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"But you didn't lose the ten dollar coin he gave you before that to change at Lem Parraday's, Mr. Narnay?" she said slyly. "I guess ye do know about it," said the man, eyeing Janice curiously. "I can't tell you much, I guess. Only, you air wrong about me passin' the first coin. Jack did that himself and brought back to camp a two gallon jug of liquor."
Scattergood had viewed so recently: "Of course, there isn't a word of truth in it?" "That Hopewell's become a toper and beats his wife?" chuckled Walky. "Wal I reckon not! Maybe Hopewell takes a glass now and then I dunno. I never seen him. But they do say he went home airly from the dance at Lem Parraday's t'other night in a slightly elevated condition. Haw! haw! haw!"
Uncle Jason had a chance to sell his sheep-lot at such a price that his cupidity was fully aroused. But the buyer did not care to close the bargain if the town went "wet" in the Fall. Naturally Mr. Day's interest in prohibition increased mightily. The visiting young people would have liked to hold dances in Lem Parraday's big room at the Inn.
The gossip regarding Hopewell Drugg's supposed fall from sobriety was both untrue and unkind. That the open bar at Lem Parraday's was a real and imminent peril to Polktown, however, was a fact now undisputed by the better citizens. Janice had sounded Elder Concannon on that very Monday when she had brought him home from the Trimmins place.
'Live and let live, is a good motto; but it is foolish to let a mad dog live in a community. Lem Parraday's bar is certainly doing a lot of harm to innocent people." Janice clapped her hands softly, and her eyes shone. The school teacher went on with increased warmth: "Polktown is really being vastly injured by the liquor selling.
Some of these old soaks around town will be glad to ride home under cover after a session at Lem Parraday's place. Think of Walky as a 'nighthawk'!" and Marty, who was a short, freckled-faced boy several years his cousin's junior, went off into a spasm of laughter. "Don't, Marty!" cried Janice, in horror. "Don't talk so lightly about it! Why, it is dreadful!" "What's dreadful?
"Did I say I was in the habit of going into Lem Parraday's bar and spending my month's salary in fiery waters?" "Oh, but Nelson! You don't approve of the use of liquor, do you?" "I'm not sure that I do," returned the young man, more gravely. "And yet I believe in every person having perfect freedom in that as well as other matters."
But you kin take it from me Marm Parraday is quite in her us'al form. Doc. Poole's a wonderful doctor ain't he? "But," pursued Walky, "I had a notion that old fiddle of Hopewell's would be safer outside than it was in Marm Parraday's way, an' I tuk it down 'fore I fled the scene of de-vas-ta-tion! Haw! haw! haw! "I run inter Joe Bodley on the outside.
"Now Lem Parraday's opened that bar of his'n an' he'd oughter be tarred an' feathered for doin' of it I 'spect Hopewell will be hangin' about there most of his time like the rest o' the ne'er-do-well male critters of this town, an' a-lettin' of what little business he's got go to pot." "Oh, Miz Scattergood," said Aunt 'Mira comfortably, "I wouldn't give way ter sech forebodin's.
The boys were made very ill by the quantity of liquor they had drunk, and although they denied that they had bought the stuff at the hotel, it was soon learned that the supply of spirits the boys had got hold of, came from Lem Parraday's bar. One of the town topers had purchased the half-gallon bottle and had hid it in a barn, fearing to take it home.
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