Oxford Democrat., 1902-12-30
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THE SAVING
or PETER
Bx EUGENE UHLRICH
Copyright, 1901, by Eugenie Uhlrich

8 Copyright, 1901. by Eugene ohir'eh
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Mrs. Minna Schmitt stood at the
kitchen door Of Merriam's big house
and looked at the changing west. Ev'
cry moment the light was growing
fainter and duller, and still Peter
Burns did not come in to the supper
that had been waiting for him over
two hours. This was strange Of Peter,
and 1t would have been not only
strange but suspicious Of anybody else
after having been 'lectiOneering' all
afternoon with the old judge. Mrs. Mer
RAMS husband.
Mrs Schmitt did not like the judge
The worst men in her eyes are those
who always seem so nice and pleasant
te everybody and between times get
drunk and abuse their wives. If such
men were only mean all the time. peo
pie would not blame their wives for
everything that goes wrong. as the
village did Mrs. Merriam when she had
the old judge bound over to keep the
peace. Since that time the judge had
been obliged to live at the village no
tel and Mrs. Merriam was left in the
big house. Now when the Judge want
ed to see Mrs. Merriam he drove up to
the gate and whistled for her. Then
Mrs. Merriam put on her best dress
and went driving with him, for the
Judge was really very pleasant when
he was in good temper" as Mrs.
Merriam herself would have put 1t.
Every evening she made Peter drive
down to the hotel to see that the judge
got to bed without his boots. The judge
paid those Of his bills that he could
out of his practice, and Mrs. Merriam
paid her own out of the place and the
summer guests" Sometimes she paid
an odd one Of the judges.
Minna could not see but what 1t was
much better so, though whenever she
went to the village she had to hear
something about women who wear the
pants" and like remarks, which passed
for wit thereabout. But Minna. who
had had a sharp and happily short
married experience Of her own. loftily
ignored these supposed jokes. for her
German tongue was too slow to risk
answers. The delectable Peter himself.
who made possible the harmony Of the
present. conditions, was Irish. He drove
the Judge home one day when the
Judges driving was bit uncertain,
even for a horse that could find the
way home alone. Peter put up the
horse and looked after things that
evening, and he had been doing so ever
since. Now he was the one person who
was able to travel cheerfully the some
times slippery path between the inn
, and the house ut all times.
And still he did not come In. Minna
bethought herself that she ought TO 20
over to the stables. Tomorrow would
be Sunday. and Peter often needed n
stitch put in somewher 1t was not In
Minna's quick fingers to see any one
untidy on Sunday II she could help II.
So she went over TO the stables-not
that she was curious or. even worse.
worried. Things did look queer. Tie
road wagon was standing In the drive
! way, the cushion left shiftlessly on the
7 seat. and Peters best coat lying across
il. After moment Minna's shurp ear
heard deep breathing. and there on a
bench inside the door lay Peter. fast
asleep. Now Mlnna could not believe
that any man would 20 fast asleep
without his supper unless there were
something wrong. But she was used TO
doing things, not standing and looking
at them. She took the cushion of the
seat and. along with the coat. carried
Il into the carriage shed. Something
hard In one Of Peters pockets struck
her hand. and she knew IL at once for
a bottle. II was almost empty. and the
contents were not TO be mistaken.
Then she tried the other pocket Be
hold, another bottle.
That camel OF n judge" she NUT
tered. "He has five stomachs. and he
does not rest until everybody is like
him" The zeal 10 save woke In her,
and she did not ask herself whether
she had that fine zeal for every waver.
Ing soul or only for Peters. She took
the bottles and hurried to the kitchen
with the..
I Mrs. Merriam met her at the kitchen
door. Where is Peter?" she asked.
Minna marched past her and tragically
held up the two bottles in front OF her.
"Minna." gasped that lady. what
what have you been doing"
"I?" screamed Minna. Peter. you
meanw
Peter! Oh, Peter, Peter, you, too,
Peterw walled Mrs. Merriam as she
sank down in a chair "But wait; this
I Is the first time, and there Is still hope
for him. have it, Ard she hurried
to her medicine shelf and came back
with bottle with some brown stuff
in It. This will make him wish he'd
never touched any election whisky In
his life. Run and slip them back. Min
na."
Minna obeyed and then milked the
complaining cows. grown restless wait.
Ing for Peter. and when everything
! was we'll done she went up to her room
! and cried q bit. In the morning she
was up earlier than usual. There
seemed no use In waiting for Peter to
drive her to early mass this morning
She trudged along the damp road from
which the late August sun had not yet
drawn the dew, and her feet somehow
felt very heavy.
ut Is a damp morning" she said
! looking against the shining mist. Her
/ and there dead leaf futtered in front
Of her. The sun was soft and warm
and the gr,,cr Of the trees deep and
dark In the glistening moisture. and
yet it all kept her thinking that win,
ter was near and that she herself was
thirty-five. AS she passed little house
on the road where old Anse, the chore'
man, lived with about dozen grand.
children, she heard child's fretful
cry. Must be it's sick. I'll have to ask
Anse."
When Minna came out Of the church.
she had a start that must surely have
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