Prev | Current Page 330 | Next

Montgomery, L. M. (Lucy Maud), 1874-1942

"Rilla of Ingleside"


"'I suppose that will hearten him up greatly,' said Warren Mead, with
one of his disagreeable 'haw-haws.'
"Warren's remark was spark to powder. Susan just 'sailed in' as she puts
it, and 'said her say.' She said it remarkably well, too. There was no
lack of 'ginger' in her speech, anyhow. When Susan is warmed up she has
no mean powers of oratory, and the way she trimmed those men down was
funny and wonderful and effective all at once. She said it was the likes
of her, millions of her, that did stand behind Lloyd George, and did
hearten him up. That was the key-note of her speech. Dear old Susan! She
is a perfect dynamo of patriotism and loyalty and contempt for slackers
of all kinds, and when she let it loose on that audience in her one
grand outburst she electrified it. Susan always vows she is no
suffragette, but she gave womanhood its due that night, and she
literally made those men cringe. When she finished with them they were
ready to eat out of her hand. She wound up by ordering them--yes,
ordering them--to march up to the platform forthwith and subscribe for
Victory Bonds. And after wild applause most of them did it, even Warren
Mead. When the total amount subscribed came out in the Charlottetown
dailies the next day we found that the Glen led every district on the
Island--and certainly Susan has the credit for it. She, herself, after
she came home that night was quite ashamed and evidently feared that she
had been guilty of unbecoming conduct: she confessed to mother that she
had been 'rather unladylike.


Pages:
318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342