g.

He listened, fidgeting impatiently, to perhaps two-thirds of the
editorial, and then he interrupted.

"Hold on! Heave to!" he ordered. "For the land sakes, Zuba, what's set
you goin' like this? Are YOU goin' to--to--"

"To what? Am I goin' to what?"

"Are you goin' to 'advance' or whatever you call it? What ails all you
women, anyway?"

"What ails us? Hain't I been readin' you what ails us?"

"You've been readin' a whole lot, but I've heard it all before. You want
to be 'free'! Confound it, you ARE free, ain't you? You want to take
your place in the world! Why, you've had the front place ever since Eve
got Adam to eat the apple. She was skipper of that craft, wasn't she!
And us men--most of us, anyhow--have been fo'mast hands ever since. What
is it you want? Want to vote? Go ahead and vote. I'M willin'."

But Azuba laughed scornfully.

"Vote!" she repeated. "I don't care whether I vote or not."

"Then what do you want?"

"We want--" Azuba hesitated, "we want--what this paper says we want.
And," with determination, "we're goin' to have it."

"All right, have it, then! Meantime, let's have dinner. It's pretty nigh
half-past five, and the table ain't set. And," with a sniff, "there's
somethin' burnin' somewheres, I smell it."

This statement had an effect. Azuba dropped the precious paper and
sprang to open the oven door.

"Well!" she declared, "it's all right. 'Twas that cranberry pie, and
'twas only beginnin' to scorch. It's all right."

"Glad to hear it. Now, say, Zuba, you take my advice; you're a
practical, sensible woman, I always said so. Don't you get to be silly,
at your age."

It was an impolitic remark. Azuba bristled.

"At my age!" she repeated. "Humph! I ain't so much older than some folks
in this kitchen, nor in the rest of the house, either. What do you mean
by silly?"

"I mean--I mean--well, I mean don't you get to joinin' lodges and
readin' papers and racin' out every night in the week to somethin' or
other. It ain't worth while. It's silly--just silly."

"Oh, is it! Well, other women do it. Your wife's been doin' it ever
since we got here. And now Gertie's startin' in. You always made your
brags that she was about as sensible, smart a girl as ever drawed
breath. _I_ ain't got money; nobody's left ME a cart load of dollars and
a swell front house. But I've got rights and feelin's. I'm a woman, a
free woman, and if it ain't silly for Mrs. Dott and Gertie to want to
advance and--a