Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1883-08-09
TIRE STAGE DRIVERS STORY.

An Deacon Smith piouS man
J kind o guess you'd seldom find
4 levclcr head O the orthodox plan,
Or much more regular turn o. mind.
Scripture he d quote by book an verse,
From Adam and Eve to Revelation:
An as for the hymns he'd rehearse,
When once set goin tud beat creation.
An when the Summer come reekin' hot
An things in the city war kind o. bilin'.
An the whirlin wheels o life he'd got
Rusty an stiff an wanted 'ilin';
Then, board nd go up an nary one
O all them homesteads in yonder vale
As wasn't crowded an overdone =,
By folks come from town by rail.
No depot you say? | ruther guess not;
But twenty miles over Greylock hill =" '''' .
BY Glenway creek-you know the spot
Close to where Hulburt owns the mill
Stood tumble e-down shanty as ever seen, =.
An the deacon staged over there last season
In kind o. Ramshackle batting machine . !
As he called "A coach-'thout rhyme or reason.
Now the deacon druy waIl-eyed mare,
A heabtten gray, IA useful critter,
As ud do twelve miles wiout turnin' haiar. i.
less nor a hour if he would but hit 'er.
But the deacon was slow an methodical some,
An the beast got inter the way o. her master,
Till you'd think to see her joggin' to hum
At ten-forty gait as she couldn't go faster. y.
Wall, one day last Fall the down train brings
A young city sport-a glorious being.
Fixed up wi watch chains pins an rings ~ IN
Like a jewery store gone out a spreein', I'D.
An he off wi the deacon over the hill
An they fell a-talking o. gettin religion;
An this here young chap he argyed until
The deacon sot ruff ID like moulin pigeon.
He gev him Bob Ingersoll not an strong
lie dosed him wi Darwin's Evolution;
An prayers in the public schools was wrong;
An he'd hev no God in his Constitution.
An he talked O advancement an Reasons Age,
An his tongue on like streak O. lightnin
An the deacon was bilin' oyer wi rage
An his lips grew white an sbreath kept tight
min.
Fur he hadn't the words to answer him back,
Though his hair was liftin' mis- hat Wi horror,
As the young un' KEEP the inside track,
An poured out his vials O sin an sorrer.
Then the deacon thought he'd give him away
An put a stop to his high-fallutin',
So he let tne whip into his flea bitten gray,
An away down hill went the critter scootin.
guess twas a sight to see the old stage
Rock like ship in a stormy ocean,
An, the gray mares heels-wall. I'll engage
She can kick like a mule when she's got the
notion.
Then white death grew that young mans face,
An he clung to the seat in desperation,
An he prayed the deacon to slacken the pace,
But the deacon was sot on his SOUL salvation.
Dye believe in ADAM" he screamed in his ears
-In Ewes temptation an Noan's story?
In Methuseah ivin' eight hundred years.
An Elijah a-ridin' to heav n in glory?"
Il DON'T" yelled the youth. But there lay just
there
corderoy road over which they flew, sir,
Which shot the poor lad clean up in the air,
An when he lit down, says he II do sir ~
Now the deacon made him eat every word
Take all of it back AS he dard to say,
An promise he'd ne'er again be absurd
As to sneer at religion in that sort O. way,
Then the gray mare stopp'd an that child o sin
Started afoot to his distant goal,
While the deacon druv on wi plrcid grin,
Right pleased to have saved an immortal soul.