The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1918-10-29
LOOK OUT FOR
PETER PERKINS.
The story Of Man Who Came To.
by Abby Mcguire Roach.


They were saving hay and daylight,
and he was tired. Noon to nine was
some stretch to go without taking on
any fuel. Besides he was grouchy.
Jim had had to 60 of with the draft
that dayl
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 a man some platefull 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 supper |" he said. "Might as well
be some o. them Moo York swells--
dinner at nine and then on t a show
an dance"
"well, one more job t tn good,'
Mamie smiled. ITS like the service
flag painted on the big, white barn
would have another star put on it,
tn lady said tday-we are tn folks t
practice whut folks like her are
preachin'; and she said she didn't
know but whut ourn wus tn hardest
part.
81 went in with Jim, y know, and
afterwards 1 stopped by and heerd
tnat lady from tn other side that tn
Governments sendin round. My, but
It makes y 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 50 clearl
"She says tn war hasn't really
touched this country yit; we don't
know nothin' about smoke er blood er
havin' t. 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 a
lot O. them other places over there
they're Twin on stuff that we wouldn't
think was fit fer much of anything but
tn pigs.
'1She says we sent ten million tons
O. food over last year, but this year
It's got t. be fifteen million. We fed
a million an half O. our soldiers,
but next year it 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 luxuries
and extrys, er we will want, even eff
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
left from dinnerT Peter inquired
having just about demolished all OPP
position and looking for fresh terrain
to turn his attention to.
"Oh, Peter, you can't have dessert
twict a 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 tn
Government wants us t. save fer TIL
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 feller en- have anything he
wants t eat just SOS he don't want it
and It amt eatable. I'm sick t 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.
"Carin' more about all them other peo-
pie than about your own husband and
children Carin' 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
it. They couldn't git along without
us. Look out fer Peter Perkins Is my
motto. W've got T. do our work and
we've got t. have our food t do 1t on. "
'-Fh, lady said" Mamie spoke after
a moment in a quiet voice, that some
people seemed like they couldn't un-
derstand until 1t got them er some o
tn people they cared about. She said
that was why so many people was
just beginnin' t Internationally
in this country. But she said"
Peter had gotten up and was look
ing around him like a baited bun, and
Mamie rose, too. her voice urgent and
shaking q little with emotion, "she
said when anybody onct had seen I'll
understood, they couldn't never gil
away from ttinkin' about 1t, an
carin'; 1t was like havin' somebody o
their own in 1t; all them millions o
people over there, fghtin' and suffer
in an dyin', er sick and StarviD' and
homeless, while we only have t worl
4 little harder and eat httle more Of
q different kind o. food"
Observation-Disclosures Peter hall
laughed, half grOwled. He was look
ing in the safe and the bread box
YOU'D better let nae have 1t because
III find 1t. Pie or diei Pie at any
price for me III eat Jim's piece, now
fer him. TOUCH me anywheres else
but leave me easy in my stomick.
tell y that's where a man lives"
But Mamie would not smile. Sht
went over TO the cupboard where sha
had put PIE away for tomorrow's din
ner and got II and set It on the tabl,
before him. Then she wheeled ana
started into the other room. On tn,
verge 81 It's eminOus silence and Oh
security she paused. however, ant
tArned. The last Of the daylight wal
waning. and she looked bigger thar