The Portland daily press., 1871-07-12


Everybody has heard, and great MANY
made use Of the expression, "the Devil and
Tom Walker" and yet we presume very few
know who Tom Walker was, or what relation
between him and the devil justifies this ire
quent association of their names. As the
most authentic account of who Tom Walker
was, We give the following interesting story
by the best writer America has ever produced
Washington Irving: .s..l. .,as
A STORY OF THE LAST cENruRv
As Tom waxed old, however, he grew tbousbt.
full. Having secured the good things of This
world he began to feel anxious about the next
He thought with regret on the bargain he
had made with his black friend and mt his
wits to work to cheat him out of his condi-
tions. He became, therefore, all of a sudden.
a violent church goer. He prayed loudly and
strenuously, as II Heaven were to be carried
Dy force OF lungs. Indeed one might always
tel when ne had sinned most during the week
fhss ss quiet G Christians who had been moasaissSg
ly and quitely travelling Zionward were struck
with reproach at seeing themselves 50 sudden
ly outstripped in their career by this new made
convert. Tom was as rigid in religion as In
money matters; he was a stern supervisor and
censurer of his neighbors, and seemed to
think every sin entered up to their account be-
came credit on his pages. He even talked of
the expediency OF reviving the persecution of
the Quakers and Anabaptists. f
Still, in spite of his strenuous attention to
forms, Tom had lurking dread that the dew
II, after all, would have bis DUE That he
might not be taken unawares, therefore, It Is
said he always carried Bible in his pocket.
He also had great folio Bible in his count
inn bnp 1ocH md ho fror ax,tl
reading when people called ON business; on
such occasions b would lay his green specta-
cles on the book to mark the place, while he
turned around TO drive some usurious bar
gain.
Some say Tom grew little cracked-braiAed
in his older days and that, fancying his end
approaching, he had his horse newly shod,
saddle and buried with his feet upper-most be-
cause that, at the last day, the world would
be turned upside down, In which case he
would find bis horse ready for mounting, and
he was determined at worst to give his friend
q run for it. This, however, is probably a
mere old wife's fable. If he really did take
that precaution it was totally superfuous-at
least so says the authentic old legend, which
closes his story in the following manner.
One hot afternoon in the dog days, just a.
a terrible black thunder gust came up, Tom
sat in his counting house in his white linen
on the point of foreclosing a mortgage by
which he would complete the ruin of an un-
happy specuator for whom he had expressed
the greatest friendship, The poor land job
ber begged him to grant few months in
diligence. Tom had grown tesiy and irritat-
ed, and refused.
my family will he ruined and brought up
on the parish" said the land.jobber.
"Charity begins at home" replied Ion
1 must take care of myself these nard sines;
You have made so much money our w0'
"sAd he, II have not made farthinp.n
Just then there we're three loud knocks .t
the street door. He stepped out to Zee who
was there. A black man with horse. which
stamped and neghed with impatience
Tom, you are called for" said the black
fellow gruftly. Tom shrunk back, but loo
late." BE had left his little Bible at the hot.
tom of his coat pocket, and his big Bible on
the desk, buried under the mortgage he was
about to foreclose-never was a poor sinner
taken more unawares. The black man whisk-
ed him, like a child, astride the horse, and
away he galloped in the midst of thunder
storm.
Such was the end of Tom Walker and his
ill-gOtten wealth.
The story has resolved itself into proyerb.
and is the origin of the popular saying preva,
lent throughout New England, the sDevil and
Tom WalEorO -