The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1883-09-08
TIE STAGE DRIvER,a STORY.

| s
All Deacon Smith was a p.ons man
| kind o. guess 81 you'd seldom Aud
| leveler head o. the orthodox plan
| Scripture he'd gu tie by book ansVersa.
From Adam and Eve 10 Revelation;
An as for the hymns he'd fehearse
When once set goin t'ud beat creation.
An when the summer came reekin' hot.
An, things in the city we're kind o. bilin'
An the Within wheels o. life he'd got
Rusty an stiff an wanted Him;
Then board I'D go up an nary one
O. all them homesteads In yonder vale
AS wasn't crowded an overdone
By folks As come down from town by rail.
No depot. you say? ruther guess not:
But twenty miles over Grayionk hill,
By Glenway creek-you know ta8U SPOT
Close to where Hulburt oWnn the mill
Stood a tumble-down shanty as eyer seen.
In kind O. Ran,sn ackle SattisiE mac;ai1s
As he called coach-'thout rhyme or reason.
Now the deacon druv wall-eyed mare,
iea.b bitten gray. useul critter
AS nd do twelEe miles wi'out turnin' haiar
L less nor a. hour, If he would but hit 'er
But the deacon Was slow and methodica, some,
An the beast got into the way o. her master,
Till you'd think to see her Jog Gin to hum
At q ten forty gait as she could't go faster
Wall one day last fall the down train brings
city young sp0rt-a glorious being
Fixed up wi watch chains pins an rings
Lie jewelry store gone out spreein',
An ne OH WI the deacon over the htll
An they fell a-talking o. gettin' religion:
An this here young enap he argyed u ntii
The deacon sot rutf7d like moulin pigeon.
He gev him Bob Ingerso,l hot an strong;
He drSed him wi Darwia's evolution;
An prayers In the public schools was wrong
An he'd hev no God in his constitution
An be talked o. advancement in Reasons Age
An his tongue ran on like a streak O. Hghtnin'
An the deacon was biliu' over wi rage
An his lips grew white an his breath kept tight
min.
Fur he hadn't the words to answer him back
Though his hair was liftiu' his hat wi horror,
As the young un' KEEP the inside track.
An poured out his vials on sin an sorrer.
Then the deacon thought he'd give him away
An put stop to his high fallutin'.
So he let the whip into his flea bitten gray
An way down hill went the crittsr scootn'.
guess 'twss sighsto see the old stage
ROCK like a ship IN stormy ocean.
An the gray mares hees-wal III engage
She can kick like mule when she's got the
notion.
Then white as death grew that young mans face:
An he clung to the seat In desperation,
An he prayed the deacon to siacken the paca.
But tho deacon was sot on his souls salvation.
"D'ye believe In Adam? be screamed in his ears.
"In Ewes emptaton an Noah's story7
In Metbuselah livin' eight hundred years.
An Ettsh ridin 10 heaven in gloryT'
Il DON'T" yelled the youth But there lay just
A corderoy road over which they few, sir,
Which shot the poor lad clean up in the air,
An when he Lit down, says he II do, siri"
Now the deacon made him eat every word
Take all of 1t back as he dard to say,
An promise he'd neer again be absurd
=, AS to sneer religion In that sort O way.
T@en the gray mare stoppd an that child o. ain
Started sfoot to his distant goal,
While the deacon druv' on WI placid grin,
Right plea-ed to have saved an immortal soul.