Licking Valley courier., 1918-11-14
LOOK OUT FOR
PETER PERKINS
The Story Of Man Who Came 10.
BY Abby Mcguire Roach.


any fuel. Besides he was grouchy.
Jim had had to go off with the draft
that day
Mamie, who was watching, had his
meal on the table by the time he
was ready. She had had hard day
herself, what with Jim and the house
and the babies. But she was there
with the goods-hOt stuff land she
shore gave man some plateful! Pc
ter felt the comforting effects Of that
meal before he had gotten at it.
And still he had to have his growl
"Fine time. o. day t. be settin' down
t. support" he said might as well
be some O. them Moo York swells-
dinner at nine and then on t. show
an dance"
AWell, one more job t. tn good
Mamie smiled IT'S like the service
flag painted on the big, white barn
would have another star put on it,
tn lady said t'day--we are th' folks t
practice whut folks like her are
preachin'; and she said she didn't
know but whut ourn wus tn hardest
part.
II went in with jim, v know, and
afterwards l stopped by and heerd
tnat lady from tn other side that tn
Governments sendn' round My, but
IL makes " understand lot better
and brings things closter t y, t. hear
somebody talk like that, that's edu-
Gated, an as been there, and en- make
is all so clear!
"She says tn war hasn't really
touched this country yit; we don't
know nothin' about smoke er blood er
havin { do without, not really. Why,
she says in her country tn little chill
dren have been savin' their sugar fer
their soldiers, and in ROOshia and
lot o. them other places over there
they're livin on stuff that we wouldn't
think was fit fer much of anything but
tn pigs.
"She says we sent ten million tons
o. food over last year, hut this year
It's got T. be fifteen million. We fed
a million an Il half o. our soldiers
but next year II will be twict as many,
besides all them other people behind
tn lines
"She says we've just got t. cut out
--more-waste an all these luXurles
and extrys, er we will want, even Of
we haven't done 1t yit, an everybody
else willard git licked, tOo-yit--
with Jim In it-ef we don't do our
part in every way"
"Where's that half o. pie that was
niRft from dinner?" Peter inquired,
Ging just about demolished all op-
4ian ND looking far tres terEain
to turn his attention TO-
"0h, Peter, you can't have dessert
twlct dayl Whut was just tellin'
y? Pie takes sugar and pie takes
-four and pie takes shOrtenin', and "
know it's all them things that TIL
GOve'ment wants us t save fer tn
soldiers an tn other people over
there"
"Oh, fer tn Lords sakew Peter
broke out. Food, food, food and
money an other people ever sence
tn start o. this damned war. Seems
like u feller en- have anything he
wants { eat just SOS he don't want II
and 1t amt eatable. I'm sick I death
o. food"
"COrn-bread and vegetable and fruit
and eggs and milk and chickens"
Mamie murmured.
But Peter was In no mood TO listen
"Carln' more about all them other peo-
pie than about your own husband and
children Carln more about them
people over there than about all us
people over here! We're just as i'm.
pOrtant as anybody. We do just as
much. We do just as much as the
soldiers. Jim says so, and you know
II. They couldn't git along without
us. Look out fer Peter Perkins Is my
motto. W've. got L do our work and
we've got T. have our food t do II on '
9TH, lady said,' Mamie spoke afte,
a moment In a quiet voice, that some
people seemed like they couldn't un.
derstand until II got them er some o
tn people they cared about. She said
that was why 50 many people was
just heglnnIn' T. Internationally
In this country. But she said"
Peter had gotten up and was look
ing around him like a baited bull, snG
Mamie rose, too, her voice urgent anC
shaking little with emotion, "sht
sald when anybody onct had seen el
understood, they couldn't never XII
away from thinkin' about 1t, an
carin'; II WAS like havin' somebody o
their own In 1t; all them millions o
people over there, bghtln' and suffer
in an dyin', er sick and starvin' an'
humeless, while we only have T. worl
little harder and eat little more o.
a different kind o. food"
"Where's-that-pls7". Peter hal
laughed, half growled. He was look
Ing In the safe and the bread box
"You'd better let me have 1t becaus,
I'll find II. Pie or die Pie at an!
price for me! I'll eat Jim's piece, nov
fer him. Touch me anywheres else
but leave me easy in my stomick.
tell y that's where a man llves.'
But Mamie would not smile. Sh,
went over to the cupboard where sh
had put pie away for tomorow's din
ner and got II and set II on the tabl
before him. Then she wheeled an,
started into the other room. On tn
verge Of It's omlnous silence and oh
scurlty she paused, however, an,
turned. The last of the daylight WI