The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-07-19
THF DEACON'S PLOT.

matters about without letting other
folks know how the thing was done
When a man is accustomed to have his
own way, he makes up his mind pretty
easily, but there was one point of all
Others, upon which Deacon Pilsey had
been set and fixed for years, and the
care of which lay heavy on his mind,
for the time had come when, in his
Judgment, something deep required to
be planned and all his skill exercised
in carrying it out. To mind like his,
that had taken a perfect measure OF
every thing in. the village, and for
miles around it, there could be little
difficulty in selecting his tools and
assistants, and he had no need of
counselors. That was how he came to
be talking SO confidentially with Joe
Gaines, as the two stood by the yard
gate.
| "Why, Deacon" says Joe, 'I al
ways thought you liked Bob Hum
phrey. He's a tiptop fellow, and a
good match for any girl know Of"
$50 be is-so he is" replied the
deacon. "Can't say word agin him.
Know him from boy. Can't forbid
him the house, or any of that scrt of
nonsense; but, then, he can't have
Irene Wyer."
~ don't see how you'll help it,
deacon. You're only her guardian,
and she is about of age"
| "Not for year yet-thaps how the
will reads-and she's in my own house,
you know. / guess l can fix some
things, specially if you'll turn in and
help me. You're a lawyer, Joe Gaines,
but you're young one yet, and I'll
| give you the fattest fee you ever dream
ed of you'll only hitch teams with
me, and see that Bob Humphrey don't
get the upper hand"
"Well, if that's what you're after, so
it's all right and square, I'd as lief
earn a fee one way as another. What's
| your programmed"
"Well, you know there's nigh on 10
| thirty thousand coming to Irene
| Wyer, i'm her own right, and Pve took
the best kind o. keer of it. It's been a
| mighty sight of trouble, and all along
| I've thought of my son Scott"
"ScOtt Pisey?" interrupted Joe.
"Why, he's i'm California"
"He won't be long. He's comin'
home inside o. six months, and i want
to keep Irene safe for him. They used
to be wonderful thick, and he writ to
her regularly ever so long after he
went away, and so did she to him."
"Do they correspond now?" said
Joe.
"No, not now. That's the rub.
That's one reason Pm looking out so
sharp after Bob. Now, want you to
just take holt and try and keep Bob
off till Scott gets back. 'Twon't be for
long, and Irene amt such bad COM
pany anyhow"
~ don't know" said Joe. "There's
Maggie and her mother. l couldn't be
particularly attentive to Irene without
their knowing it. And Bob Hum
phrey I'll be around most the time, and
it won't be long before l have the
whole village taking the matter up"
"Never mind that, Joe, never mind
that. It'll be all right when Scott
gets home. Pll give you the biggest
kind of fee."
"Well, Deacon" toolly replied the
case, but I'll take it on one condition"
"What's that?"
"Why, so long as it's only fun, and
all that, I'll go ahead, but if it seems as
If was doing any harm, anything
real bad, You know, Pm to be at liberty
to back out.n
"Well, don't mind, so long as you
let me know in time"
And SO the deacon and the lawyer
discu>se their plot to their satisfaction,
and when all was settled the latter took
his own way down the broad and
grass-grown street TO the village.
1.-The old sharkw he muttered as he
strolied leisurely along. "What on
earth put it into his plotting old head
to pitch on me for his tool? He never
was moIe IAN half decent to me before.
recl on I'll earn my fee, but I'll be
fair aud square with Bob Humphrey.
What would Irene say if she knew
what was up? Wouldn't those black
eyes of hers strike fire"
Now, it happened that of late, un-
known, perhaps, TO the deacon, there
had been growing up more than little
closcness of intimacy between Joe
Gaines and Bob Humphrey, and that
it was treachery 10 his friend as well as
unfairness to the pretty heiress, to
which the young lawyer had allowed
himself to be bribed by the deacon's
promished fee.
A deep fellow was Joe Gaines, and a
marvellous manipulation of social affairs.
Again and again, rs days and weeks
and months went by, did Deacon Pill
sey congratulate himself OH his adj
mirable selection, and chuckle in his
inmOst being as he witnessed the well
contrived success of JOe's maneuvres.
There were picnics and drives and
parties, and entertainments of various
kinds, but in vain did Bob Humphrey
invite or propose; the young lawyer
was sure to be beforehand with him,
and it almost seemed as if sweet unas-
suming quiet little Maggie Pilsey her
self, the deacon's daughter, had joined
the secret league against her friend
Irene, so often was some excuse de-
vised by which she was made to APP
pear in the latter's stead.
Then, too, there were the home even
ings at the deacon's house, when the
subtle-minded old plOtter could have
hugged himself with satisfaction as he
sat by and witnessed with his own eyes
the admirable manner in which Joe
Gaines worked for his fee.
at takes lawyer, after ALL" said
he TO himself. II don't care much |
what he charges. / only hope he'll |
keep it up that way till Scott gets
home again. And then see Bob Hum |
phrey! Why, the feller's got the per-
severance of the saints, but he amt no. |
where with Joe Gaines.n
As for Irene Wyer herself, her red |
lips laughed and pouted, and her bright |
black eyes sparkled and deepened, and |
her life seemed flowing onward very |
pleasantly, as if no deep-laid plots and |
schemings had any power over her
happiness. Moreover, through it all |
Joe Gaines seemed to maintain the |
most complete external semblance of
frank-hearted friendship with Bob |
Humphrey. Odd as it may seem, the
young lawyer also found that his |
practice had undergone very sensi- |
BILE increase, caused mainly by the |
warm, though covert, encomiums
which the good deacon's heart COM
PEELED him to utter here and there, i'm
his keen appreciation of his young
friends tact and management.
"Time will fly, however, and the |
mails brought at last to Pilsey home
stead the welcome news that its absent |
hope and heir would shortly return. |
There were letters from Scott Pilsey to |
his mother, and his sister Maggie, and
to Irene Wyer, and even to his old |
cronies and school-mates, Joe Gaines |
and Bob Humphrey, and to each he
had doubtless some matter of special