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penny is money right out of the peopleā€™s pockets; every dollar the people pay into the liquor traffic that gives a few cents into the treasury, is costinā€™ the people ten times that dollar in the loss intemperance entails, loss of labor, by the inability of drunken men to do anything but wobble and stagger, loss of wealth by the enormous losses of property and taxation, of alms-houses, mad-houses, jails, police forces, paupersā€™ coffins, and the digginā€™ of thousands and thousands of graves that are filled yearly by them that reel into ā€™em.ā€ Sez I, ā€œWouldnā€™t it be better for the people to pay that dollar in the first place into the treasury than to let it filter through the dram-sellerā€™s hands, a few cents of it fallinā€™ into the national purse at last, putrid and heavy with all these losses and curses and crimes and shames and despairs and agonies?ā€

He seemed to think it would, I see by the looks of his linement he did. Every honorable man feels so in his heart, and yet they let the Liquor Ring control ā€™em and lead ā€™em round. ā€œIt is queer, queer as a dog.ā€ Sez I, ā€œThe intellectual and moral power of the United States are rolled up and thrust into that Whiskey Ring and beinā€™ drove by the whiskey dealers jest where they want to drive ā€™em.ā€ Sez I, ā€œIt controls New York village and nobody denies it, and the piety and philanthropy and culture and philosophy of that village has to be drawed along by that Ring.ā€ And sez I, in low but startlinā€™ tones of principle:

ā€œWhere, where is it a-drawinā€™ ā€™em to? Where is it drawinā€™ the hull nation to? Is it drawinā€™ ā€™em down into a slavery ten times more abject and soul-destroyinā€™ than African slavery ever wuz? Tell me,ā€ sez I firmly, ā€œtell me!ā€

He did not try to frame a reply, he could not find a frame. He knowed it wuz a conundrum boundless as truth and Godā€™s justice, and as solemnly deep in its sure consequences of evil as eternity, and as sure to come as that is.

Oh, how solemn he looked, and how sorry I felt for him, for I knowed worse wuz to come, I knowed the sharpest arrow Serepta Pester had sent wuz yet to pierce his sperit. But I sort oā€™ blunted the edge onā€™t what I could conscientiously. Sez I, ā€œI think myself Serepta is a little onreasonable, I myself am willinā€™ to wait three or four weeks. But sheā€™s suffered dretful from intemperance from the Rings and from the want of rights, and her sufferinā€™s have made her more voylent in her demands and impatienter,ā€ and then I fairly groaned as I did the rest of the errent, and let the sharpest arrow fly from the bo.

ā€œSerepta told me to tell you if you didnā€™t do these errents you should not be President next year.ā€

He trembled like a popple leaf, and I felt that Serepta wuz threateninā€™ him too hard. Sez he, ā€œI do not wish to be President again, I shall refuse to be nominated. At the same time I do wish to be President and shall work hard for the nomination if you can understand the paradox.ā€

ā€œYes,ā€ sez I, ā€œI understand them paradoxes. Iā€™ve lived with ā€™em as you may say, all through my married life.ā€

A clock struck in the next room and I knowed time wuz passinā€™ swift.

Sez the President, ā€œI would be glad to do Sereptaā€™s errents, I think she is justified in askinā€™ for her rights, and to have the Ring destroyed, but I am not the one to do them.ā€

Sez I, ā€œWho is the man or men?ā€

He looked all round the room and up and down as if in hopes he could see someone layinā€™ round on the floor, or danglinā€™ from the ceilinā€™, that would take the responsibility offen him, and in the very nick of time the door opened after a quick rap, and the President jumped up with a relieved look on his linement, and sez:

ā€œHere is the very man to do the errents.ā€ And he hastened to introduce me to the Senator who entered. And then he bid me a hasty adoo, but cordial and polite, and withdrew himself.

V.
ā€œHE WUZ DRETFUL POLITEā€

I felt glad to have this Senator do Sereptaā€™s errents, but I didnā€™t like his looks. My land! talk about Serepta Pester beinā€™ disagreeable, he wuz as disagreeable as she any day. He wuz kinder tall and looked out of his eyes and wore a vest. He wuz some bald-headed, and wore a large smile all the while, it looked like a boughten one that didnā€™t fit him, but I wonā€™t say it wuz. I presoom heā€™ll be known by this description. But his baldness didnā€™t look to me like Josiah Allenā€™s baldness, and he didnā€™t have the noble linement of the President, no indeed. He wuz dretful polite, good land! politeness is no name for it, but I donā€™t like to see anybody too good. He drawed a chair up for me and himself and asked me:

If he should have the inexpressible honor and delightful joy of aiding me in any way, if so to command him to do it or words to that effect. I canā€™t put down his second-hand smiles and genteel looks and donā€™t want to if I could.

But tacklinā€™ hard jobs as I always tackle ā€™em, I sot down calm in front of him with my umbrell on my lap and told him all of Sereptaā€™s errents, and how I had brought ā€™em from Jonesville on my tower. I told over all her sufferinā€™s and wrongs from the Rings and from not havinā€™ her rights, and all her sisterā€™s Azuba Clapsaddleā€™s, and her Aunt Cassandra Keelerā€™s, and Hulda and Drusillyā€™s and Abagail Flanderses injustices and sufferinā€™s. I did her errents as honorable as Iā€™d love to have one done for me, I told him all the petickulars, and as I finished I said firmly:

ā€œNow can you do Serepta Pesterses errents and will you?ā€

He leaned forward with that disagreeable boughten smile of hisen and took up one corner of my mantilly, it wuz cut tab fashion, and he took up the tab and said in a low insinuatinā€™ voice, lookinā€™ clost at the edge of the tab:

ā€œAm I mistaken, or is this beautiful creation pipeinā€™ or can it be Kensington tattinā€™?ā€

I drawed the tab back coldly and never dained a reply; agin he sez, in a tone of amiable anxiety, ā€œHave I not heard a rumor that bangs are going out of style? I see you do not wear your lovely hair bang-like or a-pompadouris? Ah, women are lovely creatures, lovely beings, every one of ā€™em.ā€ And he sithed, ā€œYou are very beautiful,ā€ and he sithed agin, a sort of a deceitful lovesick sithe. I sot demute as the Spinks, and a chippinā€™ bird tappinā€™ his wing aginst her stuny breast would move it jest as much as he moved me by his talk or his sithes. But he kepā€™ on, puttinā€™ on a sort of a sad injured look as if my coldness wuz ondoinā€™ of him.

ā€œMy dear madam, it is my misfortune that the topics I introduce, however carefully selected by me, do not seem to be congenial to you. Have you a leaninā€™ toward Natural history, madam? Have you ever studied into the habits and traits of our American Wad?ā€

ā€œWhat?ā€ sez I. For truly a womanā€™s curosity, however parlyzed by just indignation, can stand only just so much strain. ā€œThe what?ā€

ā€œThe wad. The animal from which is obtained the valuable fur that tailors make so much use of.ā€

Sez I, ā€œDo you mean waddinā€™ eight cents a sheet?ā€

ā€œEight cents a peltā€”yes, the skins are plentiful and cheap, owing to the hardy habits of the animal.ā€

Sez I, ā€œCease instantly. I will hear no more.ā€

Truly, I had heard much of the flattery and little talk statesmen will use to wimmen, and Iā€™d hearn of their lies, etc.; but truly I felt that the half had not been told. And then I thought out-loud and sez:

ā€œIā€™ve hearn how laws of eternal right and justice are sot one side in Washington, D.C., as beinā€™ too triflinā€™ to attend to, while the Legislators pondered over and passed laws regardinā€™ henā€™s eggs and birdā€™s nests. But this is goinā€™ too furā€”too fur. But,ā€ sez I firmly, ā€œI shall do Sereptaā€™s errents, and do ā€™em to the best of my ability, and you canā€™t draw off my attention from her wrongs and sufferinā€™s by talkinā€™ about wads.ā€

ā€œI would love to obleege Serepta,ā€ sez he, ā€œbecause she belongs to such a lovely sect. Wimmen are the loveliest, most angelic creatures that ever walked the earth; they are perfect, flawless, like snow and roses.ā€

Sez I firmly, ā€œThey hainā€™t no such thing; they are disagreeable creeters a good deal of the time. They hainā€™t no better than men, but they ort to have their rights all the same. Now Serepta is disagreeable and kinder fierce actinā€™, and jest as humbly as they make wimmen, but that hainā€™t no sign she ort to be imposed upon; Josiah sez she hadnā€™t ort to have rights she is so humbly, but I donā€™t feel so.ā€

ā€œWho is Josiah?ā€ sez he.

Sez I, ā€œMy husband.ā€

ā€œAh, your husband! Yes, wimmen should have husbands instead of rights. They do not need rights; they need freedom from all cares and sufferinā€™. Sweet lovely beings! let them have husbands to lift them above all earthly cares and trials! Oh! angels of our homes!ā€ sez he, liftinā€™ his eyes to the heavens and kinder shettinā€™ ā€™em, some as if he wuz goinā€™ into a spazzum. ā€œFly around, ye angels, in your native hants; mingle not with rings and vile laws, flee away, flee above them!ā€

And he kinder waved his hand back and forth in a floatinā€™ fashion up in the air, as if it wuz a woman flyinā€™ up there smooth and serene. It would have impressed some folks dretful, but it didnā€™t me. I sez reasonably:

ā€œSerepta would have been glad to flew above ā€™em, but the Ring and the vile laws lay holt of her onbeknown to her and dragged her down. And there she is all bruised and broken-hearted by ā€™em. She didnā€™t meddle with the political Ring, but the Ring meddled with her. How can she fly when the weight of this infamous traffic is holdinā€™ her down?ā€

ā€œAhem!ā€ sez he. ā€œAhem, as it were. As I was saying, my dear madam, these angelic angels of our homes are too ethereal, too dainty to mingle with rude crowds. We political men would fain keep them as they are now; we are willing to stand the rude buffetinā€™ ofā€”ofā€”voting, in order to guard these sweet delicate creatures from any hardships. Sweet tender beings, we would fain guard theeā€”ah, yes, ah, yes.ā€

Sez I, ā€œCease instantly, or my sickness will increase, for such talk is like thoroughwort or lobelia to my moral and mental stomach. You know and I know that these angelic tender beinā€™s, half-clothed, fill our streets on icy midnights, huntinā€™ up drunken husbands and fathers and sons. They are driven to death and to moral ruin by the miserable want liquor drinkinā€™ entails. They are starved, they are froze, they are beaten, they are made childless and hopeless by drunken husbands killinā€™ their own flesh and blood. They go down into the cold waves and are drowned by drunken captains; they are cast from railways into death by drunken engineers; they go up on the scaffold and die for crimes committed by the direct aid of this agent of Hell.

ā€œWimmen had ruther be flyinā€™ round than to do all this, but they canā€™t. If men really believed all they say about wimmen, and I think some on ā€™em do in a dreamy sentimental wayā€”If wimmen are angels, give ā€™em the rights of angels. Who ever hearn of a angel foldinā€™ up her wings and goinā€™ to a poor-house or jail through the fault of somebody else? Who ever hearn of a angel beinā€™ dragged off to police court for fightinā€™ to defend her children and herself from a drunken husband that had broke her wings and blacked her eyes, got the angel into the fight and then she got throwed into the streets and imprisoned by it? Who ever hearn of a angel havinā€™ to take in washinā€™ to support a drunken son or father or husband? Who ever hearn of a angel goinā€™ out as wet-nurse to git money to pay taxes on her home to a Govermunt that in theory idolizes her, and practically despises her, and uses that money in ways abominable to that angel. If you want to be consistent, if youā€™re bound to make angels of wimmen, you ort to furnish a

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