Morris tribune., 1911-12-29


If it hadn't been for me there wouldn't
have been no old home week.
'"That's what mean," returned Hen
ry Staples sourly. and he arose and
went away.
Silently the other members of the
committee followed his example until
at last Eli Pepper was left alone in his
store staring in chagrin at the last de-
parting slouching form.
Great Heck! I'd like to know what's
come into them fellows" he muttered
as he pried up the top Of the pickle kegt
which he had securely nailed before the
committee meeting. II s'pose they're
Jealous because I've had ginger enough
to scrape a little commission here and
there. They'll forget all about it to-
morrer when Congressman Keizer gets
here and all the crowd"
Where the crowd was coming from
Eli Pepper had not calculated He had
announced that crowd would be
there, and he had expected that neigh
boring villages would hasten forth to
participate in Blue Mills old home
week celebration and spend their dol
lars in that enterprising community.
That these villages might be as SOM
nolent as Blue Mills desired to be, if
it had not been for Eli Pepper. he did
not consider.
He whistled cheerfully as he hustled
about his store prying up the eau
tiously fastened covers of cracker box
es, cheese case, prune boxes and so
forth, until the long room was tidily
ready for business in the morning.
Many eyes watched Eli Pepper that
night as he went about the closing Of
his store. They saw him open the
closed boxes that should have offered
refreshments. They saw him come
outside and put up all the wooden
shutters that securely closed his win
dows against intrusion. These were
barred outside and in and went all
around the long low wooden building
even to the part that bachelor Eli used
as living apartments. In the bedroom
shutters, were circular holes cut to ad-
NIT air at night. Otherwise the place
was as securely shuttered and barred
as If it were a bank instead Of gro
Gerry store.
At last ELI went within, and the out
side wooden door was closed behind
him. and the faint pencils Of light that
shone through chinks in the shutters
disappeared. 1t was so quiet around
the corner store that they could hear
Eli winding his alarm clock In the bed
room and they could see two round
yellow globes Of light ON the ground
where the lamplight shot through the
holes in his shutter. Then the yellow
globes died out and all was still.
It was not until Eli Pepper gave
vent to regular orchestral announce
ment that he was deep in slumber that
the lurking members of the old home
week committee put their plans in op-
Grafton. Henry Staples put the situa-
ton rudely:
"He's snoring to beat the band now,"
he whispered to his companions. "Come
on now"
Stealthily they went, bearing the
heavy iron bars that belonged to the
wooden shuttered lookup on the hill
side. Quietly they removed ELS wood
en- bars and replaced them with the
iron ones, and when the iron bars gave
out they pieced out the shutters with
crowbars, and in the front of the store
they boldly nailed the shutters fast
The front and back doors were treated
likewise, and when they had finished
Eli Pepper, chairman of the old home
week committee and leading spirit of
the village of Blue Mills, was as Sc
curely locked up as if he had been in
the lookup on the hillside
"1t's good thing there's plenty to
eat in there and that Ellis used to get
ting his own meals" chucl1led Henry
Staples as they stole away.
"He's got everything to make him
happy" grunted William Boiling. "He
won't have to nail up no pickle bar
rels or cracker boxes for a week."
1--WE can look in the winder every
night after he's in bed and see if he's
WELL" added Jake Fleming, subduing
any uneasiness he might have felt.
"Did you get that sign on the door
all right?' asked William Boiling.
"Of course!' snapped Staples, ''It |
says that Eli Pepper is suddenly call
ed away and won't return till after
old home week is over 1 dropped a |
note through the hole in the shutter |
telling him he was to stay there while
we run this old home week business. |
guess he'll not try to push himself
as leading citizen after this"
81 expect he'll have the law on u.s."
William Boiling heavily.
HE don't know who done it." re-
torted his companions.
The next day Congressman Keizer
delivered an grafton to the people of |
Blue Mills. They listened tolerently
to bis discourse, and when he had de-
parted they told each other they'd
much rather hear the minister talk.
They Daraded the village streets to