The Mena weekly star., 1910-11-03
By M QUAD

.a.ye almost broken my back with
 .Is work but now that I've married
 na,u a0ov I'm going to take things easy.
 ,r DV hire some one else to do the work.
 and I'll do the bossing."
 'Is uo fopdly expected to carry out this
 ..orrsm. but he ran up against a stone
 wsll the very first thing.
 nyourl not only work as hard as
 .ror but q good deal harder" was the
 sonIv of the wife when he stated his % .ase eI'ye got to do it In the house. and YOU won't get out of it outdoors. rho matter is all settled. and we'll say m more about it."
 Peter communed some more. As he couldnt force matters, he determined ,o resort to strategy. He went home s-om tbe cornfieId one day with a blank face and asked the wife who he was.
 "Mv stars. what do you mean7' she exclaimed after a look at him.
 aI was hoelng corn and hustling when something gave way In my head. can't remember who l am. can't remember who you are. but 1t seems as fl had seen you before. Whats the matter with meW
 Good lands, but 1t must be some thng awful! Don't you remember that you are Peter White?"
 "Ye-s; It kinder seems that way, and vet I'm all the time wondering if bain't Sam Johnson. Your name is Schermerhorn, ain't itT
 "uear the man talkr' she walled. Cant you remember that I was the Widow Smith until I married youg We were married only a few weeks ago. Peter. for heavens sake. don't go out of your headr'
 smith. Smithl" he unused. sI don't think l ever heard the name before. Mrs. Jackson. can get supper hereT'
 He calls me Jackson! The poor man has had a stroke or somethlngr
 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 if case of loss of memory. He said that some time In the years agone Pe- ter had stood under a tree during a and had been knocked into a 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 month of coddling a slight improve ment was noticed. He remembered getting married to some widow or otb- CT and was willing to admit that ii 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 vil- lage 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 sale. He said that a shock was needed. He had known of five cases fin his medical career. and all had been cured by sudden shocks. No little shock for cent would bring about a restoration. The brain had got all tangled up. and the cords Of laziness had got mixed with the cords of memory. He talked to Mrs. 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 dler was not far of. He found him self hound hand and foot. and when he inquired the reason the wife ex pihined:
 T think have got a cure for your loss of memory. At least am going to try it. Can you remember this morning what your name is?"
 Its Rammerdinger. hain't itf"
 Yes. pretty near. Can you remem- Der my name?"
 Seems to me it's Dockstader.
 T see your memory is as bad as ever. and we'll try the shock remedy"
 Mrs. White was strapping woman. strong and husky. With one yank Peter was on the floor He struck mostly on his head. Of course he had to say. and the reply was:
 Peter, I've got the horsewhlp here. ahd I'm going to lay it on till you can remember back to when Captain Kidd was hung"
 The whip was applied. The hus- Oand had too soft a snap to throw away. and he held out for time, but lhings became hot. He began to call the wife by her right name. She gave him ten more cuts and stopped to ask:
 Peter. who discovered AmericaT
 oid Columbus" was the prompt an- swer.
 And after ten more cuts. "Who was 'ur first presidentT'
 George Washington" It's working. Peter! It's workingl And who are you?"
 White-Pete White."
 And who was I?y
 Emma Smith"
 About twenty more vigorous cuts were administered. and then Peter nas asked if his memory was clear. ne was sure it was. and within half 'u hour after the lashings had been