Hello folks

I'm early again this week, no excuses I'm just early... and have my two babies on Easter holidays so day time uploading maybe problematic!

Thanks again for following and commenting... I am trying my best not to make this too long but she's a character alright! Making it difficult to let go!

Love

Carrots

"Come on Walt, plllleeeaaasssee!" Jane pouted to him. " The Canadian Women's Suffrage Association and the Woman's Christian Temperance Union are holding a rally for women's suffragettes in town this Saturday and I want to go and see them so I can write about it in the the Queens paper. Don't you believe in equality for women?" she challenged him.

"Don't try and get me like that." Walt scoffed. "You know I do, I can't be a Shirley and not believe in it." He sighed. "But I can also read and rally's like this in Europe and America are getting violent."

"When a group of people are repressed by the autocratic domineering section of society, it is our duty as upstanding members of society to…" she started.

"Oh alright alright!" he exclaimed.

"Oh thank you Walt!" she jumped across bed and hugged him.

"Yeah yeah!" he said secretly enjoying the embrace from his sister.

"Oh and one more thing" she said pulling back and looked at him. "You can't tell mamma and papa." She told him.

"Oh Jane!" He protested. "You can't keep it a secret! You said you would write about it in the school paper, the school he runs."

"But that would be after the event. Please Walt you know papa would never let me go…"

"And maybe there's a reason for that."

"Please Walt please, it might be my only chance to hear Dr. Emily Howard Stowe talk. They don't come to the island all that often, please, I want the chance of interviewing her, and anyway its being held by with The Woman's Christian Temperance Union, Christian! Temperance! How dangerous can it be?!" she exclaimed.

Walter took a heavy sigh bowed his head then looked at his sister again. "Jane Shirley, you drive a hard bargain."

"You know…" she burst "they are going to get a change in the Electoral Act, which makes the Dominion and provincial voters' lists coincide it makes women's suffrage a provincial issue..."

It was that Saturday Jane and Walter 'went for a walk', leaving the park at the other side of the grove of trees and heading straight into Charlottetown.

"Stay with me." Walter warned Jane as the approached the crowd.

"Right." Jane agreed.

Walter was surprised with the amount of shoving and shouting over the top of the women speaking.

Banners held by men and women alike claiming feminism and anti feminism

'A women's place in in her home'

'women's cause is mans they rise and fall together.'

'Votes for women'

'equality?!'

"Walt, Walt!" Jane exclaimed 'that's her! That's Dr. Emily Howard Stowe." Jane sighed and shouted to Walt (because the noise was so loud that even standing next to her he couldn't hear her. "Oh but I can't hear her!" Jane exclaimed. "Come on lets get closer!" Jane said pulling him into the crowd.

"Jane I'm not sure this is such a grand idea!" He exclaimed to his sister.

"Don't lose face now Walter." Jane shouted as they went through the crowds. Jane pulled out a pencil and paper pad and started scribbling things down.

"Where did you hide those!" He exclaimed as she winked and started writing more. Even from the closer stand point the crowd was jerking their voices rang over the top of the women speaking though Walter did try to listen it was only a few minutes later when he turned to say something to Jane to find she was no longer beside him, panicked he looked around in the crowd, maybe she had got lost in it to no effect. Where upon he looked to the door of the town hall close by and watched her slip by unseen by two men standing guard over the door. Walter rolled his eyes and pushed his way back through the crowds. He didn't have Jane's stealth like qualities he would need to use wit and quick judgement, or maybe a cheat he had learned one summers day when they had been small. The town hall had a smaller fire door which was always due to be fixed but last time he had checked about six years ago the door could still be opened from the outside in. He went to the fire door and jigged the handle as he did as a boy and it fell faithfully open. Walter chuckled and shook his head, he should have known!

Walter walked through the corridors for a good five minutes looking for Jane finally finding her in an end corridor.

"Jane." He whispered. "What the heck are you doing in here?"

"I think this is where they are bringing her back to!" she whispered excitedly.

"Jane, are you insane?!" Walter exclaimed. "Come on, I don't care about your school newspaper article, I think there might be a riot out there let's just go home." He said.

"I will not, I want to talk to her!" Jane exclaimed.

"You're being impossible again." He told her.

"Andy says I'm not impossible just highly improbable."

"He got that right!" Walter exclaimed.

"Hey! How did you two get in here. Scram!" the man demanded of them as he found them talking in the corridor.

"Come on Jane." Walter said holding out his hand to his sister.

"No, I shalt." She said stubbornly. "I want to meet Emily!"

"I said get out of here!" The man bellowed.

"I see no reason for that." A voice came from behind Jane and Walter. They turned and saw a women said from behind them. Jane looked to her and swallowed slightly. "If you would like to meet my mother, why don't you just come in here, she'll be finished at the rally any moment." She said with a smile to them both.

Jane finally found her voice "That makes you Augusta Stowe?" Jane asked her quite amazed.

"Stowe-Gullen actually." She said with a smile. "Lets not forget my husband in all this." She teased.

Jane broke into a smile and put her right hand out to shake hers "I'm Jane Shirley, this is my Brother Walter, You and your mother are just so inspirational!" Jane exclaimed.

Augusta smiled. "I think I can handle these two." She said to the man who finally subsided and walked away. "Please come in." she told the two. "Its not a big posh hotel but it's certainly been enough for our needs this afternoon."

Walter and Jane went into the side room, not a huge room, but normally would be used for meetings, Jane and Walter sat down with Augusta.

"Why are you not out at the rally with your mother? Is it true you were the first women in Canada to become a doctor in Canada? Is it true your mother had to go abroad to study medicine and became a doctor in the US rather than here in Canada? Are you really on the board of trustees of education? Is it true you've founded the Dominion Women's Enfranchisement Association with your mother?"

"Jane!" Walter exclaimed quietly. "Slow down!"

Augusta laughed. "That's a great deal many questions there, Miss Shirley? Was it?"

"Yes, Shirley." Jane agreed. "Oh but please just call me Jane." She said. "I'm at Queen's academy studying to become a teacher." She proclaimed. "There's a scholarship too which can get to through university which I fully intend on getting. And there's the school newspaper, I wanted to interview your mother… and you of course so I could write about the Suffragette movement in my school newspaper."

"I feel like I know you already Jane." She said with a smile. "I wonder something, were you brought up in a feminist household?" She asked them.

"Oh my ma and pa are equals in everything." Walter interjected.

"They really are wonderful parents." Jane admitted. "I, of all people know that."

"Then maybe I can tell you a little about mine." Augusta said.

Jane and Walter came back through the door to find their father and mother sitting quietly at the table.

"Ma, Pa?" Jane asked innocently. "Whatever is the matter?" She asked them.

"Angela Thomas was at the rally this afternoon." Bertha started. "She claimed to have seen two sixteen-year-old children there."

"Oh?" Jane said with Walt's head bowed low. He was avoiding eye contact with his parents, one look in his eyes, they would know he was lying.

"She claims she lost sight of them just a few minutes before a riot started, the police had to be called in. She was worried about them." Bertha continued.

"Um." Jane mummured.

"Thing is, she claims the two sixteen year olds looked an awful lot like you two." Bertha finished.

"Well, the thing is…" Jane started.

"What were you thinking?!" Walter started standing as he went. "Answer me straight was it, or was it not you two?"

There was silence between the two before Walt spoke first. "Yes pap it was us." He admitted.

"Please don't blame Walt." Jane started "it was all my idea!" she exclaimed.

"Walter," Walter started talking to his son. "Why?"

Walt spoke gently and quietly. "To protect Jane." He said simply.

Walter sighed. "Did you know these rally's often turn violent quickly?" he asked his son.

"Yes!" Walt said. "Its why I had to protect her." He sighed. "we weren't in the scuffle, honest, we went and talked to Emily and Augusta Stowe."

With that the two parents stopped. "You got to talk to Doctor Emily Stowe?" Bertha asked.

"Interviewed actually." Jane admitted. "We snuck in, and Augusta was there and we talked to her first and she said I could interview her for the school newspaper…" She said excitingly before she saw the warning look in her father's eye.

There was a pause before Walter spoke. "Jane, Walter what you did today was dangerous." He sighed. "You could have been hurt, you could have been caught in the cross fire, you could have been arrested!" he sighed. "You are both not to leave this house for two weeks other than attending school, no socials no dances, and that includes the recital next week Janey."

"Yes papa." She said humbly.

"It will start from Tuesday morning." Walter said.

"Tuesday?" Jane asked both her own and Walt's head snapping up.

"Well I have to give you time to hand in that piece to the school paper." He said with a shrug. "that would just have been a waste." He told them.

Jane smiled before she spoke, "Pap, this afternoon was all my idea, Walt only came to protect me, pap, please can you make my punishment four weeks, its wasn't his fault."

"Your brother still went without our consent, even if his intentions were honourable." Walter sighed as he looked at his daughter "Three weeks to one." He conceded.

"Yes, papa." Jane said with a hand hold to her brother. "Thank you, papa." She said before she lead Walt out of the room with her.

Bertha grinned at her husband, "You negotiated their punishment!" she exclaimed. "Walter!" she reprimanded.

Walter shrugged. "Oh Bertha, she was willing to take the blame and we both know Walter would never have gone along if it weren't for his seeming duty to protect his sister."

Bertha stood and smiled wrapping her arms around her husband "I suppose this is what we get, for raising sons and daughters with such high ideals." She laughed.

"Ummm." He said with a twist in his lips, "I can't remember Anne or Willis getting into scrapes like this."

"No, but with Anne you scared the sweet boy who adored your daughter." Bertha smiled. "What's funny is, you really should have done that with Jane."

"Well…" Walter said, "You learn which fights to have by the time you've gone through so many!" he said with a laugh. "And Jane did decide to drop that boy all on her own." He kissed Bertha for a moment before he shook his head. "I can't wait to read that piece for the newspaper now!"

… my editor read your piece over my shoulder, he first told me I shouldn't be reading a competitive paper in the newsroom but then I showed him it was from Queens and he read your piece Jane. He seemed impressed, he thought it could be published in a national paper, then made some quip about it being a shame it was Canadian and not American and as a consequence couldn't be.

I couldn't be prouder if it was published in a national paper. Janey, that was extraordinary! I'm quite envious you got to meet two such extraordinary women. Living legends in a way. It would be a wonder if a Canadian paper didn't pick it up.

School is hard work, but with all the extra-curricular activities I'm doing socialisation is so much easier than I thought it would be. I seem to have no time to myself.

As for the fraternity, its strange, I mean could it be possible I could be fitting in? I've never been at ease in large groups of people, but it feels as though, maybe you were right, maybe by being pushed through a door I'm finding what I need here.

Except the Island. I miss home, am I a mamma's boy for missing my mother? For missing home and the Shirley's? My body may be in Connecticut but my soul is in Charlottetown!

Though it seems I'm not coming back for winter break, or summer break either, we're going on a skiing trip for winter and pa already has laid in plans for a trip round Europe for the summer.

I'm glad you are still intending on going for that Avery scholarship, although it is a shame its for Redmond and not Yale. I could really do with your company Janey.

I should be telling you so much more but compare notes with Walt, they are long letters to you both if I had written it all out twice I wouldn't have much time left to study!

Your faithful friend

Andy.