p.

"We come to the convention hall after a good long walk an' I was quite
hot two ways by that time, for I was mad an' awful tired too. The little
woman left me then an' a lady come up, looked at my flag, an' asked me
if I was a delegate or an alternative 'cause it was important to know
right off in the beginnin'. I told her I was for Mrs. Macy an' she got
out a book an' looked in it very carefully to see for sure whether to
believe me or not an' then she told me to go on in. There was a door as
squeaked an' they pushed me through it an' I found myself, bag, flag an'
all, in the convention.

"Well, Mrs. Lathrop, I never see the beat of that place in all my life.
They'd done what they could to make it cheerful an' homelike by paintin'
it green at one end but it was plain to be seen as the paint soon give
out an' towards the top the man as was paintin' must of give out too,
for he just finished up by doing a few circles here an' there an' then
left it mainly plain. Below was all chairs an' they'd started to
decorate with banners but they'd given out on banners even quicker than
on paint an' the most of the hall was most simple.

"I walked up as far towards the front as I could an' then I sat down. I
can't say as I was very comfortable nor much impressed an' the folks
further back was very restless an' kept sayin' they could n't hear what
was goin' on on the platform. There was a lady on the platform hammerin'
a table for dear life an' to my order of thinkin' anybody must have been
deaf as could n't have heard her hammerin', but she looked happy an'
that was maybe the main thing, for a woman behind me whispered as the
spirit of her with the hammer just filled the room. Well, I stood it as
long as I could an' then I got up an' remarked frank an' open as if
every one would keep still every one could easy hear. They all clapped
at that, but the lady with the hammer could n't seem to even hear me an'
hammered worse than ever all the while they was clappin'.

"Well, Mrs. Lathrop, to make a long story short it was n't very
interestin'--I will even in confidence remark as I found it pretty dull.
I read all my seven programs an' made out as the first day was give to
greetin' an' the next to meetin'. The next was on trees an' the one
after that they was all goin' to drive. An' so on, an' so on. Then I
smelt my rose some, an' a thorn stuck into my nose some an' the
hammerin' made me very tired an' finally a woman come in an' sai