The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1879-10-24
LEADYILLE PREACHER.

4 correspondent of the Carbon (Wyom-
ing) Journal gives the following account
Of a sermon preached in Leadville by
Faro Bill. = a reformed gambler. The
text was the beautiful story of the Pro
diral Son and however rough the man
ncr Of the speakeraud however grOteSqUo
his words NAV have been. his appeal had
far greater weight with his hearers than
if it had been clothed il the most polish
ed dictiOn
'FelIow citizens, thepreacher bcin' absent
it. falls on me to take his hand and play it
fur all ii is worth. You all know than Tn
lust lCarnin' the game, an of course may
be expected to make wild breaks but don't
believe thar'S q rooster in the camp mean
enough to take advantage O my ignorance
and cOld-deck me right on the first deal
I'm sincere in this new departure, an be
lieve that / have struck game that ] can
play clear through without cOpperin' a bet,
fur when man tackles such layout as
this he plays every card to win, an II he goes
through the deal as he oTter do, when he lays
down to die. an the last case Is ready to
slide from the box, he can call the turn every
time.
q was readin' in the Bible to-day that
yarn about the Prodigal Son, an want to
tell YOU the story. The book don't give no
dates, but il happened long, long ago. This
Prodigal Son had an old man that put up
the coin every time the Kid struck him for a
stake, an when he died he intended to give
all his wealth to the kid and his brother
Prod gave the old man a little game O. talk
one day, and induced him to whack up in
advance of the death racket He no soon
er got his div in his fist than he shook the
old man an struck out TO take in some O.
the other camps He had way-up time
fur a while an slung his cash to the front
like he owned the best payin' lead on earth :;
but hard luck hit him a lick at last an left
him fat. The book don't state what he
went broke on, but l reckon he got steered
up agin some brace game. But, anyhow, he
got left without a chip or four-bit piece to
90 an eat ou. An old granger then tuck
him home an set him to hertlin hogs, an
hear he got so hard up and hungry that he
piped of the swine while they We're fePdin,
an he stood in with 'em on q huSk lunch
and says to himself, says he, Even the Old
mans hired hands are livin' on square grub,
while I'm Worrying along here on corn huSks
straight I'll jist take grand tumble to my
self an chop on this racket at once. I'll
skip back to the governor and try to fix
things up, and call Tor new deal : so of he
started.
''The old man seed the kid comm, and
what do you reckon he done? Did he pull
his gun an lay for him, intending to wipe
him as soon as he got into range Did he
call the dogs TO chase him of the ranch2-
Did he hustle around for q club and give
him stand of at the front gate2 Eth? Not
to any alarming extent he didn't, No, sir
The Scripture book says he waltzed out tC
/ meet him, and froZe to him on the spot, and
kissed him, and then marched him off to a
clothing store and fitted him out in the mob
/ lest rig to be had for coin. Then the old
gent invited all the neighbOrS and killed
fat calf, and give the biggest blowout the
/ camp had ever seed.