Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1902-09-24
SAVING OF PETER.
How He Found Something Nicer to Take
Than Ipecac.

never touched any election whisky in
his life. Run and slip them back,
Minna."
Minna obeyed, and then milked the
complaining cows, grown restless wait
ing for Peter. And when everything
was well done she went up to her room
and cried bit. In the morning she
was up earlier than usual. There
seemed to be 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.
"It is damp morning." she said,
looking against the shining mist. Here
and there n dead leaf huttered in front
of her. The sun was soft and warm,
and the CLEAN of the trees deep and
dark in the glttering moisture, and yet
it all kept her thinking that winter
was near, and that she herself was
thirty-fie. AS she passed a little
house on the road where old Anse, the
choreman, lived with about q dozen
grandchildren, she heard a child's fret
full cry. Must be it's sick. I'll have
to ask Anse."
When Minna came out of the church
she had n start that must surely have
given her a nervous shock had she
been of less hardy fibre, for there was
Peter waiting as usual.
"An' why didn't you wait for me,
Mrs. Schmitt?" he asked
at was a good morning to walk"
said Minna most quietly.
He helped her into the cart, and then
he said slowly, after they We're started:
ut was a very hot day yesterday"
and he switched the lines to chase the
flies off the backs of the horses-"a
very hot day"
But Minna was silent. After a little
Peter went on: 1--WE went over tur-
rible lot of country yesterday, the
Judge and I. I'm thankful we had
right good supper over TO Harneck's, so
bein' tired an restin' me minute, !
fell asleep. It's too bad you MIXED the
cows and did that work"
"Oh that didn't make much differ
ence," said Minna. But there seemed
to be something that did, so after q
bit Peter went on again.
"The Judge is q turrible man to
drink and treat all roun' when he goes
'lectioneering. He gimme a couple O
bottles to treat the boys for him, but l
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 l gave him the rest"
Peter had the fiatterlng sense that he
was clearing himself without admit
ting the suspicion, which is really Il
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 a dollar a
bottle for the bit of bottle"
"But it's bad; know it's bad. Hurry
up and tell Anse it's bad" Peter only
horses at standstill. Hurry up"
she said, and ratified the whip in its
socket. At this ominous and unaccus-
toned sound, the horse plunged for
ward so suddenly that Peter had to
pull them to their launches to keep
them out of the ditch.
"Ill not drive step, I'll tell ye," he
said, "until l know what for" for
Peter 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
woman"
whats the use to be a sensible
woman when mans so foolish? It's
all your fault" And AIinna cried
more.
well, then, If it is, I'll be driving
on" said Peter. "An' you'll be tellin
me how it is that it's my fault" Then
he lifted the reins. but he did not start
the horses. Minna looked over the
| field while the tears rolled down her
cheeks. Then she stole glance at
Peters face, calm and masculinely un-
relenting. There came a trot behind
her. McGolrick's mules We're 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 did
get good and sick you'd never do It
again. and we put some ipecac in it, a
whole ounce
"In what?" asked the hyper-inno-
cent Peter.