Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1888-11-15
Peter Potter's Joke,

you have made me very happy,
Polly. and s'pose we set the day for
Christmas
Miss Polly Perkins looked lovingly
into his eyes aud answered Affirmative
ly by leoning her head upon his shout
der.
They were sitting in the pretty par
Tor of a cosy cottage on the outskirts
of Glenville. Their courtshIp had not
been long one-in fact it had been
short earnest and decisive, and when
Peter Potter parted with betrothed
that Sunday night he considered him.
self very lucky man in securing such
prize rs Pollr Perkins, the protest
lass ~ Glcnville. who had eaten more
philopenas aud broken more chicken
breastbOnes than am maiden for miles
around.
True. she was only 20, while Peter
was bachelor away up in thirtIes;
but ho was man Of property and car
ried on n thr wing grocery business in
the village; and there wero some girls
in Glenviile who would have felt very
much put out" if they had overheard
the engagement words spoken that
Sunday night
Christmas was now only two months
off and Polly at once began to prepare
her wedd .ng trousseau. She was
poor girl who made her living BY work
ing in u cotton factory, and she had no
relatives in the world except an old
MAIDEN aunt with whom she lived.
She was a br ght girl. some what pert
in manners, and, on occasion, she
could DO rs tart as vinegar.
Peter Potter was queer mental
compound. He was phenomenally I'M
stable in his views on religion and
politics; so much so, in fact, that he
had won the nickname of peter
Changeabout, and no one more faith
fully observed the maxim when
you're among Romans do as the
Romans do than he. In politics he
was equally tickle. Oho year he was
an ardent Democrat; the next year he
was Repu blican. and once he figured
rs a bright and shining local light in
the ranks of tho independent party.
Peter Potter was man we'll liked
o. inc DtODlC VI NIcNVulC- no was
not stingy. He was foremost in his
works of charity, and many a poor
fam ly, to which enforced idleness or
sickness had brought privation. was
the recipient of substantial gifts from
his store. dc was always a cheerful
man. and no social party in GIenville
was considered complete W Without his
presents He WAS very popular with
h La. Ia.
EMO, cd practial joke. even If he him.
self were the victim of it. In this re-
spect ne could give and take with
equal sat sfaction TO his ris bilIties N
either case.
Now when the news got around that
he had engaged himself to M IS Polly
Perking the goSsips made all sorts of
remarks about the matter not at all
complimentary, to Peter Potter.
"rll bet watermelon to pumpkin
seed,', said Bill Jackson, the Postmas-
ter, that Peter Potter won't he on
hand when the time comes. OF course
he now thinks he loves Miss Perkins.
But he's likely to be smitten with the
charms of Sallie Tweedle next week,
and with those of Susie Timkins before
Thanksgiv ng comes. Poor Polly Per-
kins! She's too nice a body to be trih-
ed with and made the jest and jeer of
all the g rls in town"
And this was the popular view taken
OF the situation. and some of the gos-
sips were not directory in saving so
much TO Miss Perkins. Nevertheless
she had faith in her affianced, aud re-
ceived the tattle of the busy bodies
without allowing her good nature to
be ruffied for moment
''Wh )" said she TO a nelghbor one
dav. do you suppose I m going to 90
crazy If be don't keep his wordp On.
no! There IS st as good fish in the
sea az over were cought, you know"
and then she laughed most heartily
and went tripping along the roadside
humming a cheerv air.
OF course much of this gossip reach
ed the ears of Peter Potter, who,
however went about his business as
usual and was not at all affected by
the coldness which some of the mar
riageuble girls of the sewing society
manifested when he met them on the
street or at church. As for the gen.
tlemcn, those fellows who had declared
that his engagement to Polly was
merely one OF his practical jokes-he
said: Let 'em have their fun. I'll
show EN- joke yet that'll mako 'em
laugh on the other side of the
mouth"
Well, il was now within week of
Christmas Invitations to the we'd
ding had been sent out with the re-
quest that the recipients be at Miss
Perkins Aunt Betsy's residence at 8
o'clock OF that day to witness the GER
emory.