Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1900-08-10
AUNT CHARETTE.

They had raided Aunt Charette. In
answer TO repeated complaints from
the respectable element in Fort Kent
the officers had come up there and
had swooped down on the liquor deal
ers And chief among the liquor deal
ers was Aunt Charette. In fact, she
was the local wholesaler. She was
thrifty, was Aunt Charette. She had
credit. She could roll $500 worth Of
"morson," or white rum, at one time.
The smaller dealers up and down the
st. John from St. Francis to French
Vile found it more convenient to buy
of her
Gold beads and a black silk dress O.
Sunday did Aunt Charette wear
Broad was she, with amplitude Of
waist and scarcity of lap. She sat all
day long i'm her little sitting room
and interrupted her knitting only long
enough to answer calls at the door
Sometimes the caller would I've a man
from Connor with gray wool trousers
and peaked cap. Another would be
a Frenchyille citizen with empty jugs
board.
They told her whether they wanted
morson or cherry rum OF "wheesk''
or alcohol. Then Aunt Charette went
out in the little dark leanto shed and
ratified the funnel and clinked the
jugs, and at last came pudging back
with broad smile between her big
earrings.
And she always knew whether to
give or refuse credit All sorts Of
queer accounts had she-scattered all
over the countryside.
Uncle Charette was very silent
partner i'm the firm. He used to tell
the priest that he had tried and tried
to induce Aunt Charette to give up the
business of selling liquor. Still Uncle
Charette had discovered years before
that he would not have to go into the
woods winters any more; that there
was always spare change for him to
buy his tobacco; that he was never
asked to earn any money for the gro
ceries Twice year Aunt Charette
purchased new wool trousers of Can
adian gray. AS for his long-tailed coat,
Uncle Charette seemed unable to wear
that out for the reason that the most
of the time he went about in his shirt
sleeves.
And though Uncle Charette never
went out into the dark leantO, still on
a corner of the kitchen shelf stood a
little earthen jug that Aunt Charette
.ll -. -. 9 f,,lI
of brandy. She had to pour some into
it from the keg every day. Uncle Cha
rette declared that it helped his rheu-
matism.
When the officers came riding up
to the door on big sled drawn by
two horses and ran in without knock
ing, Aunt Charette clung to the arms
of her chair.
lie bon Dieu! Wat ees eet?" she
cried.
Aunt Charette, you've been com
planned against" said the local deputy
sheriff, 'and we've got to take what
stun you've got on the premises. /
suppose it's all in the leanto, as usu-
al?"
When the discovery is made in pro-
hibition Maine that there Is liquor
selling in a community the local dep
uty is usually we'll acquainted with
the location of all the liquor deposits.
wat" screamed Aunt Charette,
but in sorrow, not in anger. wat!
TAX ma leetle stock? Why, m'sieu,
yo can't do nottains lax cat l geet
ma pairmeer from dat man-w'at yo'
call heem, de county attornee. Here
-here-here 1t be-" and with trem.
bling hand she poked under the dep
uty's nose the receipt showing that
she had paid a fine at the last term
of court. She insisted that it was
a permit to sell liquor. Aunt Charette
believed that it was
Il haint got anything to do with
that" said the deputy I've got a
search warrant, and I'm ordered to
search and seize"
He ducked past and started for the
leanto. And Aunt Charette, her keys
jangling. her hands upraised her
tongue flying like a shuttle, followed
on his heels. Uncle Charette sat
wholly silent in a corner. The only
sign OF emotion he displayed was to
blink every thirty seconds. So abso-
/ lutely impassive was he that I, un-
seen, took his photograph in a twenty
seconds exposure and there wasn't a
smooch on the negative.
Aunt Charette protested against