care for it much.” She laughed. “The
Times
has always been against us, but we've won New York anyway.”
Miss Paul looked at the map on the kitchen wall and sighed.
Violet and Myrtle looked at the map too. Stars were penciled in on thirty-five of the forty-eight United States. Thirty-five states had ratified the Susan B. Anthony Amendment. Thirty-six were needed for the amendment to become part of the Constitution. If it did, then women would be able to vote in all forty-eight states, not just the sixteen states that had already passed woman suffrage laws of their own.
“Now it's all come down to Tennessee,” said Miss Paul. “A lot of our workers have been there all summer. More are leaving in a few days. Miss Dexter's going. I had hoped to go too, but somebody's got to stay here and manage things at this end … keep pressure on the president, on both political parties, and on Governor Cox and Senator Harding. The two presidential candidates.”
Myrtle got up and walked over to the map. She traced the states that didn't have stars with her finger. There were thirteen of them. “There are a lot of states here that could become number thirty-six,” Myrtle said. “Why Tennessee?”
“Tennessee has agreed to hold a special session of their legislature to consider ratification,” said Miss Dexter in a tone of voice that suggested that she still hadn't forgiven Myrtle for being in their kitchen. “North Carolina is holding a special session to take up a tax question, and they've decided to vote on ratification too. But we have a much stronger organization in Tennessee.”
“Well, you're sure to get one,” Violet said, looking at the long pink parallelogram of Tennessee, where Chloewas. “The other thirty-five came so fast.” She remembered how the first thirty-five states had ratified the amendment, zip-zip-zip, one after another. Sometimes two in one day. She remembered Father and the Mr. R.'s grumbling about it at the dinner table and Mother clucking her tongue over what this world was coming to.
Miss Paul shook her head. “It's not that simple, Violet. You see, we haven't just been winning states, we've been losing them too.” She nodded at the map. “While we were winning thirty-five states, the Antis won eight.”
“Antis?” said Myrtle.
“Antis are people who are opposed to woman suffrage,” said Violet. “Like my parents.” Violet looked from the tiny star of D.C. across yellow Virginia to pink Tennessee and wondered how she was going to get there.
“That's right,” said Miss Paul. “So there are actually only five states still left in play. If we win one of them, the amendment gets ratified; if the Antis win all five of them, the amendment will be defeated, and that”—she sighed—“will be the end.”
“But they won't win all five, will they?” Violet said.
“Three of them are states the Antis have always told us they expected to win,” said Miss Paul. “Florida, North Carolina … and Tennessee.”
“Oh,” said Violet.
“And Vermont and Connecticut have refused to hold special sessions,” said Miss Paul. “The governors of those states are Antis, and the governor is the one who calls a legislature into session.”
Violet thought that this was starting to get confusing. “But they'll vote on the amendment when they come back in their regular sessions, won't they?”
“Maybe,” said Miss Paul. “There's a presidential election coming up in November, though, and I'd like to be able to vote in it.”
Myrtle stared at the map in fascination and drew a line with her finger from Washington, D.C., to Tennessee.
“Now I really think the best thing to do with you girls is to put you in a bathtub. Don't you agree?”
Miss Dexter shot Miss Paul an angry look, but Miss Lucy Burns said, “I do. Come along upstairs, girls.”
Myrtle and Violet were put into a spare bedroom once they were clean and robed in Miss Paul's and Miss Burns's extra nightgowns. In spite of how
Times
has always been against us, but we've won New York anyway.”
Miss Paul looked at the map on the kitchen wall and sighed.
Violet and Myrtle looked at the map too. Stars were penciled in on thirty-five of the forty-eight United States. Thirty-five states had ratified the Susan B. Anthony Amendment. Thirty-six were needed for the amendment to become part of the Constitution. If it did, then women would be able to vote in all forty-eight states, not just the sixteen states that had already passed woman suffrage laws of their own.
“Now it's all come down to Tennessee,” said Miss Paul. “A lot of our workers have been there all summer. More are leaving in a few days. Miss Dexter's going. I had hoped to go too, but somebody's got to stay here and manage things at this end … keep pressure on the president, on both political parties, and on Governor Cox and Senator Harding. The two presidential candidates.”
Myrtle got up and walked over to the map. She traced the states that didn't have stars with her finger. There were thirteen of them. “There are a lot of states here that could become number thirty-six,” Myrtle said. “Why Tennessee?”
“Tennessee has agreed to hold a special session of their legislature to consider ratification,” said Miss Dexter in a tone of voice that suggested that she still hadn't forgiven Myrtle for being in their kitchen. “North Carolina is holding a special session to take up a tax question, and they've decided to vote on ratification too. But we have a much stronger organization in Tennessee.”
“Well, you're sure to get one,” Violet said, looking at the long pink parallelogram of Tennessee, where Chloewas. “The other thirty-five came so fast.” She remembered how the first thirty-five states had ratified the amendment, zip-zip-zip, one after another. Sometimes two in one day. She remembered Father and the Mr. R.'s grumbling about it at the dinner table and Mother clucking her tongue over what this world was coming to.
Miss Paul shook her head. “It's not that simple, Violet. You see, we haven't just been winning states, we've been losing them too.” She nodded at the map. “While we were winning thirty-five states, the Antis won eight.”
“Antis?” said Myrtle.
“Antis are people who are opposed to woman suffrage,” said Violet. “Like my parents.” Violet looked from the tiny star of D.C. across yellow Virginia to pink Tennessee and wondered how she was going to get there.
“That's right,” said Miss Paul. “So there are actually only five states still left in play. If we win one of them, the amendment gets ratified; if the Antis win all five of them, the amendment will be defeated, and that”—she sighed—“will be the end.”
“But they won't win all five, will they?” Violet said.
“Three of them are states the Antis have always told us they expected to win,” said Miss Paul. “Florida, North Carolina … and Tennessee.”
“Oh,” said Violet.
“And Vermont and Connecticut have refused to hold special sessions,” said Miss Paul. “The governors of those states are Antis, and the governor is the one who calls a legislature into session.”
Violet thought that this was starting to get confusing. “But they'll vote on the amendment when they come back in their regular sessions, won't they?”
“Maybe,” said Miss Paul. “There's a presidential election coming up in November, though, and I'd like to be able to vote in it.”
Myrtle stared at the map in fascination and drew a line with her finger from Washington, D.C., to Tennessee.
“Now I really think the best thing to do with you girls is to put you in a bathtub. Don't you agree?”
Miss Dexter shot Miss Paul an angry look, but Miss Lucy Burns said, “I do. Come along upstairs, girls.”
Myrtle and Violet were put into a spare bedroom once they were clean and robed in Miss Paul's and Miss Burns's extra nightgowns. In spite of how
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