I'll have to knock it into you with a strap,--now
_mind_! An' if you don't get your work done you'll go to no more
meetin's."

"Right O! I'll vote for me grandma every time," responded Andrew.

This proved an effective threat, for political meetings had become the
joy of life to the electors of Noonoon. As a tallow candle if placed
near can obscure the light of the moon, so the approaching election
lying at the door shut out all other worldly doings. The
Russo-Japanese war became a movement of no moment; the season, the
price of lemons and oranges, the doings of Mrs Tinker, the inability
of the municipal council to make the roads good, and all other
happenings, became tame by comparison with politics. They were
discussed with unabating interest all day and every day, and by
everyone upon all occasions. Even the children battled out differences
regarding their respective candidates on the way home from school,
rival committees worked with unflagging energy, and all buildings and
fences were plastered with opposing placards. This pitch of enthusiasm
was reached long before the sitting parliament had dissolved or a
polling day had been fixed; for this State election was contested with
unprecedented energy all