The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1902-07-08

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. 1.-THE judge paid a dollar a
bottle for the bit of a bottle"
But it's bad; 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.
"Pll not drive a STEP I'll tell YOU" he
said, until l 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
What's the use to be sensible wo.
man when mans so foolish? It's all
your fault" And Minna cried more
well, then. If it is I'll be drivin
on" said Peter. San 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
fields, while the tears rolled down he1
cheeks Then she stole glance at Pc.
ter's face, calm and masculinely unre-
! lenting. There came a trot behind her
McGolrick's mules were coming up the
road behind them, and she and Peter
standing still like that! So she began
hurriedly:
Il 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 in it, a whole
ounce
I'm whatT' asked the hyperinnocent
Peter.
I'm 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 babys
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-
pected happening. He pulled his hat
down and came toward her. Leaning
against the doOrpost, he regarded the
prongs of his pitchfork 1ntently. About
that time Minna found her basket han
die very interesting, and she began to
rub her forefnger thoughtfully up and
down its strands.
'The baby's all right, Peter" she
said after awhile. Peter looked at her
meditatively as if somehow she were
saying something else.
Mrs. Schmitt," he said then, "I've
been thinkin' about how worried you
got about them bottles. It's kind O.
nice to think people care enough to
worry about you. Now, I've been
thinkin' there might be nicer things to
take than ipecac, an sometimes it's
the nice things that are the best for a
man, don't you think so?"
Peter stopped and dug his pitchfork
into the ground. Minna's literal Ger
man mind had become unwary
, "What would you take, then, PeterY
"Well, now. Minna, if 'twere left to
me I'd take YOU" &.
In spite of Mrs. Merriam, who point
ed out precedent and evidence to prove
that Minna had strangely inverted her
opinion, M:nna agreed with Peter just
| to save him, to be sure.