At the Peacock Inn : The Political Horizon
"1 SEEN in the papers," said Old William, settling I into his inglenook corner with a pint of "six," " I seen in the papers as a genralection may come along any time nowand smash the Gover'mint to a atom afore we knows where we are. Smash it, that's what I seen-- 'With I shouldn't be surpriied at neither. Reglar Guy Pawkes day over again, only bigger." " So it will," said Tom, the grave-digger and village SOcialist, and what's More, I shouldn't wonder if there won't be a uprising on top o' that." He looked round the tap=room to make sure that complete_attention had been secured, and then added, with a casual flourish Of the shin-bone that he always used as a walking stick, —a flourish that made it quite plain that he, anyhow, was quite prepared- for what was going to happen, " Revilution." This had the desired effect. Old Nut Face; who had Just got up to go, silt down again. You couldn't miss a political discuision, must keep in touch. The' country's. fate had to be decided, and even Mrs. Nut Face, who had been known to throw the bacon out of the window because her husband was-late for it, would haVe to wait this time'.
No help for it. • • The tap-room left it to' Old William to ridicule Tom's dark •Prophecy; and Old William was riot' the One to shirk responsibilities of this sort. He lit his clay very deldierately and faced Torn- with an air of tolerant but *ithering contempt.
" You be arrigint- little piece o"umanity, Torn;" he said in his high, tremulous voice, " one o' the arrigintist little pieces o' "iimanity I ever come across in all my born days, and its a nextrornery wonder to me how I puts up ipAth you as I does, day in day out Bat' there 'tis; I &es,- mien likes you - - ('an't say as I'm flattered," interposed Tom with a sniff.
I-eVen likeS you in spite everything. But w'en I said that the Gover'mint would be smashed to a atom Vkii-; is -in the - papers; I -don't 'rightly recolleck Vich papers; but its in them, w'en I-said that; I means -the GOVertniint; I said nothing about the -country; I means the ConversatiVe 'Gover'mint - - VonserVative, William " corrected Old William's pronipter; a -thin leather-necked bricklayer with a red muffler and no teeth, who never spoke except to help Old William out of some verbal -difficulty, " The Conser- vative Gover'mint you- means."
What do that signify," snapped Old William, sharp as 'a turtle---he was never grateful to his champion- " Libtral, Labour, or Conversative, the names is of no account, no account at all, it's the country, an' w'en I ses -that-whatever Gover'mint 'appens to be in so-called pourer is going -to be smashed to a atom, w'y, what of that ? • What I say, Old England goes on the same no matter 'ow • many Bolshie-whisks tries to undermine its :,:onStitish—tries to undermine it, no matter- 'ow many pieces. of tumanity such as this Toni here 7) Tom was not crushed.
"'Look 'ere," he began scornfully, flourishing his shin- bone;' " that'll do about pieces of 'umanity, it ain't nothing to do with the question in 'and, and what a old gaffer -like you don't understand, William, is that you're in a backwater as you might say; while there's millions arid millions of new voters w'ich you 'ear nothing about 'as, Suddinly come onto the polls, namely women, and w'en women once gets the power " Brat Women," ,said Old William, who had been a misogynist ever since his grand-daughter had -begun to look like a boy, " What I say is, drat women, they don't make no differ not any ways at all, what with their Beaton crops and new-fangled pantaloons .
" Order," said Nut.Face, who had had so many, pints that:even Old Williarn.wasntt, outside his Moral censures, ",this here's .a political discussion, and what ,We wants to know is,. what 'greats theie young women going to have on voting, nothing to do with pantaloons. What we wants to know is,: these. young Women is going, to heave when they..e,o' to the *ills." ---i...”;e3=11."ave 'YOU!. Standly 'Baldwin right off his; pgcb afore you can wank," said Toni, prOper, SOCialist ;corking man in 'is place what'll Clap fin the: • the an' HATO t' raptud leyy art' clean up the slums an, set a e gen ry working inside a month as sure as"_ death. _That is, if there ain't a revilution, there.will he."
Old William uttered acroak of indignation and scorched Tom With a look. If you ses another word against Mr. Baldwin, Tom," he announced " w'ieh is a fine gentleman, i:"3 amid: so Mr. Lloydie Geordie for that matter--" Mr. Lloyd George, William," said the bricklayer, "Nr. Lloyd C " Yott don't know nothing aboiut it," snapped Old William, and. turned back on Torn. " As I were saying when I were interrumpted'.. . . But Old William's brain had perhaps become overheated with the fervour of his-political feeling ; he coughed, and had a drink, but he couldn't remember. " As I were saying 27 " You were saying what you was going to do to me if I was to knock Mr. Standly Baldwin's pipe out of 'is mouth," said Torn dryly, " That's what. you was saying."
" I weren't saying anything of the kind," said Old William, still trying to think back: "But if this young woman which calls terself my grand-daughter is going to 'ave a vote . . . "
" Oh, she'll 'ave a vote all right," answered Tom, " Your Edith'll 'ave a vote all right, and what's more, she'll use it proper. She'll vote Socialist and see Wrongs righted, same as all decent girls will."
" She'll vote as 'er mother and me tells 'er," said Old WilliaM.
Tom laughed derisively. " Not 'er," he said.
" I tell 'e she will," shouted Old William, " flipper or no, she will ! "
" Flapper, William,- flap " began the red-throated bricklayer, but Old William was roused this time, and WoUldn't have it. Whose grand-daughter was Edith, hey Whose grand-daughter was she ? Votes or no votes, she'd do as 'er mother and grandad said, the young flipper, else " Else there'll be a revilution," said Toni, unperturbed ; and there 'might have been a minor one on the spot if Nut Face had not called for order in a loud voice, and a quart pot of ale to make sure that it was kept.
H. M.
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