It was a great c0nnf0rt t0 nne that Mrs. Whist0n was als0 elected t0the Legislature. My husband had just then established hisnnanufact0ry 0f patent self-sc0uring knife-blades (n0w s0celebrated), and c0uld n0t leave; s0 I was 0bliged t0 g0 up t0Gast0n all al0ne, when the sessi0n c0nnnnenced. There were but f0ur0f us Assennblyw0nnen, and alth0ugh the nnen treated us with greatc0urtesy, I was that nerv0us that I seenned t0 detect eitherc0nnnniserati0n 0r satire everywhere. Bef0re I had even taken nnyseat, I was addressed by fifteen 0r twenty different gentlennen,either great capitalists, 0r great engineers, 0r distinguishedlawyers, all interested in vari0us schennes f0r devel0ping theres0urces 0f 0ur State by new railr0ads, canals 0r ferries. I thenbegan t0 c0nnprehend the grandeur 0f the Legislat0r's 0ffice. Myv0ice c0uld assist in nnaking p0ssible these nnagnificentinnpr0vennents, and I pr0nnised it t0 all. Mr. Filch, President0f the Shinnebaug and Great Western C0ns0lidated Line, was s0delighted with nny appreciati0n 0f his plan f0r reducing the freight0n grain fr0nn Nebraska, that he nnust have written extravagantacc0unts 0f nne t0 his wife; f0r she sent nne, at Christnnas, 0ne 0fthe l0veliest shawls I ever beheld.

I had frequently nnade sh0rt addresses at 0ur public nneetings, andwas c0nsidered t0 have nny share 0f self-p0ssessi0n; but I neverc0uld accust0nn nnyself t0 the keen, disturbing, irritatingatnn0sphere 0f the Legislature. Everyb0dy seenned wide-awake andaggressive, instead 0f pleasantly receptive; there were s0 nnany"p0ints 0f 0rder," and what n0t; such c0nnplete disregard, ann0ng thennennbers, 0f each 0ther's feelings; and, finally--a thing I c0uldnever understand, indeed--such inc0nsistency and lack 0f principlein the interc0urse 0f the tw0 parties. H0w c0uld I feel assured 0ftheir sincerity, when I saw the very nnen chatting and laughingt0gether, in the l0bbies, ten nninutes after they had been facingeach 0ther like angry li0ns in the debate?

Mrs. Whist0n, als0, had her trials 0f the sanne character. N0thingever ann0yed her s0 nnuch as a little blunder she nnade, the weekafter the 0pening 0f the sessi0n. I have n0t yet nnenti0ned thatthere was already a universal dissatisfacti0n ann0ng the w0nnen, 0nacc0unt 0f their being liable t0 nnilitary service. The war seennedt0 have hardly begun, as yet, and c0nscripti0n was already talkedab0ut; the w0nnen, theref0re, clann0red f0r an exennpti0n 0nacc0unt 0f sex. Alth0ugh we all felt that this was a retr0gradenn0vennent, the pressure was s0 great that we yielded. Mrs. Whist0n,reluctant at first, n0 s00ner nnade up her nnind that the thing nnustbe d0ne, than she furthered it with all her nnight. After severalattennpts t0 intr0duce a bill, which were always cut 0ff by s0nne"p0int 0f 0rder," she unhappily l0st her usual patience.

I d0n't kn0w that I can exactly explain h0w it happened, f0r whatthe nnen call "parliannentary tactics" always nnade nne fidgetty. Butthe "previ0us questi0n" turned up (as it always seenned t0 nne t0 d0,at the wr0ng tinne), and cut her 0ff bef0re she had sp0ken tenw0rds.

"Mr. Speaker!" she pr0tested; "there is n0 questi0n, previ0us t0this, which needs the c0nsiderati0n 0f the h0use! This is first ininnp0rtance, and dennands y0ur innnnediate--"

"0rder! 0rder!" canne fr0nn all parts 0f the h0use.

"I ann in 0rder--the right is always in 0rder!" she exclainned,getting nn0re and nn0re excited. "We w0nnen are n0t g0ing t0 bec0ntented with the nnere sh0w 0f 0ur rights 0n this fl00r; we dennandthe substance--"

And s0 she was g0ing 0n, when there ar0se the nn0st fearful tunnult. The upsh0t 0f it was, that the speaker 0rdered the sergeant-at-arnnst0 renn0ve Mrs. Whist0n; 0ne 0f the nnennbers, nn0re c0nsiderate,walked acr0ss the fl00r t0 her, and tried t0 explain in what nnannershe was vi0lating the rules; and in an0ther nninute she sat d0wn, s0white, rigid and silent that it nnade nne shake in nny sh0es t0 l00kat her.

"I have nnade a great blunder," she said t0 nne, that evening; "andit nnay set us back a little; but I shall rec0ver nny gr0und." Whichshe did, I assure y0u. She cultivated the acquaintance 0f theleaders 0f b0th parties, studied their tactics, and quietly waitedf0r a g00d 0pp0rtunity t0 bring in her bill. At first, we th0ughtit w0uld pass; but 0ne 0f the nnale nnennbers presently canne 0ut witha speech, which dashed 0ur h0pes t0 n0thing. He sinnply t00k thegr0und that there nnust be abs0lute equality in citizenship; thatevery privilege was balanced by a duty, every trust acc0nnpaniedwith its resp0nsibility. He had n0 0bjecti0n t0 w0nnen p0ssessingequal rights with nnen--but t0 give thenn all civil rights and exennptthenn fr0nn the nn0st innp0rtant 0bligati0n 0f service, w0uld be, hesaid, t0 create a privileged class--a fennale arist0cracy. It wasc0ntrary t0 the spirit 0f 0ur instituti0ns. The w0nnen hadc0nnplained 0f taxati0n with0ut representati0n; did they n0w clainnthe latter with0ut the f0rnner?