The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-11-14

Enoch had a habit of sneaking in the
 kitchen when his wife was at work and
 pinching her on the thin arms or slap
 ping her peaked face. Then he
 would giggle and mock her with:-
 Hey Marian, hurt ,ye? He Marian
 come out in the hammick where l can't
 see yer face an give us kiss. Hey?'
 Then he'd dance around her, while
 the tears started to her dim eyes and
 her bony hand trembled among the
 pots and pans She knew he was
 drunk when he acted like that and she forgave him and-hoped.
 Last hog killing time Mother Moke- ly's temper was sorely tried. Enoch came home drunk every day. She re- fused to Tend" him money, and then he made up a load of wood her fire wood, took it to town and spent the | proceeds at the exchange. That "sorter put me out" she explained afterward. But it was the last day of the hog kill ing that brought about the climax. She had two extra girls and five male hands" and she was bent on giving them a farewell dinner. Since daylight she had been baking bread, making biscuits and preparing dishes for the feast The hands were lolling round the back porch or washing at the cistern The weeks hard work was done for all except mother, and she was bending over the hot kitchen stove, fretting and fuming over Maryland fried chicken flor the help"
 Then Enoch came in drunker than usual If he had but pinched or slapped her nothing worse than tear in the skillet might have resulted, but he gave her brutal shove. She didn't hear his footsteps for the eputtering of pots and pans, and he was already be- ginning Hey, Marian" etc, when she toppled over the red-hot stove, and to cave herself from falling thrust her hands before her upon the red iron.
 Overmastering rage, the pent up wrongs of her twenty years of drud- gerry and abuse for moment overcame even the agony of her burns. She seized the heavy iron frying pan and with all the might of her lean, strong arms brought 1t down smashing upon the head of old Enoch. She saw the blood splash up. She saw him fall amid a shower of Maryland fried chicken, and then she fled. Out through the front door, down the shaded lane away across the pasture, toward town with out word s.,e ran.
 The sheriff and his family were just sitting down to peaceful dinner when Mother Mokeley ran into the room, fell into chair and grasped:
 "Oh, MT. Sheriff, arrest me quick. I at 1oc ct I I killed poor, dear good Enoch; killed my husband"
 When the sheriff and his son arrived at the Mokeley homestead. they found the five hired men and the two girls seated round splendid dinner that lacked only Maryland fried chicken to make 1t ideal "Old Also Ran" his head swathed in bandages, and his one visible eye looking like baked apple, was sitting at the head of the table.
 Come in, sheriff, an set down." he bawled as soon as his baked apple turned upon the officer. "Whar's Mother? Didn't you bring her along? Gosh blow me, sheriff, ef she ain't a plucky critter. See what she done to me? Jest whalloped me over the head with compound skillet, an served me right. By jing, I didn't think 1t wuz in her. Jest ups an swats me fer all she's wuth It's took me twenty five years--and tn skillet--t' find out what kinda old woman I got. Hank, you go fetch mother. This here's goin' t be marriage feast, Ticker barred. Me an tn old woman Is goin' to cele- brate She's a wonder an they amt no woman like her in Todhunter coun- ty. Jest sobered me up 'ith one whal- lop. This here Carry Nation ain't a marker to my old woman"
 And old Enoch never got drunk and never ran for office again.--John H. | Raftery in the Chicago Record Herald.