Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1911-10-27
Good EIderbeny
Wine
By M. QUAD
Copyright, 1911. by Associated Lit
erary Press.
By N. QUAD

i 7~~~~N~
outfit ut every ave miles ON the high
way, one OF the craft drove into the
town Of Plainfield. In showing on his
fine horses he ran over hog. and the
hog limped squeaiing away. 1t was
nothing to make fuss over. and none
would have been made II the hog
J, hadn't belonged to Elder Carpenter.
The elder was solemn. severe man.
He happened to be passing Mt the time
the animal was run over. and he
caught a laugh and an oath from the
lips Of the man Of lightning. What
does he do but 60 before justice and
swear out warrant for malicious In
jury to \ hog. An arrest and trial fol-
lowed. or course the lightning rod
man testified on his own behalf that
no malice existed. He and the elders
hog had never met before He was
driving up to the hotel In fancy way
to show on before the loafers sitting
on the veranda, and the hog was nn-
seen until too late
At the conclusion Of the trial the
lightning rod man told the elder and
about forty others what he thought OF
them, their town and their fathers and
mothers before them, and there was
fight, In which he got badly banged up
and driven out of town. or course he
wanted to get even. You must know
that there is fellow feeling between
men who are skinning the public, and
it was quite natural that the elders
victim should select a tin peddler rs
his instrument for carrying out his
plan.
A shallow river runs through Plain.
field. At that time It's banks were
lined for a mile up and down with el-
, derberry bushes. Toward the last of
August the clusters Of berries were
. sight to see. One could gather wag-
Unload In half day. One day tin
J peddler stopped TO gather couple OF
bushels. 10 answer TO inquiries be stat
ed that he was going to make elder
berry wine after recipe brought from
China by a missionary. Your mother.
II she lived in the country. used to
make wine of these berries. but only
In limited quantity. 1t isn't the bev-
: erage to make one enthuse. There was
: considerable talk about the tin ped
dler and his Chinese recipe. and an ex.
element followed. He returned to
: Plainfield with twenty gallon keg of
! new wine. and wanted to form syn.
dictate for gathering the berries and
making the wine. He had with him a
: letter purporting to come from large
wine house and offering him So n gal
Ion for all the elderberry wine he
could ship.
Six hundred dollars was the cash
/ capital wanted for press and build.
! ing and to pay for the gathering The
: dividends for the season would be 100
per cent. There was no hayseed in the
. hair of the population of Plainield
4 The peddlers talk sounded all right
8 but the people said he must show them
: before they invested. That was why
! that twenty gallon keg was placed on
5 the tavern veranda. and the public
asked to help themselves. Elder Car.
b penter was a temperance man right
; down to refusing ginger beer. but he
: saw no hurt In manufacturing good
brand of elderberry wine and selling Il
for medicinal purposes.
$ 1t was three hours before the kee
+ was empty. and by that time II was
j the universal verdict that the peddlel
{ was goo fer and that the towr
+ stood ready TO invest not 5000. bu,
0 S600.000.00O. In his enterprise. They
J. would buy G.0OO presses. They wouit
+ gather GO.00O loads OF berries. II was
{ In the midst Of the greatest good feel
r ing and general hilarity that the towr
:, blacksmith said TINT Elder Carpenter
4 was a hog himself for making the
r lightning rod man trouble over the 9th
r er hog. The elder promptly replied
h that the smith was born liar and
started the row. The peddler made
for the tavern barn and hid away. bu
0 his example was not followed Every
! man got the idea that 81 was his duty
r to wade into some othe- man. and fol
: an hour there was hghting up and
!: down the streets. Fathers whanget
e away at sons. and brother punched
y brother. The three local minister
/. butted in as, peacemakers and wer,
0 early left stranded In the dust.
n There were a few men In the fowI
!. who did not get black eyes and blood,
e noses and lumpy heads. but they wer.
: the old men who had had their fun II
8 other days and were now willing to Ie
: the younger generation go In and
3 whoop 'er up. II was these old mel
Q who assisted the women when 1t cam,
s to poultices and bandages and Il
n wheeling home those who could no
i walk
Only two men knew what was fl
that keg. and they never told. II ma,
r have been Chinese elderberry win,
Is according to missionary recipe. or 1
k may have been mixture OF whisky
l. brandy. gin. wine and drugs At an,
" rate. the feeling lasted two who'll
a days. and there were fights Amos
Re daily for the next fortnight II was
II month later that the lightning rod mai
10 came driving up to the tavern again
d This time he ran over two hogs instea,
Ie Of one. Elder Carpenter was pass
x ing again. but he did not stop or turn
d He simply uttered an ..um'' and he'll
q. his way. There was the usual crow,
d on the veranda. but they crossed thei
H. T. - ~