第13章
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  taininterestfromthefactthatIwasthefirstor—

  dainedwomantopreachinachurchinGermany。

  Itthentookonatingeofhumorfromtheadditionalfactthat,accordingtotheGermanlaw,assuddenlyrevealedtousbythepolice,noclergymanwasper—

  mittedtopreachunlessclothedinclericalrobesinthepulpit。IthappenedthatIhadnottakenmyclericalrobeswithme——Iamconstantlyforgettingthoseclericalrobes!——sothepastorofthechurchkindlyofferedmehisrobes。

  Nowthepastorwassixfeettallandbroadinpro—

  portion,andI,asIhavealreadyconfessed,amveryshort。Hisrobestransformedmeintosuchanabsurdcaricatureofapreacherthatitwasquiteimpossibleformetowearthem。What,then,werewetodo?

  Lackingclericalrobes,thepolicewouldnotallowmetouttersixwords。ItwasfinallydecidedthattheclergymanshouldmeettheletterofthelawbyenteringthepulpitinhisrobesandstandingbymysidewhileIdeliveredmysermon。Thelawsoberlyacceptedthissolutionoftheproblem,andweofferedthecongregationtheextraordinarytableauofapulpitcombiningalargeandimpressivepastorstandingsilentlybesideasmallandinwardlycon—

  vulsedwomanwhohadallshecoulddotodeliverhersermonwiththesolemnitytheoccasionre—

  quired。

  AtthissameconferenceImadeoneofthefewfriendshipsIenjoywithamemberofaEuropeanroyalfamily,forImetthePrincessBlankofItaly,whooverwhelmedmewithattentionduringmyvisit,andfromwhomIstillreceivecharmingletters。SheinvitedmetovisitherinhercastleinItaly,andtoaccompanyhertohermother’scastleinAustria,andshefinallyinsistedonknowingexactlywhyI

  persistentlyrefusedbothinvitations。

  ``Because,mydearPrincess,’’Iexplained,``Iamaworking—woman。’’

  ``NobodyneedKNOWthat,’’murmuredthePrincess,calmly。

  ``Onthecontrary,’’Iassuredher,``itisthefirstthingIshouldexplain。’’

  ``Butwhy?’’thePrincesswantedtoknow。

  Istudiedherinsilenceforamoment。Shewasanewandinterestingtypetome,andIwasgladtoexchangeviewpointswithher。

  ``Youareproudofyourfamily,areyounot?’’I

  asked。``Youareproudofyourgreatline?’’

  ThePrincessdrewherselfup。``Assuredly,’’shesaid。

  ``Verywell,’’Icontinued。``Iamproud,too。

  WhatIhavedoneIhavedoneunaided,and,tobefrankwithyou,Iratherapproveofit。Myworkismypatentofnobility,andIamnotwillingtoassociatewiththosefromwhomitwouldhavetobeconcealedorwiththosewhowouldlookdownuponit。’’

  ThePrincesssighed。Iwasanewtypetoher,too,asnewasshewastome;butIhadthead—

  vantageofher,forIcouldunderstandherpointofview,whereassheapparentlycouldnotfollowmine。

  Shewasverygracioustome,however,showingmekindnessandfriendshipinadozenways,givingmeanimmenseamountofhertimeandtakingrathermoreofmytimethanIcouldspare,butneverfor—

  gettingforamomentthatherbloodwasamongtheoldestinEurope,andthatallhertraditionswereinkeepingwithitshonorableage。

  AftertheBerlinmeetingMissAnthonyandI

  wereinvitedtospendaweek—endatthehomeofMrs。JacobBright,that``AuntSusan’’mightre—

  newheracquaintancewithAnnieBesant。Thisvisitisamongmymostvividmemories。Originally``AuntSusan’’hadgreatlyadmiredMrs。Besant,andhadopenlylamentedthelatter’sconcentrationontheosophicalinterests——when,asMissAnthonyputit,``therearesomanyliveproblemshereinthisworld。’’Nowshecouldnotconcealherdisapprovalofthe``other—worldliness’’ofMrs。Besant,Mrs。

  Bright,andherdaughter。Someremarkableand,tome,mostamusingdiscussionstookplaceamongthethree;butoften,duringMrs。Besant’smostsus—

  tainedoratoricalflights,MissAnthony’sinterestwouldwander,andshewoulddroparemarkthatshowedshehadnotheardaword。ShehadagreatadmirationforMrs。Besant’sintellect;butshedis—

  approvedofherflowingandpicturesquewhiterobes,ofherbarefeet,ofherincessantcigarette—smoking;

  aboveall,ofherviews。Atlast,oneday。{sic}theclimaxofthediscussionscame。

  ``Annie,’’demanded``AuntSusan,’’``whydon’tyoumakethatauraofyoursdoitsgallivantinginthisworld,lookinguptheneedsoftheoppressed,andinvestigatingthecausesofpresentwrongs?

  Thenyoucouldrevealtousworkersjustwhatweshoulddotoputthingsright,andwecouldbeaboutit。’’

  Mrs。Besantsighedandsaidthatlifewasshortandaeonswerelong,andthatwhileeveryonewouldbeperfectedsometime,itwasuselesstodealwithindividualshere。

  ``But,Annie!’’exclaimedMissAnthony,patheti—

  cally。``WeAREhere!Ourbusinessishere!It’sourdutytodowhatwecanhere。’’

  Mrs。Besantseemednottohearher。Shewasinatrance,gazingintotheaeons。

  ``I’dratherhaveoneyearofyourability,backedupwithcommonsense,fortheworkofmakingthisworldbetter,’’criedtheexasperated``AuntSusan,’’

  ``thanamillionaeonsinthehereafter!’’

  Mrs。Besantsighedagain。Itwasplainthatshecouldnotbringherselfbackfromtheotherworld,soMissAnthony,perforce,accompaniedhertoit。

  ``Whenyourauragoesvisitingintheotherworld,’’sheasked,curiously,``doesitevermeetyouroldfriendCharlesBradlaugh?’’

  ``Ohyes,’’declaredMrs。Besant。``Frequently。’’

  ``Wasn’theverymuchsurprised,’’demandedMissAnthony,withgrowinginterest,``todiscoverthathewasnotdead?’’

  Mrs。BesantdidnotseemtoknowwhatemotionMr。Bradlaughhadexperiencedwhenthatrevela—

  tioncame。

  ``Well,’’mused``AuntSusan,’’``Ishouldthinkhewouldhavebeensurprised。Hewassocertainhewasgoingtobedeadthatitmusthavebeenastoundingtodiscoverhewasn’t。Whatwashedoingintheotherworld?’’

  Mrs。Besantheavedadeepersigh。``IamverymuchdiscouragedoverMr。Bradlaugh,’’shead—

  mitted,wanly。``Heishoveringtoonearthisworld。Hecannotseemtogetawayfromhismun—

  daneinterests。Heisasmuchconcernedwithpar—

  liamentaryaffairsnowaswhenhewasonthisplane。’’

  ``Humph!’’saidMissAnthony;``that’sthemostsensiblethingI’veheardyetabouttheotherworld。

  Itencouragesme。I’vealwaysfeltsurethatifI

  enteredtheotherlifebeforewomenwereenfran—

  chisednothinginthegloriesofheavenwouldin—

  terestmesomuchastheworkforwomen’sfreedomonearth。Now,’’sheended,``IshallbelikeMr。

  Bradlaugh。Ishallhoverroundandcontinuemyworkhere。’’

  WhenMrs。BesanthadlefttheroomMrs。Brightfeltthatitwasherdutytoadmonish``AuntSusan’’

  tobemorecarefulinwhatshesaid。

  ``Youaremakingtoolightofhercreed,’’sheex—

  postulated。``YoudonotrealizetheimportantpositionMrs。Besantholds。Why,inIndia,whenshewalksfromherhometoherschoolallthoseshemeetsprostratethemselves。Eventhelearnedmenprostratethemselvesandputtheirfacesonthegroundasshegoesby。’’

  ``AuntSusan’s’’voice,whenshereplied,tookonthetonesofonewhoissorelytried。``ButwhyinHeaven’snamedoesanysensibleEnglishwomanwantalotofheathentoprostratethemselvesasshegoesupthestreet?’’shedemanded,wearily。``It’sthemostfoolishthingIeverheard。’’

  TheefforttowinMissAnthonyovertothetheo—

  sophicaldoctrinewasabandoned。Thatnight,afterwehadgonetoourrooms,``AuntSusan’’summedupherconclusionsontheinterview:

  ``It’sagoodthingfortheworld,’’shedeclared,``thatsomeofusdon’tknowsomuch。Andit’sabetterthingforthisworldthatsomeofusthinkalittleearthlycommonsenseismorevaluablethantoomuchheavenlyknowledge。’’

  X

  THEPASSINGOF``AUNTSUSAN’’

  OnoneoccasionMissAnthonyhadthedoubt—

  fulpleasureofreadingherownobituarynotices,andherinterestinthemwascharacteristicallynaive。

  ShehadmadeaspeechatLakeside,Ohio,duringwhich,forthefirsttimeinherlongexperience,shefaintedontheplatform。Iwasnotwithheratthetime,andintheexcitementfollowinghercollapseitwasrumoredthatshehaddied。ImmediatelythenewswastelegraphedtotheAssociatedPressofNewYork,andfromthereflashedoverthecountry。AtMissAnthony’shomeinRochesterareporterrangthebellandabruptlyinformedhersister,MissMaryAnthony,whocametothedoor,that``AuntSusan’’wasdead。FortunatelyMissMaryhadacoolhead。

  ``Ithink,’’shesaid,``thatifmysisterhaddiedIwouldhaveheardaboutit。PleasehaveyoureditorstelegraphtoLakeside。’’

  Thereporterdeparted,butcamebackanhourlatertosaythathisnewspaperhadsentthetele—

  gramandthereplywasthatSusanB。Anthonywasdead。

  ``Ihavejustreceivedabettertelegramthanthat,’’

  remarkedMaryAnthony。``Mineisfrommysister;shetellsmethatshefaintedto—night,butsoonrecoveredandwillbehometo—morrow。’’

  Nevertheless,thenextmorningtheAmericannewspapersgavemuchspacetoMissAnthony’sobituarynotices,and``AuntSusan’’spentsomein—

  terestinghoursreadingthem。OnethatpleasedhervastlywasprintedintheWichitaEagle,whoseeditor,Mr。Murdock,hadbeenalmostherbitterestop—

  ponent。Hehadoftenexhaustedhisbrilliantvo—

  cabularyineditorialdenunciationsofsuffrageandsuffragists,andMissAnthonyhadbeenthespecialtargetofhisscorn。Butthenewsofherdeathseemedtobeabitterblowtohim;andofallthetributestheAmericanpressgavetoSusanB。Anthonydead,fewequaledinbeautyandappreciationtheonepennedbyMr。MurdockandpublishedintheEagle。

  Hemusthavebeenamusedwhen,afewdayslater,hereceivedaletterfrom``AuntSusan’’herself,thankinghimwarmlyforhischangedopinionofherandhopingthatitmeanttheconversionofhissoultoourCause。Itdidnot,andMr。Murdock,thoughneveragainquiteasbitterashehadbeen,soonresumedthefreeeditorialexpressionofhisanti—

  suffragesentiments。Timeshavechanged,however,andto—dayhisson,nowamemberofCongress,isoneofourstrongestsupportersinthatbody。

  In1905itbecameplainthatMissAnthony’shealthwasfailing。HervisitstoGermanyandEnglandthepreviousyear,triumphantthoughtheyhadbeen,hadalsoprovedadrainonhervitality;

  andsoonafterherreturntoAmericasheentereduponataskwhichhelpedtoexhaustherremainingstrength。Shehadbeendeeplyinterestedinse—

  curingafundof$50,000toenablewomentoenterRochesterUniversity,and,onemorning,justafterwehadheldasessionofourexecutivecommitteeinherRochesterhome,shereadanewspaperan—

  nouncementtotheeffectthatatfouro’clockthatafternoontheopportunitytoadmitwomentotheuniversitywouldexpire,asthefullfiftythousanddollarshadnotbeenraised。Thesumofeightthousanddollarswasstilllacking。

  Withcharacteristicenergy,MissAnthonyunder—

  tooktosavethesituationbyraisingthisamountwithinthetimelimit。Rushingtothetelephone,shecalledacabandpreparedtogoforthonherdifficultquest;butfirst,whileshewasputtingonherhatandcoat,sheinsistedthathersister,MaryAnthony,shouldstartthefundbycontributingonethousanddollarsfromhermeagersavings,andthisMissMarydid。``AuntSusan’’madeeverysecondcountthatday,andbyhalfafterthreeo’clockshehadsecuredthenecessarypledges。Severalofthetrusteesoftheuniversity,however,hadnotseemedespeciallyanxioustohavethefundraised,andatthelastmomenttheyobjectedtoonepledgeforathousanddollars,onthegroundthatthemanwhohadgivenitwasveryoldandmightdiebeforethetimesettopayit;thenhisfamily,theyfeared,mightrepudiatetheobligation。WithoutawordMissAnthonyseizedthepledgeandwrotehernameacrossitasanindorsement。``Iamgoodforit,’’

  shethensaid,quietly,``ifthegentlemanwhosigneditisnot。’’

  Thatafternoonshereturnedhomegreatlyfa—

  tigued。Afewhourslaterthegirlstudentswhohadbeenwaitingadmissiontotheuniversitycametoserenadeherinrecognitionofhersuccessfulworkforthem,butshewastooilltoseethem。Shewaspassingthroughthefirststageofwhatprovedtobeherfinalbreakdown。

  In1906,whenthedateoftheannualconventionoftheNationalAmericanWomanSuffrageAssociationinBaltimorewasdrawingnear,shebecameconvincedthatitwouldbeherlastconvention。Shewasright。

  Sheshowedapassionateeagernesstomakeitoneofthegreatestconventionseverheldinthehistoryofthemovement;andwe,wholovedherandsawthattheflameofherlifewasburninglow,alsobentallourenergiestothetaskofrealizingherhopes。

  InNovemberprecedingtheconventionshevisitedmeandherniece,MissLucyAnthony,inourhomeinMountAiry,Philadelphia,anditwasclearthatheranxietyovertheconventionwasweighingheavilyuponher。Shevisiblyloststrengthfromdaytoday。Onemorningshesaidabruptly,``Anna,let’sgoandcallonPresidentM。CareyThomas,ofBrynMawr。’’

  IwroteanotetoMissThomas,tellingherofMissAnthony’sdesiretoseeher,andreceivedanim—

  mediatereplyinvitingustoluncheonthefollowingday。WefoundMissThomasdeepintheworkconnectedwithhernewcollegebuildings,overwhichsheshoweduswithmuchpride。MissAnthony,ofcourse,gloriedinthesplendidresultsMissThomashadachieved,butshewas,forher,strangelysilentandpreoccupied。Atluncheonshesaid:

  ``MissThomas,yourbuildingsarebeautiful;

  yournewlibraryisamarvel;buttheyarenotthecauseofourpresencehere。’’

  ``No,’’MissThomassaid;``Iknowyouhavesomethingonyourmind。Iamwaitingforyoutotellmewhatitis。’’

  ``Wewantyourco—operation,andthatofMissGarrett,’’beganMissAnthony,promptly,``tomakeourBaltimoreConventionasuccess。WewantyoutopersuadetheArundelClubofBaltimore,themostfashionableclubinthecity,togivearecep—

  tiontothedelegates;andwewantyoutoarrangeacollegenightontheprogramme——agreatcollegenight,withthebestcollegespeakerseverbroughttogether。’’

  Thesewerelargecommissionsfortwoextremelybusywomen,butbothMissThomasandMissGarrett——realizingMissAnthony’sintenseearnest—

  ness——promisedtothinkoverthesuggestionsandseewhattheycoulddo。Thenextmorningwere—

  ceivedatelegramfromthemstatingthatMissThomaswouldarrangethecollegeevening,andthatMissGarrettwouldreopenherBaltimorehome,whichshehadclosed,duringtheconvention。ShealsoinvitedMissAnthonyandmetobehergueststhere,andaddedthatshewouldtrytoarrangethereceptionbytheArundelClub。

  ``AuntSusan’’wasoverjoyed。Ihaveneverseenherhappierthanshewasoverthereceiptofthattelegram。SheknewthatwhateverMissThomasandMissGarrettundertookwouldbeaccomplished,andsherightlyregardedthesuccessoftheconven—

  tionasalreadyassured。Herexpectationsweremorethanrealized。Thecollegeeveningwasun—

  doubtedlythemostbrilliantoccasionofitskindeverarrangedforaconvention。PresidentIraRemsenofJohnsHopkinsUniversitypresided,andaddressesweremadebyPresidentMaryE。WoolleyofMountHolyoke,ProfessorLucySalmonofVassar,ProfessorMaryJordanofSmith,PresidentThomasherself,andmanyothers。

  Frombeginningtoendtheconventionwasprob—

  ablythemostnotableyetheldinourhistory。

  JuliaWardHoweandherdaughter,FlorenceHoweHall,werealsoguestsofMissGarrett,who,more—

  over,entertainedallthespeakersof``CollegeNight。’’

  MissAnthony,noweighty—six,arrivedinBaltimorequiteill,andMrs。Howe,whowasninety,wastakenillsoonaftershereachedthere。Thetwogreatwomenmadeadramaticexchangeontheprogramme,foronthefirstnight,whenMissAnthonywasun—

  abletospeak,Mrs。Howetookherplace,andonthesecondnight,whenMrs。Howehadsuccumbed,MissAnthonyhadrecoveredsufficientlytoappearforher。ClaraBartonwasalsoanhonoredfigureattheconvention,andMissAnthony’sjoyinthepresenceofalltheseoldanddearfriendswasover—

  flowing。Withthem,too,weretheyoungerwomen,readytotakeupandcarryontheworktheoldleaderswerelayingdown;and``AuntSusan,’’asshesurveyedthemall,feltlikeageneralwhosesuperbarmyispassinginreviewbeforehim。

  Atthecloseofthecollegeprogramme,whenthefinaladdresshadbeenmadebyMissThomas,MissAnthonyroseandinafewwordsexpressedherfeelingthatherlife—workwasdone,andhercon—

  sciousnessofthenearapproachoftheend。Afterthatnightshewasunabletoappear,andwasindeedsoillthatshewasconfinedtoherbedinMissGar—

  rett’smosthospitablehome。NothingcouldhavebeenmorethoughtfulormorebeautifulthanthecareMissGarrettandMissThomasbestowedonher。

  TheyengagedforheroneofthebestphysiciansinBaltimore,who,inturn,consultedwiththeleadingspecialistsofJohnsHopkins,andtheyalsosecuredatrainednurse。Thisfinalattentionrequiredspecialtact,forMissAnthony’sfearof``givingtrouble’’wassogreatthatshewasnotwillingtohaveanurse。Thenurse,therefore,woreahouse—

  maid’suniform,and``AuntSusan’’remainedwhollyunconsciousthatshewasbeingcaredforbyoneofthebestnursesinthefamoushospital。

  BetweensessionsoftheconventionIusedtositby``AuntSusan’s’’bedandtellherwhatwasgoingon。Shewastriumphantovertheimmensesuccessoftheconvention,butitwasclearthatshewasstillworryingoverthedetailsoffuturework。OnedayatluncheonMissThomasaskedme,casually:

  ``Bytheway,howdoyouraisethemoneytocarryonyourwork?’’

  WhenItoldhertheworkwaswhollydependentonvoluntarycontributionsandontheservicesofthosewhowerewillingtogivethemselvesgratui—

  touslytoit,MissThomaswasgreatlysurprised。

  SheandMissGarrettaskedanumberofpracticalquestions,andattheendofourtalktheylookedateachother。

  ``Idon’tthink,’’saidMissThomas,``thatwehavequitedoneourdutyinthismatter。’’

  Thenextdaytheyinvitedanumberofustodinner,toagaindiscussthesituation;andtheyadmittedthattheyhadsatupthroughoutthepreviousnight,talkingthematteroverandtryingtofindsomewaytohelpus。Theyhadalsodis—

  cussedthesituationwithMissAnthony,tohervastcontent,andhadfinallydecidedthattheywouldtrytoraiseafundof$60,000,tobepaidinyearlyinstalmentsof$12,000forfiveyears——partoftheseannualinstalmentstobeusedassalariesfortheactiveofficers。

  Themerementionofsolargeafundstartledusall。Wefearedthatitcouldnotpossiblyberaised。

  ButMissAnthonyplainlybelievedthatnowthelastgreatwishofherlifehadbeengranted。ShewasconvincedthatMissThomasandMissGar—

  rettcouldaccomplishanything——eventhemiracleofraising$60,000forthesuffragecause——andtheydid,though``AuntSusan’’wasnotheretogloryovertheresultwhentheyhadachievedit。

  Onthe15thofFebruaryweleftBaltimoreforWashington,whereMissAnthonywastocele—

  bratehereighty—sixthbirthday。FormanyyearstheNationalAmericanWomanSuffrageAssocia—

  tionhadcelebratedourbirthdaystogether,asherscameonthe15thofthemonthandmineonthe14th。Therehadbeenanespeciallyfestivebanquetwhenshewasseventy—fourandIwasforty—seven,andourfriendshaddecoratedthetablewithfloral``4’s’’and``7’s’’——thecenterpiecerepresenting``74’’

  duringthefirsthalfofthebanquet,and``47’’thelatterhalf。Thistime``AuntSusan’’shouldnothaveattemptedtheWashingtoncelebration,forshewasstillillandexhaustedbythestrainofthecon—

  vention。Butnotwithstandinghersufferingsandthewarningsofherphysicians,sheinsistedonbeingpresent;soMissGarrettsentthetrainednursetoWashingtonwithher,andwealltriedtomakethejour—

  neytheleastpossiblestrainonthepatient’svitality。

  OnourarrivalinWashingtonwewenttotheShoreham,where,asalways,theproprietortookpainstogiveMissAnthonyaroomwithaviewoftheWashingtonmonument,whichshegreatlyadmired。

  WhenIenteredherroomalittlelaterIfoundherstandingatawindow,holdingherselfupwithhandsbracedagainstthecasementoneitherside,andsoabsorbedintheviewthatshedidnothearmyap—

  proach。WhenIspoketohersheansweredwith—

  outturningherhead。

  ``That,’’shesaid,softly,``isthemostbeautifulmonumentintheworld。’’

  Istoodbyherside,andtogetherwelookedatitinsilenceIrealizingwithasickheartthat``AuntSusan’’knewshewasseeingitforthelasttime。

  Thebirthdaycelebrationthatfollowedourexec—

  utivemeetingwasanimpressiveone。ItwasheldintheChurchofOurFather,whosepastor,theRev。

  JohnVanSchaick,hadalwaysbeenexceedinglykindtoMissAnthony。Manyprominentmenspoke。

  PresidentRooseveltandotherstatesmensentmostfriendlyletters,andWilliamH。Tafthadpromisedtobepresent。Hedidnotcome,nordidhe,thenorlater,sendanyexcusefornotcoming——anomissionthatgreatlydisappointedMissAnthony,whohadalwaysadmiredhim。Ipresidedatthemeeting,andthoughwealldidourbesttomakeitgay,astrangehushhungovertheassemblageasolemnstillness,suchasonefeelsinthepresenceofdeath。

  WebecamemoreandmoreconsciousthatMissAnthonywassuffering,andwehastenedtheexer—

  cisesallwecould。WhenIreadPresidentRoose—

  velt’slongtributetoher,MissAnthonyrosetocommentonit。

  ``OnewordfromPresidentRooseveltinhismes—

  sagetoCongress,’’shesaid,alittlewearily,``wouldbeworthathousandeulogiesofSusanB。Anthony。

  Whenwillmenlearnthatwhatweaskisnotpraise,butjustice?’’

  Atthecloseofthemeeting,realizinghowweakshewas,Ibeggedhertoletmespeakforher。Butsheagainrose,restedherhandonmyshoulder,and,standingbymyside,utteredthelastwordssheeverspokeinpublic,pleadingwithwomentoconsecratethemselvestotheCause,assuringthemthatnopowercouldpreventitsultimatesuccess,butremindingthemalsothatthetimeofitscomingwoulddependwhollyontheirworkandtheirloyalty。

  Sheendedwiththreewords——veryfittingwordsfromherlips,expressingastheydidthespiritofherlife—work——``FAILUREISIMPOSSIBLE。’’

  ThenextmorningshewastakentoherhomeinRochester,andonemonthfromthatdaywecon—

  ductedherfuneralservices。ThenursewhohadaccompaniedherfromBaltimoreremainedwithheruntiltwoothershadbeensecuredtotakeherplace,andeverycarethatloveormedicalsciencecouldsuggestwaslavishedonthepatient。Butfromthefirstitwasplainthat,assheherselfhadforetold,``AuntSusan’s’’soulwasmerelywaitingforthehourofitspassing。

  Oneofhercharacteristictraitswasadisliketobeingseen,evenbythosenearesttoher,whenshewasnotwell。Duringthefirstthreeweeksofherlastillness,therefore,Ididwhatshewishedmetodo——Icontinuedourwork,tryingtodohersaswellasmyown。Butallthetimemyheartwasinhersick—room,andatlastthedaycamewhenIcouldnolongerremainawayfromher。Ihadawakenedinthemorningwithastrongconvictionthatsheneededme,andatthebreakfast—tableIannouncedtoherniece,MissLucyAnthony,thefriendwhoforyearshassharedmyhome,thatIwasgoingatonceto``AuntSusan。’’

  ``Ishallnotevenwaittotelegraph,’’Ideclared。

  ``Iamsureshehassentforme;Ishalltakethefirsttrain。’’

  Thejourneybroughtmeveryclosetodeath。AswewereapproachingWilkes—Barreourtrainranintoawagonloadedwithpowderanddynamite,whichhadbeenleftonthetrack。Thehorsesattachedtoithadbeenunhitchedbytheirdriver,whohadspenthistimeinthiseffort,whenhesawthetraincoming,insteadofinsignalingtotheengineer。Iwasonmywaytothedining—carwhenthecollisionoccurred。

  and,witheveryoneelsewhohappenedtobestand—

  ing,Iwashurledtothefloorbytheimpact;flashafterflashofblindinglightoutside,accompaniedbyaterrificroar,addedtothepanicofthepassengers。

  Whenthetrainstoppedwelearnedhownarrowhadbeenourescapefromanespeciallyunpleasantformofdeath。Thedynamiteinthewagonwasfrozen,andthereforehadnotexploded;itwastheex—

  plosionofthepowderthathadcausedtheflashesandthedin。Thedark—greencarswereburnedalmostwhite,andaswestoodstaringatthem,asilent,stunnedgroup,ourconductorsaid,quietly,``Youwillneverbeasneardeathagain,andescape,asyouhavebeento—day。’’

  Theaccidentcausedalongdelay,anditwasteno’clockatnightwhenIreachedRochesterandMissAnthony’shome。AsIenteredthehouseMissMaryAnthonyroseinsurprisetogreetme。

  ``Howdidyougetheresosoon?’’shecried。

  Andthen:``Wesentforyouthisafternoon。Susanhasbeenaskingforyouallday。’’

  WhenIreachedmyfriend’sbedsideoneglanceatherfaceshowedmetheendwasnear;andfromthattimeuntilitcame,almostaweeklater,Ire—

  mainedwithher;whileagain,asalways,shetalkedoftheCause,andofthelife—workshemustnowlaydown。Thefirstthingshespokeofwasherwill,whichshehadmadeseveralyearsbefore,andinwhichshehadleftthesmallpropertyshepossessedtohersisterMary,hernieceLucy,andmyself,withinstructionsastotheusewethreeweretomakeofit。Nowshetoldmeweweretopaynoattentiontotheseinstructions,buttogiveeverydollarofhermoneytothe$60,000fundMissThomasandMissGarrettweretryingtoraise。Shewasvitallyin—

  terestedinthisfund,asitssuccessmeantthatforfiveyearstheactiveofficersoftheNationalAmeri—

  canWomanSuffrageAssociation,includingmyselfaspresident,wouldforthefirsttimereceivesalariesforourwork。Whenshehadgivenherinstructionsonthispointshestillseemeddepressed。

  ``IwishIcouldliveon,’’shesaid,wistfully。

  ``ButIcannot。Myspiritiseagerandmyheartisasyoungasiteverwas,butmypooroldbodyiswornout。BeforeIgoIwantyoutogivemeapromise:Promisemethatyouwillkeepthepresi—

  dencyoftheassociationaslongasyouarewellenoughtodothework。’’

  ``ButhowcanIpromisethat?’’Iasked。``Icankeepitonlyaslongasotherswishmetokeepit。’’

  ``Promisetomakethemwishyoutokeepit,’’

  sheurged。``JustasIwishyoutokeepit。’’

  Iwouldhavepromisedheranythingthen。So,thoughIknewthattoholdthepresidencywouldtiemetoapositionthatbroughtinnolivingincome,andthoughforseveralyearspastIhadalreadydrawnalarminglyuponmysmallfinancialreserve,IpromisedherthatIwouldholdtheofficeaslongasthemajorityofthewomenintheassociationwishedmetodoso。``But,’’Iadded,``ifthetimecomeswhenIbelievethatsomeoneelsecandobetterworkinthepresidencythanI,thenletmefeelatlibertytoresignit。’’

  Thisdidnotsatisfyher。

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