his wife. "Be you
goin' ter wait till yer neighbors put ye out of a bad business, an'
then try ter take credit ter yerself that ye gin it up? Wal, _I_
ain't!" cried the wife, with energy.

"We're goin' aout o' business right now! I ain't in no prayin' mood
terday--though I thank the good Lord he's shown me my duty an' has give
me stren'th ter do it!"

On the wall, in a "fire protection" frame, was coiled a length of hose,
with a red painted pail and an axe. Marm turned to this and snatched
down the axe from its hooks.

"Why, Marm!" exploded Lem, trying to get in front of her.

"Stand out o' my way, Lem Parraday!" She commanded, with firm voice and
unfaltering mien.

"Yeou air crazy!" shrieked the tavern keeper, dancing between her and
the barroom door.

"Not as crazy as I was," she returned grimly.

She thrust him aside as though he were a child and strode into the
barroom. Her appearance offered quite as much excitement to the
loafers on this occasion as it had the day of the tempest. Only they
shrank from her with good reason now, as she flourished the axe.

"Git aout of here, the hull on ye!" ordered the stern woman. "Ye have
had the last drink in this place as long as Lem Parraday and me keeps
it. Git aout!"

She started around behind the bar. Joe Bodley, smiling cheerfully,
advanced to meet her.

"Now, Marm! You know this ain't no way to act," he said soothingly.
"This ain't no place for ladies, anyway. Women's place is in the home.
This here----"

"Scat! ye little rat!" snapped Marm, and made a swing at him--or so he
thought--that made Joe dance back in sudden fright.

"Hey! take her off, Lem Parraday! _The woman's mad!_"

"You bet I'm mad!" rejoined Marm Parraday, grimly, and _smash!_ the axe
went among the bottles on the shelf behind the bar. Every bottle
containing anything to drink was a target for the swinging axe. Joe
jumped the bar, yelling wildly. He was the first out of the barroom,
but most of the customers were close at his heels.

"Marm! Yeou air ruinin' of us!" yelled Lem.

"I'm a-savin' of us from the wrath to come!" returned the woman,
sternly, and swung her axe again.

The spigot flew from the whiskey barrel in the corner and the next blow
of the axe knocked in the head of the barrel. The acrid smell of
liquor filled the place.

Not a bottle of liquor was left. The barroom of the Lake View Inn
promised to be the driest place in town.

Up went the axe agai