Janice saw that her
eyes seemed quite wild in their expression as she pointed a trembling
finger at the gilt sign at the corner of the house, lettered with the
single word: "Bar."

"With that sign a-swingin' there, Janice Day?" she whispered. "You air
wishin' us prosperity whilst Lem sells pizen to his feller men?"

"Oh, Mrs. Parraday! I was not thinking of the liquor selling," said
Janice sympathetically.

"Ye'd better think of it, then," pursued the tavernkeeper's wife.
"Ye'd better think of it, day and night. That's what _I_ do. I git on
my knees and pray 't Lem won't prosper as long as that bar room's open.
I do it 'fore Lem himself. He says I'm a-tryin' ter pray the
bread-and-butter right aout'n aour mouths. He's so mad at me he won't
sleep in the same room an' has gone off inter the west wing ter sleep
by hisself. But I don't keer," cried Mrs. Parraday wildly. "Woe ter
him that putteth the cup to his neighbor's lips! That's what _I_ tell
him. 'Wine is a mocker--strong drink is ragin'.' That's what the
Bible says.

"An' Lem--a perfessin' member of Mr. Middler's church--an' me attendin'
the same for goin' on thutty-seven years----"

"But surely, Mrs. Parraday, you are not to blame because your husband
sells liquor," put in Janice, sorry for the poor woman and trying to
comfort her.

"Why ain't I?" sharply demanded the tavern-keeper's wife. "I've been
Lem's partner for endurin' all that time, too--thutty-seven years.
I've been hopin' all the time we'd git ahead an' have suthin' beside a
livin' here in Polktown. _I've been hungry for money_!

"Like enough if I hadn't been so sharp after it, an' complained so
'cause we didn't git ahead, Lem an' Cross Moore wouldn't never got
their heads together an' 'greed ter try rum-selling to make the old Inn
pay a profit.

"Oh, yes! I see my fault now. Oh, Lord! I see it," groaned Marm
Parraday, clasping her trembling hands. "But, believe me, Janice Day,
I never seen this that's come to us. We hev brought the curse of rum
inter this taown after it had been free from it for years. An' we
shell hafter suffer in the end--an' suffer more'n anybody else is
sufferin' through our fault."

She broke off suddenly and, without looking again at Janice, mounted
the steps with her broom and disappeared inside the house.

Janice, heartsick and almost in tears, was turning away when a figure
appeared from around the corner of the tavern--from the direction of
th