and joy
and archangels and golden glories; but her thoughts were dwelling on the
pauper aunt of Exeter.

Years have rolled away, and some of the actors in this wayside drama have
passed into the Unknown; other onions have arisen, have flourished, have
gone their way, and the offending hen has long since expiated her
misdeeds and lain with trussed feet and a look of ineffable peace under
the arched roof of Barnstaple market.

But the Blood-feud of Toad-Water survives to this day.

A YOUNG TURKISH CATASTROPHE
IN TWO SCENES

The Minister for Fine Arts (to whose Department had been lately added the
new sub-section of Electoral Engineering) paid a business visit to the
Grand Vizier. According to Eastern etiquette they discoursed for a while
on indifferent subjects. The minister only checked himself in time from
making a passing reference to the Marathon Race, remembering that the
Vizier had a Persian grandmother and might consider any allusion to
Marathon as somewhat tactless. Presently the Minister broached the
subject of his interview.

"Under the new Constitution are women to have votes?" he asked suddenly.

"To have votes? Women?" exclaimed the Vizier in some astonishment. "My
dear Pasha, the New Departure has a flavour of the absurd as it is; don't
let's try and make it altogether ridiculous. Women have no souls and no
intelligence; why on earth should they have votes?"

"I know it sounds absurd," said the Minister, "but they are seriously
considering the idea in the West."

"Then they must have a larger equipment of seriousness than I gave them
credit for. After a lifetime of specialised effort in maintaining my
gravity I can scarcely restrain an inclination to smile at the
suggestion. Why, out womenfolk in most cases don't know how to read or
write. How could they perform the operation of voting?"

"They could be shown the names of the candidates and where to make their
cross."

"I beg your pardon?" interrupted the Vizier.

"Their crescent, I mean," corrected the Minister. "It would be to the
liking of the Young Turkish Party," he added.

"Oh, well," said the Vizier, "if we are to do the thing at all we may as
well go the whole h---" he pulled up just as he was uttering the name of
an unclean animal, and continued, "the complete camel. I will issue
instructions that womenfolk are to have votes."

* * * * *

The poll was drawing to a close in the Lak