首页 >出版文学> 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。’’
  X
  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。