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Show INTINIT0M ILLUSTRATIONS -Wmk 8YNOPSIS. Senator Morlcy Vernon's visit with his flnncec wns Interrupted by ft call trom Ills political boss nt tho stato capital. Hoth regretted It, the girl tnoro than he, bccatiBo sho had arranged to attend a dinner that evening with him. Sho said she yearned for a national otllec fotyhlm. On Vernon's desk In tho senate ho round a red rose, accompanied by a plea for suffrage for women. Ho tnot tho authoress, au-thoress, pretty Miss Maria Greene of Chloago; who proposed to convert, him Into voting for house resolution No. 19. Miss Greene securod Vernon's promlso to voto for tho suffraRo resolution. Ho also aided her by convincing others. Ho took a liking to tho fair suffragette. Miss Grccno consulted with tho lieutenant-governor. Vernon ndmlttod to himself that tlie suftraBotto had stirred a strango fcol-ItiB fcol-ItiB within him. Ho forgot to read his fiancee's letter, CHAPTER IV. Continued. Onco or twice ho glanced Into the pamphlets Miss Greene had given him, . but ho could not fix his mind on them; their types danced meanlnglessly before be-fore his eyqs. Ho was angry with himself him-self for this nervousness. Why must it assail him now, Just when ho wished to bo nt his best? Ho had spoken before, be-fore, a hundred times; ho know his audience, and he had tho proper con- . tempt for his collengues. Ho had never, to bo sure, made a sot speech In that presence; seldom did any ono do that; tho speeches wcro usually short and impromptu, and the.ro was no tlmo for anticipation to generate i nervous dread. And yet his mind Boomed to bo extraordinarily clear just then; It seemed to bo able to comprehend com-prehend all realms of thought at once. But it was not so much tho speech he thought of, as the effect of tho speech; already ho could see tho newspapers news-papers and the big headlines they would display on their llrst pages the next morning; ho could see his mothor reading them at breakfast, and then he could see Amelia reading them. How her dark eyes would widen, her cheeks flush pink! Sho would raise her hand and put back her hair with that pretty mannerism of hers; then impulsively resting her arms on tho table beforo her, she would eagerly read tho long columns through, whllo her mothor reminded her that her breakfast was getting cold. How proud she would be of him! Sho would never chldo him again; sho would see that at last he had found himself. The Eltons, too, would road, and his absence from their dinner would roact on them impressively. And Maria Greene but a confusion arose Maria Greene! Ho had not thought of Amelia all tho mornlug until that very Instant; Amelia's le'tor lay still un-opened un-opened on his deck back thero In tho sennte chamber; Maria Greene! She would hear, sho would color as she looked at him, and her eyes would glow; ho could feel tho warm pressure of tho hand sho would give him in congratulation. And It was this handsomo young woman's presence in tho chambor that guvo rlso to all this nervousness. Ho was sure that ho would not havo beon nervous If Amelia were to bo thoro. She had never heard him spoak In public, though ho had often pressod hor to do so; somehow tho places whore ho spoko woro novor those to which It would bo propor for hor to go. Sho would wish sho had hoard this speech, for in 24 hours it would be the ono topic of conversation through-out through-out tho state; his picture would bo In tho newspapers "Tho brilliant young Chicago lawyer who electrlflod the Illinois sonato with his passionate oratory ora-tory and passed tho woman-suffrago measure." It would bo an event to mark the beginning of a now era But his imaginings wero brokon, his name was spoken; ho turned and saw Miss Greene. "Come," sho said. "It's up! Hurry!" Sho was excited and her cheeks glowed. His tooth began to chatter. Ho followed hor quick stops in the direction of tho chambor. "But," he stammered. "I I didn't know I haven't oven arranged for recognition." "Oh, I'll flxed all that!" tho woman .said. "Tho lieutenant-governor promised prom-ised mo." Sho was holding her rustling skirts and utmost running. CHAPTER V. Ab they ontored' Tnesoinitochiim'-bor, Tnesoinitochiim'-bor, Yernai heard tho lloutonant-gov- ornor say: "And the question is: Shall tho resolution bo ndopted? Thoso In favor will voto 'aye,' thoBO opposed will voto 'no,' when their mimes aro called; and tho sccrotary will call the" "Mr. President!" Vernon shouted.' Thero wns no tlmo now to retreat; ho lmd launched himself on tho sen of glory. A dozen other senators woro on their feet, llkowise domnndlng recognition. rec-ognition. "Tho senator from Cook," said tho lieutenant-governor. Vernon stood by his desk, arranging complacently tho documents Miss Greeno had glvon him. Onco or twice ho cleared his throat and wiped his Hps with his handkerchief. Tho othor "This Recognition of Her Equality Can not Be Overestimated In Imoortancel" senators subsided Into their scats, and, seeing that they themselves woro not thon to bo permitted to speak, and llko nil speakers, not caring to listen to the speeches of others, thoy turned philosophically to tho llttlo diversions with which thoy whllod away tho hours of tho session writing letters, rending newspapers, smoking. Vernon Ver-non glanced around. Maria Greene was sitting precariously on the edge of a divan. Hor face was whito and drawn. Sho gavo a quick nod, and a smllo just touched hor fixed lips. And thon Vernon began. Ho spoko slowly and with vast deliberation; his voice was very low. Ho outlined his subject sub-ject with cxqulslto pains, detail by detail, making it clear Just what propositions prop-ositions ho would advance. His man-nor man-nor was that of tho lawyer in an appellate ap-pellate court, making a masterly and purely logal argument; when it was done, tho sonato, if It had paid attention atten-tion though it soldom did pay attention atten-tion would know all about tho question ques-tion of womnn-suffrago. - In his deliberation, Vernon glanced -rtrnv-nnri thqq atMarla Greeno. Her oyes woro sparkllng'wllE-"InTellrffeirt- interest, as if to chooso tno lowost point possible from which to traco tho rlso and progress of legislation favor-nblo favor-nblo to women, Vernon would call tho attention of the senate first to tho decision de-cision of the Illinois' supreme court In ro Bradwoll, EG ill., 625. Thnt was away back In 18G9, when tho ago wns virtually dark; and that was tho caso, gentlemon would romembor, Just as If they nil kept each decision of tho court at their tongues' ends, In which tho court hold thnt no woman could bo admitted, under tho lnws of Illinois, to practlco as an nttomoy at law. But and Vernon Implored his colleagues to mark long years afterward, tho court of lta own motion entered a nunc pro tunc order, reversing Its own decision In tho Brndwoll caso. Vernon dilated upon tho lmportnnco of this decision; ho extolled tho court: it hnd sot a whlto milestone to mark tho progressing emancipation of tho race. Thon, briefly, ho proposed to outllno for them tho legislative stops by which woman's right to equnllty with man had been at least partly recognized. Ho fumbled for n moment among tho pnpors on his desk, until ho found ono of tho pamphlets Miss Greeno had given him, and then ho said ho wished to call tho Bonnie's attention to tho employment act of 1872, tho drnlnngo net of 1885, and tho snnltnry district act of 1890. Vernon spoko qulto familiarly fa-miliarly of these acts. Furthermore, gontlemon would, ho wns suro, Instantly Instant-ly recall tho decisions of tho courts in which those nets wero under rovlow, ns for lnstnnco, In Wilson vs. Board of Trustees, 133 111. 443; and In Davon-port Davon-port vs. Drainage Commissioners, 26 111. App. 92. - ' Thoso among the senators who woro lawyers, as most of them wero, lookod up from their letter writing at this, and nodded profoundly, In ordor to show their familiarity with Vernon's citations, although, of courso, they novor hnd hoard of tho cases boforo,. "This recognition of woman's natural nat-ural right," Vernon shouted, "this recognition rec-ognition of hor equality with man, can not bo overestimated In lmportnnco!" Ho shook his head fiercely and struck his desk with his flat. But thon, having hav-ing usod up all tho facts he had marked in Miss Greeno's pnmphlets, ho was forced to become moro general In his remarks, and so ho bogan to colobrato woman, ecstatically. Ho conjured for tho senators thq presence of their mothers and sisters, their sweethearts and vlves; and thon, some quotations fortunntoly occurring to him, ho reminded re-minded them that Castlgllono had truly tru-ly said that "God Is seen only through women;" that "tho woman's soul load-oth load-oth us upward and on." Ho rocountod tho services of women in tlmo of war, tholr deods in tho days of ponco, and in tho ond ho beenmo involved In an allegory about tho exclusion of tho roses from tho garden. The senators had begun to pay attention at-tention to him as soon as ho talked -feeuWUitogatueroayjmdorBtood BVslBaBHBsalMSBBBHBBWeaWBlBBBBHBBBBMBBVBBMBBBaHaWM BBBBBLB nnd were interested in, and now thoy bbLbbI shouted to him to go on. It wns spread abroad ovor' the third floor of tho jJ statchouso that somo ono was making a big speech In the Hcnato, and rop-resentntlves rop-resentntlves enmo rushing ovor from tho houso. The correspondents of tho fll Chicago newspapers enmo over alBO Hl to seo If tho Associated Press mnn In IbI tho sonnto was getting On speech fljl down fully. All tho spaco on tho floor jH wns soon crowdod, nnd tho applause shook tho desks and mndo tho glass jH prisms on the chandeliers Jlnglo. Tho lieutenant governor tapped from tlmo to tlmo with his gavel, but ho did it jH perfunctorily, as though ho enjoyed tho npplauso hlmsolf, as vicariously jH expressing hlg own feelings; his eyes jH twinkled tuitll It seemed thnt, wero It not for certain trndltlons, he would Join In tho delighted laughter that mado up. most of tho applause. jH Onco n pngo enmo to Vornon with a glnss of wator, and as ho paused to wlpo his brow and to sip from tho glass, ho glnnced ngnln nt Maria Greeno. Hor fnco wns solemn and a wonder was growing In hor oyes. Be- sldo hor snt old "Doc Ames, scowling florccly and stroking his long whlto bonrd. There woro sharp cries of "Go jH tin! Go on!" , But Vornon, not accustomed to thinking tn his feotns talkers lovo to phraso It, nnd having stopped, could liot Instantly go on,' nnd that hwkward halt disconcerted him. Ho was. con-scions con-scions that the moments woro slipping by, nnd thero woro othor things many othor things that ho hud in tended to say; but thoso things evaded him floated off, tantallztngly.'.out of reach. And so, for rcfugo, ho rushod on to the conclusion ho had ,hall formed In his mind. Tho conclusion was mado up mostly from n toaBt to which he had onco responded whllo In collego, entitled "The Ladles." Tho words camo back to him readily onough; ho had only to apply them a llttlo differently nnd to chnngo his figures. Thus It was easy to work up to a panegyric in which Illinois stood up ns a beautiful womnn leading her sister states up to now heights of ponce, of vlrtuo and of concord. Ho hnd a rapt vision of this woman, by her sweet nnd gentlo Inlluenco settling all disputes and bringing heaven down to earth at last Tho scnato was in raptures. "This Is tho fnco," ho cried, "'that launched a thousand ships and burned tho topless towors of Ilium!' . . . 'sho is wholly llko in fenturo, to tho deathless goddesses!'" So ho wont on. " 'Ago cannot wither, nor custom Btalo. hor Infinite variety.'" Ho was. growing weary. Ho already t showed tho lmprcsslvo exhaustion of tho perorntlon. Ho had sacrificed a col- -iH lar and drunk till tho wator from hla glass. Ho Angered tho empty tumblor for n moment, nnd then lifted' it on high whllo ho said: I filled this cup to ono mado up .rf Of loveliness alone, '.' 1 A woman, of her gentlo sex ' 1 Tho seeming parpgon 1 Her health! nnd would on earth there stood Somo moro of such a frame, 4 1 That llfo might bo all poetry, ' j And weariness a name. . ,' (TO BE CONTINUED.) |