The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-06-09
GINGER OR
NO GINGER
Pc "A OllAn
BY M. QUAD
Copyright. 1918 by Associated Lit
erary Press.

thirty houses. that Adiniron Tompkin
and Moses Wheeler was among tn
men loafin' at the postoffice and Adm
iron bimeby mentioned that his wifi
was goin' to bake pumpkin pies on tn
morrow and that he must buy 8 cents
worth Of ginger to season with.
"You don't tell me that you put gin
ger in pumpkin piesY says Moses
"Of course"
'What fur?"
ITO add to their goodness"
"But II don't add to their goodness
not with folks who've got more TASTE
than COW! It's all fool bizness. and
where It started from I don't know. A
pumpkin pie Is pumpkin pie. and you
rant neither make gingerbread nor
bran soup out Of It."
His words made Adiniron mad. and
the two had jaw lastin' fur half an
hour. As both were church members
they didn't come to blows, but they
was never to be good friends ag'in.
The next time they met Moses Wheeler
tried to look as mean as he could and
stuck up his nose and said:
"Waal, Adiniron. are you turnin' out
many pumpkin pies with skunk's cab.
bage for seasonin' nowadays?"
Not many. Noses" said Adiniron,
with CLINT in his eye. only jest nun
to feed the town fool on"
That was the way the thing went on.
After three years of argument and dis.
pute Moses weakened enough to say
that leetle nutmeg grated into pump
kin helped the taste OF the pie, but be
wouldn't yield hairs breadth on GIN
ger II there was huskin bee. a
barn raisin' or log rollin' them two
men was allus there, and jest as soon
as they sighted each other the dispute
began. 1t finally split up the town
into gingerites and nutmegites. and
there was a heap OF hard feelin's, At
various times the ministers tried to
bring about a reconciliation. They'd
go to Adiniron aud ask him fur the
good Of the community to weaken on
his ginger. and they'd 60 to Moses and
tell him that II the spire OF the Bap-
fist church was ever to be finished
he'd got to let pumpkin pies so and
talk Of doughnnts or turnovers. Both
men would think 1t over and promise
and agree and shake hands the next
time they met and call 1t all of. They'd
meet at the postotfice. and they'd shake
hands and purtend to be sorry. but It
wouldn't be two minits before Adm
Iron would say:
Moses. reckon you've heard Of
that fellow Milton. who wrote Para
Use Lost
"Of course"
mighty smart man. wasn't heY'
"You bet
.'Waal. his wife used ginger In her
pumpkin piesr'
That would bust everything up agin.
ind the old quarrel would be resumed.
Ind probably at the next prayer meet
n Moses would ask heaven to bear
With them Of depraved tastes, and
Adiniron would appeal that them who
lidnt know nuthin' shouldn't be cut
vi in their ignorance like green bass
wood tree. II
It was only few nights ago that the c
nd came. Both men had got old and d
eebIe and ailin' in body. but their .
minds was still sot as hard as ever
Adiniron had been talkin' most all day
nth a windmill man. and Moses had
ad a tin peddler at his house over
light, and both had got a heap Of new
When they sauntered
nto the postoffice at o'clock Adm.
ron puts on grin and says: Ii
Moses, you've heard Of them pyra- N
nids of Egypt, reckonr' U
Know 'em like book" says Moses, U
but they wasn't built Of your kind of =
umpkin pies!" :
'No, they wasn't. but the men who te
uflt 'em was fed on my kind of pump W
In pies. I've got the fggers right here "
{ Jest how much ginger was used W
very week. II It hadn't been fur gin. NJ
Or there'd hev been no pyramids; new "
!. could hev been built on plain pump 70
In pies in all this world" a. =,
"Mebbe not" says Moses. but them D.
yramids are no great shakes. Mebbe m
~ are aware that Christopher Colum. CO
Is diskivered American"
1--WE heard So til
"And what did he do 1t on?" st
Ambition" o.
mot much! Adiniron Tompkins. I've ca
4 bar1s of proof right In my coattail va
'cket that he did 1t on pumpkin piesr hi
with ginger In emp IS,
''Not any-only plain" sp
II don't believe itr'
Then you're a mewlr an
Don't call me namesr' IN
And don't bristle up to mew ~
Then of a sudden Moses went white IN
the face and took on a queer look. Ia
d purity soon 1t was found that he ~,
d a stroke of paralysis They took
n home. and he died that night, but
1re passin' away be looked up at his
Re In a way that meant plain pump
] pies. Adiniron was Jest used up Ell
er H. He no longer had any one to
pute with. and even hghtnin' rod +,
n didn't seem to care a rap wheth- the
his pies were plain or Fingered. IL Co
sn't over a month before he was on Gle
dyin' bed. He was conscious TO -, ~
last. and the very last words be w
A WAS. rs