Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1905-10-12
SAVING
JIM PETERS
BY Mary Donaldson
BY Mary Donaldson
cops right, 1875, i. Il. Is. Mcclure

Ii.
village of Chenille Jim Peters WAS
| the man. He was constitutonally
| lazy. was a topper from head to heel,
| and his wife and two children often
wanted for clothes and food Mr.. Pc
! tiers had been struggled with on nu-
merous occasions. Women had given
| him tongue lashings. and lnen had hint
ed ut tar and feathers. He had been
induced to sign the temperance pledge
on twenty different occasions, only to
break il each tsic anybody offered him
a drink and he had been provided with
work many times over. only to Sow
| his general laZiness.
| One day when the Woman's Mission
| society WAS holding its monthly meet
! ing Aunt Hanna Davis brought up jim
Peters case anew and declared that
something should be done. She was
| given license to go ahead, and she pro-
ceeded to go over the old beaten track.
| jim signed the pledge, agreed to stop
| chewing plug tobacco and go to work,
and he even expressed an anxiety to
"gct religion" and become in time u
| deacon of the church. His good resolu-
| tons carried him along for two weeks,
and then he fell down, and he fell hard;
not only that. but he boosted around
that Aunt Hanna was an easy person
! to deal with.
| \, li,~n1 lion N
out Of the village. having farm OF
her own and enjoying the life of Il
spinster, and one morning she got up,
TO be told by the hirel man that some
body had robbed the smokehouse over
night Jim Peters was the only pew
son for ten miles around who could b.
suspected, and when the hired man
| told his news he added that Jim ought
| TO be arrested and his house searched
for the plumber.
I'VE must not accuse any one with
out evidence" replied Aunt Hannah.
/ 1T may have been Jim Peters OF Ii
may have been dog. I'm rather of
| the opinion that it was dog. and |
would suggest that you get out the old
bear trap and set it in front of the
| smokehouse tonight. II a dog steals
meat once he will twice, won't he:'
That's what have heard" observed
the hired man as he started for the
barn to hunt for the old trap.
| Aunt Hannah had started in to re-
| form Jim Peters in earnest mood, and
| she Dragged that she would accom-
| Ifch n.b had 10 10
| When the man backsld she was re-
| buked and criticised on all sides, and,
| although she seemed to take it in good
part. she felt something of a spirit Of
| revenge.
The bear trap was oiled and set, but
| it was week before any game APP
! peared 1t was the hired man again
| who brought her news. AS he came
! into the kitchen with the milk pals
he observed laconically:
well, Mrs. Davis, we have caught
| the dog"
Il see" she replied after u look from
the window
ITS dog that looks exactly like
| Jim Peters"
| Yes? I'll go out after breakfast
| and have Il closer look, I wish you
would cut me three or four switches
| from Il peach tree before you 70 to
work. If you hear the dog bowling,
| you needn't stop hoeiug corn on that
account"
The woman fingered over her break
| fast as long us she could, and when
she finally donned her sunbonnet and
| wandered out to the smokehouse she
had several switches, pail of water
and dipper in her hands
| Cool morning, Mr. Peters" she sa
| luted when she had come to Il halt"
II was looking for my jackknife
here last night and walked into this
old trap he said by way of expla
nation
Yes, | see. Is Mrs. Peters well?'
| about the same as usual
"And the childrent"
Hang it, why don't you call Joe up
ana tell him to get me out of this?
This Internal trap has about cut my
leg Off II twas anybody but you Id
have the law on EN- Who knows how
| long I'll be laid up with this egY'
MT Peters, said Aunt Hannah in,
very sober tones. do you remember
your promises TO meT'
How am going to keep promises
when all the town is agin' me? You
arcagin' me- too, or you wouldn't have
| set this trap for me-"
You have been coaxed, bribed,
| pleaded with and fairly bought. but
you still loaf around and get drunk.
1t is time that some other plan was
JlteA ~ prluA this,
She handed him a dipper of water,
ANA ne drank about half of it, He
was about to pour the rest on the
ground when she said
II know it has a strange taste TO you.
but you'll have to get used to It, Don't
waste drop. Here-haye some more"
I've had a-plenty.'
Aunt Hannah picked M one of the
switches and proceeded 70 lay il over
Jim's shoulders in a vigorous manner
As il was summer and he had only a
ragged cotton shirt across his back he
was speedily reminded OF his boyhood
days. He reached for the dlpper and