The Tipton advertiser., 1877-05-03
came flying through the main street
on horseback, shouting,

iOi All tuc otilcT ltsteiItFs NtFe Iiiett vi
some means, and stockholders in the
mill.
"Here.n shouted the deacon, cutting
the cords of a nest of pals; take
buckets along with you; like enough
it'll need everybody's help, and the
mills only half insured, too! Parson,
would you mind sittin' here until my
boy gets backa I'm losin' enough to-
day without having to shut up store,
too"
Certainly, I'll stay said the old
preacher, limping to the front of the
store and laying his hand on the
shoulder of the troubled storekeeper;
"but, Brother Jones, il the light of
that burning mill should show you
anything inside of yourself, don't COW
er your eyes. It's for righteousness
sake ask it.'
"All right, Brother Brown" whis-
pered the deacon, as he started off with
two water pals in each hand, and MUIR
mering, "What did the old fellow
mean by that, | wonder:" Across
the street was Squire Tomple, just
jumping into his buggy, and the dea-
con made haste to accept an invitation
to seat beside his fellow sufferer.
The two stockholders did not lack
company; Crupp, Judge Macdonald,
and most of the other stockholders
either preceded or followed them,
and on the road were hundreds of men
and boys, full of an enterprising d.
sire to see the largest fire that ever oc-
CURED in Barton, and already expert
encing such of the pleasures of antici-
patton rs heavy column of smoke
could create. Coming in sight of the
mill itself, the deacon groaned, and
the squire assisted him, for the flames
were bursting from every window,
and men who had been passing water
up ladders and through the stairways
had been driven from their work. and
but steadily widening. Considerable
of the wool had been removed a.d
stacked outside the building, and it
now became necessary to remove this
still farther away, but SO many hands
were ready to seize it that Deacon
Jones could not relieve his feelings by
even attempting to save property; so
he stood still and looked at the fire as
he estimated his losses. Such day
he had not known since he had lost
considerable uninsured stock by the
explosion of river steamboat. Sid
ling uneasily about among the crowd,
he found several stockholders anxious
ly comparing pencil notes, and the
figures were anything but consolatory;
supposing all the stock to be saved
there was yet the mill and machinery
value, about ten thousand dollars
which would be totally lost; insurance
five thousand dollars; dead loss, ditto;
which left the squire out Of pocket to
the extent of a quarter Of his subscrip-
tion. The small profit which had al
ready accrued would not more than
cover the loss of interest on the re-
naming capital until the mill could
be rebuilt, if it seemed advisable to re-
build it.
"Who's to blame for all this - ask
ed the deacon angrily.
I'VE haven't learned vet, = said the
judge, "and I'm afraid it won't help
matters any to know all about it.
There goes the last of il -
As the judge spoke, the blazing
frame fell, the small boys shouted
ooh HI" in chorus, and the deacon 5
heart sank like lead as he turned
away. lie had lost, say, a hundred
and fifty dollars by the fire, and Tom
Adams misfortune would entail ad-
ditional loss upon him, for new man
would have to be watched and taught
and helped, whereas Tom worked easi-
ly rs the wheel of a machine. 1t was
but right that the deacon should regret
his losses; for though he was man
OF considerable property dollar look
ell very large to him, for the reason
that his first dollars had each one rep
resented an enormous amount of labor.
But when Lawyer Bottom, who had
invested in mill stock only with the
hope of profit, approached the deacon ;,
and asked, "How about temperance
now, deacon" the facial contortions
which the deacon offered in reply sent
the lawyer away in an ecstacy Of un-
holy glee, which almost eradicated his
own sense of loss, and which diSpelled
for time such little beliefas he had
in the Transforming power of religion.
But what is one mans poison is an
others food. The lawyers question
was not entirely disposed of by the
deacon's ungracious reply it repeated
itself time and again to the old man
and at the most inopportune times and
places; it came to him behind the
counter, and made him give wrong
weights and measures, with the bal
ance not always in his favor; 1t came
to him when he was making entries
i'm his day-book, and caused him to
forget certain items; ut his own dinner
table it suddenly made itself heard,
and interfered with his relish of the
good viands which he SO much enjoy
ed; it dropped in upon him in his
dreams, when he could not be on his
guard against his better self, and ex-
tracted from his conscience a provok-
ing line of answers which i'm his wax
ing hours he could not gainsay. For
three days this depressing experience
continued, and then there occurred, at
the regular weekly prayermeeting of
Parson Wedgewell's church, an cpl
sode which for months caused mourn
full reflections i'm the minds of such of
Parson Wedgewell's parishioners as
were not in the habit of attending
prayer-meeting. 1t was noticed by
the faithful that Deacon Jones looked
unusually solemn and sensitive as he
entered the room, and that he did not,
as had been hitherto his habit, start
the second hymn. This omission hav-