such things they would let their children be made sick and blind and the
money that should be used for food for poor hungry children be squandered
on _on_-necessary books they are too faint with hunger to study."

"But wimmen's votin' wouldn't help in such things," sez Lorinda, as she
stirred her angel cake vigorously.

But Euphrasia sez, "My niece, Ellen, teaches in a state where wimmen vote
and she gits the same wages men git for the same work, and her school rooms
are bright and pleasant and sanitary, and the pupils, of course, are well
and happy. And if you don't think wimmen can help in such public matters
just go to Seattle and see how quick a bad man wuz yanked out of his public
office and a good man put in his place, mostly by wimmen's efforts and
votes."

"Yes," sez I, "it is a proved fact that wimmen's votes do help in these
matters. And do you think, Lorinda, that if educated, motherly, thoughtful
wimmen helped make the laws so many little children would be allowed to
toil in factories and mines, their tender shoulders bearin' the burden of
constant labor that wears out the iron muscles of men?"

Polly's eyes growed tender and wistful, and her little white hands
lingered over her posies, and I knowed the hard lot of the poor, the
wrongs of wimmen and children, the woes of humanity, wuz pressin' down
on her generous young heart. And I could see in her sweet face the brave
determination to do and to dare, to try to help ondo the wrongs, and try to
lift the burdens from weak and achin' shoulders. But Lorinda kep' on with
the same old moth-eaten argument so broke down and feeble it ort to be
allowed to die in peace.