The Owosso times., 1881-07-22
QUICKLEDGE PARTNERS.

1t was certainly very odd partner
ship. Scholars, men of the world and
rowdies may be found in many climes;
but it is not so easy to find a deacon, a
scholar, man of the world and a row.
dy associated as business partners; still
harder is it to find such quartette liv-
ing peaceably together in one small
house, and eating their meals from the
same table. Yet Deacon Purkiss, Pro-
fessor Bagg, Major Wynde and Joe
Backsey were the sole, joint and equal
owners of the Quickledge Claim, and
resided together in a small hat as am
icably-blessed be the amenities en-
forced by lucre-as if they had been
lifelong acquaintance.
The deacon was a man of means; the
professor was metallurgist; the major
was an excellent manager and general
business man, while Joe, who original
ly discovered the "indications" at
Quickledge, and disclosed them to his
partners, received one-fourth of the
profits of the concern for services al
ready rendered.
The deacon was extremely religious,
as rightly became deacon, the profess
ser was a churcn member in good faith,
the major was man of high moral
tone but Joe was neither moral, relig-
iOus, nor a church member. He was
gOod-natured, generous, honorable,
brave, healthy and handsome; but his
ideas of the application of said princi-
pies were lamentable in the extreme.
He despised an indolent man as hearth
ly as did either the deacon, the major,
or the professor; but Joe thought that
poker playing for forty hours on a
stretch was industry of the most ad-
mirable sort. Joe considered theft an
abOminable vice; but to help himself to
horse which some other rowdy had
stolen somewhere was perfectly legit-
innate operation. He agreed with the
deacon, that murder was most horri-
BILE crime; but the earnestness of his
depreciation was rather modified by his
maintaining that to shoot a man for
cheating at cards was not only an ex-
cusable act, but very necessary one
Once month the accounts of Quick
ledge Claim were settled, and a di-
vision of profits was made. Three of
the partners deposited their gains in
the Spurtip National Bank; but Joe's
were always carried to Sorrel's "Pride
of Spurtip" saloon, where they disap-
peared under the influence of cards and
bottles. During the progress of this
funding operation, which usually con-
sumed from three days to week, Joe's
place at the table remained untitled,
and the deacon's pious ears were un-
tortured by JOe's good-natured mis-ap.
plicatiOn of the scriptural language
but, when his money was gone, Joe
would return and lead so exemplary a
life that the deacon could almost be.
lieve that Joe had met with a change
But after several repetitions of Joe's
peculiar method of spending the month,
the deacon determined that a genuine
change of heart was what Joe needed
The deacon spoke to the professor
about it, and the professor agreed with
him. The deacon spoke to the major
and the major thought reformation
would work wonders on Joe. Then
the deacon and the professor and the
major discussed the matter together
over beans and corned beef. and imme.
diately there was discernible the first
coolness that had ever existed between
the owners Of the Quickledge Claim
Why need men display their worst pas
sions in defence of their purest ideals
is impossible to explain. Certain grave
authorities have declared that it is due
to the uninvIted presence of the arch
enemy of souls; while there have beer
shrewd observers who maintained that
an inherited essence called ''Old Adam
is the real cause. BE that as it may, il
is certain that the partners ended the
discussion barely in time TO avoid bad
feeling, and that each one understood
that il Joe was to be turned from the
errors of his ways, it must be brought
about by the understanding member
himself without any assistance from
the other two.
On the next morning, as Joe sat de
vouring pancakes and .molasses lony