The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-10-30

 conclusions. it was this very proh1bi- tion question that was disturbing Anderson Crow. He sauntered into the Banner office late one afternoon in May and planked himself down in chair beside the editors desk. There was @ troubled look in his eyes, which gave way to vexation after he had made three or four frultless efforts to divert the writer's attention from the sheet of "copy paper" on which he was scribbling furiously.
 well, sir, what's on your mind7 Besides your hat, mean. You look worried"
 .'I just want to ask you If there's anything in this new prohibition amendment against apple cider?"
 Not that I'm aware of"
 well. do you know it's impos- sible to buy good eatin' or cookin' apple In this town today, Harry Squires?"
 "You don't say sol"
 Anderson was silent for moment or two, contemplating his foot with singular intentness-
 Was you ever drunk on hard cider?" he inquired at last.
 "Yes," he said. with considerable force. "Ill never forget 1t. You can get tighter on hard cider than any thing else I know of."
 well, there you are" exclaimed the Marshal. banging his gnarled fist on the arm of the chair And as far as I c'n make out, there ain't no law aginst cider stayin' in the barrel long enough to get good and hard, an what's more, there ain't no law ag'inst sellin' cider, hard or sweet. Is there?"
 'I get your point, Anderson. Ap- parently we are to have a shortage of dried apples this year, with an overflow of hard cider instead. By George. it's interesting. to say the least'
 "Yes. sir. Specially If you've got trees that bear in the fall Fall apples make the best cider. They ain't so mushy. And as fer the Teller that owns a ciderpress, why. dog gone 1t. he ought to be as rich as Crowsis."
 "of course," said Harry, you un- derstand you can't very well manu- facture hard cider and sell 1t ana still retain your untarnished reputa- ton as a defender of the law" "I'm not hgurin' on maxim hard cider" said Anderson, with some 1rri tation. You don't make hard cider, Harry. It makes itself. Whats wor- rying me is what to do about all these other people around here. If they all take to maxim cider this fall--or even sooner-an' If they bottle or cask 1t proper-we'll have enough hard cider in this township to give the whole state of New York the delirium trimmins."
 "I don't see that you can do any thing. Anderson" said Squires, lean ing back in his chair and pufiing at his pipe You can't keep people from making cider. you know" People are 80 all-fired contrary" Anderson complained. For the last fifty years the citizens of this town and its suburbs have been dead set ag'inst liquor. But now look at 'em! The minute the Government says they can't have it, they begin movin' things around in their cellars SOS to make room fer the barrels they're going to put in An any day you want to drive out in the country you c'n see farmers an hired men treatin' the apple-trees as if they was the tenderest plants a-growin."
 'It's up to you to frustrate their nefarious schemes. The fair name of the Commonwealth must be pre- served"
 Marshal Crow arose. The fire of determination was in his ancient eye.
 "you leave 1t to me-" said he. and strode matestically from the room.
 He chanced to encounter Deacon Rank in front of the Banner office.
 sI--I got to step in here and pay my subscription to the Banner" said the deacon.
 Well. that's something nobody'll believe when they hear about it," said And erson.
 Times have been 30 doggoned hard fer the last couple of years. I amt really been able to. Everything costs so much these days" protested the deacon. T ain't had a new suit of clothes for seven or eight years. My wife was sayin' only last night she needed 6 new somethin' she can wear nii the year round but goodness knows this ain't no time to be thinkin' of hats" "she ain't had new hat fer ten lysars." interrupted Anderson. Nc .I;T%MAgE