Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1902-07-10


"A very hot day."
But Minna was silent. After little
Peter went on: 1--WE went over a turri-
BILE lot of country yesterday. the judge
an l. I'm thankful we had a right
good supper over at Harneck's, So,
bein' tired an restin' me a minute, /
fell asleep. It's too bad you milked
the cows an did that work"
"Oh, that didn't make much differ
ence," said Minna. But there seemed
to be something that did, SO after a
bit Peter went on again:
''The judge is a turrible man to drink
an treat all roun' when he goes 'lec-
tioneerin'. He gimme q couple o. bot
ties to treat the boys for him, but I
met old Anse in the road this mornin',
an he told me one of the children was
sick an he didn't feel very well him
self, an so I gave him the rest"
Peter had the fattering sense that
he was clearing himself without ad-
mitting the suspicion, which is really
very delicate thing to do. So he was
the more surprised to see Minna jump
around in her seat and fairly scream at
him:
"You did what?"
"Gave it to old Anse for the child"
"Oh," she moaned, ''for the sick
child! It'll kill it."
"But it was good stuff" said Peter
blandly. '"The judge paid dollar a
bottle for the bit of bottle"
"But it's bad; 1 know it's bad. Hur-
ry up and tell Anse it's bad" Peter
only stared at her and almost held the
horses at standstill. "Hurry up she
said and ratified the whip in its socket
At this ominous and unaccustomed
sound the horses plunged forward so
suddenly that Peter had to pull them
to their launches to keep them out of
the ditch.
"I'll not drive step, I'll tell you" he
said, until 1 know what for" for Pc
ter could not stand bothering the
horses when he was driving. Then
Minna began to cry, and Peter as well
as the horses was bothered.
"But, Mrs. Schmitt," he said. "sure,
an you're always such a sensible wo-
man
whats the use to be a sensible wo-
man when mans so foolish? It's all
your fault" And NIinna cried more.
"Well, then, if it is I'll be drivin'
on,' said Peter. can you'll be tellin'
me how 1t is that it's my fault" Then
he lifted the reins, but he did not start
the horses. Minna looked over the
fields, while the tears rolled down he1
cheeks. Then she stole a glance at Pc
ter's face, calm and masculinely nnre-
lenting. There came trot behind her
McGolricks mules were coming up the
road behind them, and she and Peter
standing still like that! So she began
hurriedly:
81 was afraid you'd get like the
judge, too, SO we thought if you got
good and sick you'd never do it again
and we put some ipecac i'll it, a whole
ounce
''In what?" asked the hyperfnnocent
Peter.
'In the bottles of whisky" gulped
Minna.
Peter whistled, and the horses flew.
'Ipecac's bitter, isn't it," But Minna
did not notice, she was crying so hard
"Guess / better tell Anse that it's cheap
'lectioneerin' whisky an the missus
will send him somethin' BETTER" Min
ma smiled so gratefully that Peter fell
to wondering what he could do next to
please her. When he came out OF
Anse's, he was chuckling. '"The baby's
all right, but Anse is havin' a time
Whereupon Minna giggled Historically
To make sure Minna herself took the
basket and the port wine which Mrs
Merriam sent. When she came back
she walked rather slowly up the drive
way, trying to decide whether she
should stop and tell Peter. When she
came to the stable door, Peter was
pitching straw for bedding. He did
not seem to be getting much on his
fork, and presently he looked up as If
seeing her there were the most uneX-
peeted happening. He pulled his hat
down and came toward her. Leaning
against the doorpost, he regarded the
prongs Of his pitchfork intently. About
that time Minna found her basket han
die very interesting, and she began tC
rub her forefnger thoughtfully up and
down it's strands.
"The baby's all right, Peter" she
said after awhile. Peter looked at hel
meditativeIy as if somehow she were
saying something else.
"Irs. Schmitt," he said then, 'I've
been thinkin' about how worried you
got about them bottles. It's kind o
nice ito think people care enough te
worry about you. Now, I've beer
thinkin' there might be nicer things t
take than ipecac, an sometimes it's
the nice things that are the best for a
man, don't you think 500"
Peter stopped and dug his pitchfork
into the ground. Minna's literal Ger
man mind had become unwary.
''What would you take, then, PeterY
"WeIl, now, Minna, if 'twere left tc
me I'd take YOU
In spite of Mrs Merriam, who point
ed out precedent and evidence to prove
that Minna had strangely inverted hei
opinion, M;nna agreed with Peter just
to save him, to be sure.