o develop into his most prominent characteristic, joined in
the cheers for his opponent, till some one had the grace to call
"Three cheers for Mr Walker now"; and in the most delightfully
uproarious, holiday-spirited clamour thus ended the last meeting but
one before the election.

This was fixed for the 6th of August, and, notwithstanding there being
several other towns in the electorate equally as important as Noonoon,
on polling eve both candidates were to make their final speech there
at the same hour.

During the week intervening, Leslie Walker's "Ladies' Committee" were
very busy in the construction of dainty rosettes of pink and blue
ribbon to be worn by his followers; and not to be outdone, Henderson's
committee of "mere men" armed themselves with little squares of
hatband ribbon of red, white, and blue--the Ministerial colours.

These were not such dainty badges as the rosettes, but they served the
purpose equally well; and the sterner sex, in our present stage of
evolution ever to be trusted to make up in downright usefulness what
they lack in mere prettiness, had attached a safety-pin to each piece
of ribbon for its masculinely substantial affixing.

II.

Polling eve arrived, and the Ministerialists having secured the hall,
the Oppositionists had perforce to hold an open-air meeting. We
attended the hall first, intending to move on to the street
entertainment later, and Dawn was attacked by an old dame in the
opposing camp because she was displaying Walker's colours.

"If I liked him I'd go an' stand in the street an' listen to him, not
take up the room of them as has a hall hired for 'em by the _best_
man, who has lived among us, and not some city lah-de-dah married to a
hussy off the stage, an' who had women who might be any character
goin' round speakin' for him," she tiraded, and turning to me
aggressively demanded--

"Where are _your_ colours?"

"Could you supply me with some?" I replied; and only too pleased, she
squalled to an urchin who was distributing the squares plus a
safety-pin. I was such a well-poised "rail-sitter" that I was entitled
to wear both colours; and as this one was being ostentatiously
fastened to the lapel of my over-jacket, I remembered the injunction
to live at peace with all.

A brass band played the people in, and a trio of youngsters unfurled
red, white, and blue parachutes,--alias gamps, alias ginghams, alias
umberellers,--which were a popular feature of the "tur