The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1900-06-15
AUNT CIGARETTE.

Iney naQ ralded 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 in her little sitting room
and interrupted her knitting only long
enough to answer calls at the door.
Sometimes the caller would be man
from Conner with gray wool trousers
and peaked cap. Another would be
a Frenchville citizen with empty jugs
under the seat of his narrow buck
board.
They told her whether they wanted
morson or cherry rum or ''wheGsk"
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 a 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 in 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 a 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
corner of the kitchen shelf stood a
little earthen jug that Aunt Charette
never allowed to be less than half full
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 chung 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
stuff you've got on the premises. I
suppose it's all in the leanto, as usu-
alp
When the discovery is made in pro.
hibition Maine that there is liquor
selling in a community the local dep.
uty is usually well acquainted with
the location Of all the liquor deposits.
"Wat!" screamed Aunt Charette,
hInf In nj In ~
TAX ma leetle stock? Why, msieu,
yo' can't do nottains lax dat. l geet
ma pairmeer from dat man-w'at yo'
call heem, de county attornee. Here
-here-here it be-" and with trem.
bling hand she poked under the dep
uty's nose the receipt showing that
she had paid fine at the last term
of court She insisted that it was
a permit to sell liquor. Aunt Charette
believed that it was.
81 hain't got anything to do with
that" said the deputy. 1--WE got q
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 appraised, 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 impressive was he that l, un-
seen, took his photograph in a twenty
seconds exposure and there wasn't a
smooch on the negative.
Aunt Charette protested against
opening the door. The deputy. with
one blow Of his boot, shattered the
lock. Then he and his men rolled
out the barrels and the kegs and the
demijohns. Aunt Charette, as they
laid their hands on each article,
screamed, "Ah, mon Dieu! Non! nonl
You've taken enough! Leeve dat
wan!-leeve dat want"
But the officers were memorable.
They rolled everything out. They had
to send for another sled. There were
loads for two heavy teams. The last
man to go out was the deputy with