“Well, didn’t you know what he was like before you married?”
“A little, I suppose, if I’m being honest. But I didn’t think he’d get worse, I thought he’d settle in once we married.” She splashed water on her face. “Let’s check on Sadie before we go. I feel like we ought to include her on this room-mate outing.”
Miss Olive let them poke their heads in the door but enter no farther. Sadie was sitting up but had the look of misery about her.
“Glad to see you up,” said Ethel, her voice attempting to be cheery but coming out strained.
“Ethel is dragging us to the WCTU meeting tonight. Be glad you’re stuck in bed,” said Mim.
“You’re looking much better,” added Briar.
Sadie gave them a slight smile in return, pointing to her right leg, bent slightly at the knee. “It’s froze that way. Can’t straighten it, but the doctor thinks I might be able to eventually.” She cleared her throat and forced a brighter smile. “Looks like you’ll have another new room-mate. Sorry we didn’t have time to know one another. You three always look like you get on well. I was looking forward to being part of your group.” She paused before addressing Briar directly. “I hope everything works out for you.”
She’s talking about Wheeler.
The three room-mates exchanged wondering glances before giving a wave and backing out of the room.
“Do we really get on so well?” asked Mim.
Briar laughed. “Miss Olive said she put us together for a reason. She seems to think we need each other.”
The community hall above the mayor’s office was starting to fill up by the time they arrived. The room-mates split up with bundles of ribbons each to pass around. Once they were empty-handed, they met up again, and found seats to the right of the lectern.
“If this is such an important meeting, why can’t Frances Willard herself show up?” whispered Mim.
“Shhh! Just listen. The woman can’t be everywhere at once.”
A woman in her thirties stepped out onto the stage. “Welcome, ladies. It’s exciting to see such a good turnout tonight for our guest speaker.” She went on to introduce Miss Nan Whitaker, a representative of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union. The topic of the night was to give a global perspective on the movement, including suffrage in other countries.
“Good evening, ladies!”
A resounding applause lit the room.
“I bring greetings from our president, Frances Willard, who is at this time at Eastnor Castle in England, working tirelessly with our British sisters as they seek the vote. Temperance is at the heart of what we do. Prohibition, Women’s Liberation, and Labor’s Uplift are the three major avenues, all undergirded by temperance.
“Not everything is in temperance reform, but temperance reform should be in everything we do. We have unequal laws in marriage, in property rights, and add to that the risk of intemperance at home, which makes these inequalities unbearable. Money that is spent on drink is not available for other pursuits, and women and children get the worst end of it, drowning in poverty.”
Briar stole a glance at Ethel. She was completely engrossed in the lecture. Her face upturned and her focus keen. Mim, sitting on Briar’s other side, reached over and squeezed her hand. Briar nodded. They were going to help Ethel get through this.
When they left the lecture hall, the sun was down and the lamplighter was working his way along the street, turning on the gas lights. There were several men waiting outside, and as soon as the women exited, the men began hurling insults.
“Just walk on by, ladies,” said Ethel, her strength and resolve clearly having been restored. She pulled back her shoulders and lifted her head high. “We’ve made them nervous tonight is all.”
On the edge of the crowd, a familiar form stuck out from the rest.
“Wheeler?” said Briar. He was standing in the shadows of the mercantile, with his hat pulled low, but she could make out his tall, lanky form anywhere.
“You didn’t come here to listen to that speech, did you?” He stepped forward, closer to the streetlight.
“I-I came for Ethel’s sake,” she said, self-consciously touching her white ribbon.
“You know you girls are only biding your time until you get husbands. You don’t need the vote. Your husband will make the decisions on how the family votes, same as it’s been done for years. Besides, I’ll never sign a temperance pledge. None of the fellas I know will.”
“It’s about home protection,” said Briar, reiterating what she had learned that night. “Women need the vote to help make laws suitable for women and children, not just the men.”
“Home protection? You don’t need that, Bri. I’ll protect you.”