The Story of an African Farm

第13章

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。’’

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。