The Mena weekly star., 1910-10-20
A Loss of Memory
By M. QUAD
,.,uvr,rh,. 1910. by Associated Lit erary Press.

-, wor, but now that I've married is"o ov I'm going to take things easy. ,.,I hire some one else to do the work, and I'll do the bossing."
 'I uo fondly expected to carry out this ..ogrom but he ran up against stone l~on the very first thing.
 Svop,u not only work as hard as .ror hut good deal harder," was the s,r e' os inc wife when he stated his .sp .o "I'yo got to do 1t In the house, sad vou won't get out of 1t outdoors. Tha matter Is all settled. and we'll say m more about 1t"
 poter communed some more. Az he .orIdn,t force matters, he determined = resort to strategy. He went home srom the cornfield one day with blank ,oce and asked the wife who he was.
 .atv stars. what do you mean?" she exclaimed after look at him
 nI was hoeing corn and hustling rhon something gave way in my head can't remember who I am. can't romember who you are. but 1t seems as v IT had seen you before. What's the matter with meY'
 "Good lands, but 1t must be some thing awful! Don't you remember that you are Peter Whlte?'
 Y-e-s: 1t kinder seems that way. and vet I'm all the time wondering If l balnt Sam Johnson. Your name is scbermerhorn, ain't itY'
 "Hear the man talkr' she walled. Cant you remember that l was the Widow Smith until l married you? We were married only 8 few weeks aco Peter, for heavens sake, don't 90 out of your headr'
 smith! Smith!' he unused. "I don't think 1 ever heard the name before. Mrs. Jackson, can get supper hereY" A He calls me Jackson! The poor man bas had stroke or somethingr'
 Peter was taken in and cuddled up. Chicken soup and toast were made for him. and the wife mixed the cows and fed the hogs. The doctor came and looked at Peters tongue and heard some of his queer talk and pronounced 1t a case of loss of memory. He said that some time in the years agone Pc ter had stood under a tree during 2 thunderstorm and had been knocked into cooked hat by a thunderbolt The real effects of the injury were just coming out
 Peter was to sit in the house or wan der around as he liked. After about a month of coddling slight Improve ment was noticed. He remembered getting married to some widow or oth- CT and was willing to admit that it might be to Mrs. Smith.
 Just how long Peter might have worked his little game and continued to grow fat on 1t cannot be told. but one day when he had gone to the viii lage 6 pill peddler stopped at the house. He was told of the case, and he did some thinking. He didn't claim that any one brand of his seven kind of pills would restore memory. as many a faker would have done to make a sale. He said that a shock was needed. He had known of five cases in bis medical career. and all had been cured by sudden shocks. No little shock for a cent would bring about restoration. The brain had got all tangled up. and the cords of aziness had got mixed with the cords Of memory. He talked to Airs. White for an hour. and she came to his way Of thinking. Peter awoke next morn Ing glad that he was alive and no work before him. but that sudden shock recommended by the pill ped oier was not far off. He found him self bound hand and foot. and when De Inquired the reason the wife ex plained:
 T think 1 have got cure for your JOSS Of memory. At least l am going s'o try 1t. Can you remember this morning what your name is?"
 It's Rammerdinger. hain't tr'
 Yes. pretty near Can you remem- Der my nameY
 Seems to me it's Dockstnder"
 T see your memory Is as bad as evef' and we'll try the shock remedy"
 hFs' White was strapping woman. ,uohg and husky. With one yank fe'er was on the floor. He struck mostly on his head. Of course he had 'Olnething to say. and the reply was: reter. I've got the horsewhip here. a"u m going to lay 1t on till you mn remember back to when Captain Add was hung"
 The whip was applied. The hus- sanu mad too soft snap to throw ssay' and he held out for time. but uss became hot. He began to call 'ue Vile by her right name. She ask: " ., as'er, who discovered AmericaY' swer.
 a'u aiter ten more cuts, "who was WI nrst president~
 George Washington"
 ,"ss working. Peterl It's workingi ana who are you?"
 "nlte-Pete White"
 And who was IF"
 Emma Smith"
 Aeout twenty more vigorous cuts vs. administered. and then Peter Rs ,' asked If his memory was clear. m @as sure 1t was. and within half nst o.t after the lashings had been k,o,S ne was saving wood at tha