THE FEMININE SIDE OF THE STONEWALL.

Auckland Star, Volume XX, Issue 179, 30 July 1889, Page 5

THE FEMININE SIDE OF THE STONEWALL.

One or two curious little incidents of the debate on the Representation Bill, now being carried on in the House of Representatives, have been whispered about. I will nofc vouch for their absolute veracity, but they have an air of probability which commends them to credence.

It seems thab on one evening the ladies' gallery was particularly well filled, the fair occupants thereof following the progress of the debate with great interest. But as midnight approached their numbers gradually diminislaed till, amidst tho necessary amount of bustle, the last three ladies retired, one of them being the wife of the member jusb then on his feet. She knew he was blest with the gift of the gab, and was not likely to pause in his oration for some hours, so in despair she waved him a graceful though unseen farewell, whilst her clear, sweet voice distinctly conveyed to his ears, and to those also of all other wakeful members, the words, "Good night, dear John."

Another evening, when some members were preparing to make a night of it, one of them sent round to his house for his mattress and a couple of blankets. A cab soon drove up, and the bedding was conveyed into the lobby, followed by a lady with an infant in her arms.

The husband, who was at first fully occupied wibh the mattress, did not perceive her until agentle wail from the unhappy baby, whose slumbers had been ruthlessly disturbed by*the dutiful wife, attracted hist * attention.

" Great Scott, Maria ! What in thunder do you mean by this ?"

" Don't be using your unparliamentary language to me, sir !" said fche injured lady. " You sent for your mattress, and as baby and I were sleeping on it, and there wasn't another unoccupied, because your brother had gone to bed in the spare room, and wouldn't wake, and as you must have known this, I thought you wanted us too, so I got up and put some things on, and here we are."

The husband stifled some remark in his throat.

"I've broughb baby's bottle and the spirit lamp, so you can geb up and warm her food as usual," continued the practical wife.

At this interesting moment, the infant signified her appreciation of hor mother's : thoughtful attention to her comfort in a: melodious though rather high-pitched key,j which had the effect of recalling the: Sergeant-at-Arms from blissful dreams of soft pillows on a hard bench, and in a remarkably short time he ejected the offenders with a kind warning against a repetition of such scandalous conduct.

Scarcely so humiliating was the experi- • ence of another noted stonewaller. He wasj told he was wanted in the lobby, and on; going there he found a lovely young lady,! attired in an elegant pink wrapper, herj pretty bang very much out of curl, and the absence of the rest of her usual chevelure! concealed by a sofb, white, fleecy cloud.'; She sprang forward to meet her husband,! who certainly did not expect to see his; wife. He was awaiting a telegram from one! of the four principal cities, wherein were; located his constituents, engaged in holding a meeting of monsters, or rather a monster meeting. (What does ifc matter in which position the word is placed ?) " You; here?" he cried in dismay. "Yes, dear. It's such a cold night, and there's no fireplace in our bedroom, and the fire has gone, oufc in the sitting-room, and the landlady; says she won't light ifc for anyone who keeps., such unlawfully labe hours as you do, and I: can't get warm anyhow. So I jusb ran.; over to fetch you home. Do come, darling,l it's awfully bad for you to sifc up all night like this. You will wear yourself out, and; then whatever will the country do without you ?" '' There are better men than I, who think nothing of risking their health, or even their lives, over such a vitally important measure as this, by going without their regular meals and rest lor hours,, lovo." "But they arenofching to me, dearest.. Well, if you won't como home, I will stavV-e with you. See," opening a littlo Sag! "I have broughb all that we j shall require, so you can have a good night a sleep for once." . But he was a veritable stoic, and sent her homo in tears, and warm with indignation. against the "ridiculous parliamentary abuses." How truly unselfish are our states*, men 1

Jack Frost.