The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-03-06
THE REV. JOHN SMITH.
BY Wallace p. Reed.

support church with regular pastor.
Occasionally, when travelling preacher
came along, services were held in the school
house, but as Walton was in sterile district,
remote from railroads and telegraphs, it was
not often that the people had the pleasure Of
hearing good sermon.
When the Rev. John Smith visited the
place, one summer, and made it known that he
would probably remain several weeks for the
benefit of his health, there was general re-
joicing.
AS a matter of course, the newcomer was
invited to preach in the little schoolhouse, and
ibis ready consent pleased everybody
The parson, as they called him, was perhaps
fifty years old, but his long, straight locks
hanging down over his shoulders were as black
a. jet His complexion resembled that of an
Indian, and his tall, 1.-THE figure and erect car
riage would have attracted attention anywhere.
His large, black eyes were singularly bright
and piercing, and his strongly marked features
gave evidence of superior intelligence, courage
and firmness.
Parson Smith had very little to say about
himself. He was an evangelist he said and
had been engaged most OF his life in the far
west.
81 have never carried any letters of intro
duction or recommendation" he said with a
sad smile to young Henry Walton. "Why
should I? When a man is so unfortunate as to
be named John Smith his identity is lost, and
he is COMPOUNDED with host of other John
Smiths"
Walton laughed, and agreed with him He
was not very favorably impressed with the
stranger, but he felt that it was his duty as the
son of the founder of the place to treat all Wis
Stors kindly and Hospitality. So the very first
Sunday, Walton made the parson go home to
dinner with him.
1t was a great day for pretty Mrs. Walton,
and she was in flutter OF excitement until.
the guest took his leave.
ooh, Henry" she said, as soon as the evan
gelist was outside of the gate, ''what awonder-
full preacher he is!''
81 don't know" replied her husband doubt
fully; sit seemed to me that his voice had a
false ring. He talked we'll, but he was not
earnest enough
"But his face, Henry, and his soulful eyes"
"His face" said Walton, rehectively, ''re-
minds me of another face. Let me see-oh,
yes. it is the exact imageof Satans face. You
know we saw it in a panorama last year.
With slight frown, and gesture of depre-
cation, Mrs. Walton left. the. room.
1.-THE poor man can't help his looks, '.ssaid
Walton to himself, "but if 1 had met him on
lonely road before / found out that lie was
preacher, I'd have been. tempted to shoot him,
just on general principles; for he does look
dixie Satan, and there is no denying it,"
Despite his peculiar and forbidding appear
ance, the Rev. John Smith managed to get
along very well with the villagers. Some of
his sermons excited surprise, but his hearers
concluded that he knew morelabout the gospel
than they did, and they were slow to criticise
him.
AS the weeks rolled on, Walton became con-
scious of a great change in his wife. Her
whole mind appeared to be concentrated upon
religion. She quoted Parson Smith frequently,
and it was easy to see that she attached great
weight to even his lightest word.
Henry Walton was somewhat puzzled and
amused He was hearty, manly fellow, ard
he was so busy with his farm, and saw mill,
and mine, that he had little time to think
about home matters.
"If the parson converts the little woman, it
is all right" he thought; "but should think
that his devils face would counterfeit all his
eloquence."
Gradually it came to be a common thing for
the parson to call and sit for an hour or so on
the piazza with Mrs. Walton during the long
summer afternoons. Sometimes Walton found
the two together when he came home, but it
was his custom, after exchanging few words,
to excuse himself and pass on into the house.
81 can't talk about church Matters he said
to his wife, "and you can. So you will have
TO entertain the parson."
1t would be hard to tell just when it began
to dawn upon Henry Walton that something
was wrong at home. He felt it in the air. His
wife wore a sad look III his presence, and more
than once she told him that he belonged to the
ungodly and was on the broad road TO de-
struotion.
Walton smarted under this little. He did
not consider himself a saint but he knew that
he was tolerably good fellow.
Come, now" he said to his wife one day,
i"don't pile it on so heavy. don't like it,"
Mrs Walton looked up to the ceiling, shook
her head sorrowfully, and then walked away.
= Her husband gritted his teeth.
''I'll take hand in this business hereafter"
he muttered
After that he kept his eyes wide open, and it
was not long before he saw some very unpleas-
ant things.
He noticed the close intimacy existing be-
tween his wife and the parson. 1t was not
exactly loyer-like, but it was mysterious. The
evangelist had a way OF leaning over and talk
ing in low tone 10 his pretty convert, and
once Walton saw him slip paper into her
hand
The little 1ool!'' groWled w alton 'She
IS 50 innocent that she does not know how such
"a thing looks. know that she means no
harm. and / can't talk to her about it; but
lznust stop this
After the two had separated the dissatisfied
husband saw that his wife had dropped the
paper on the piazza. lie walked to the SPOT
and looking down, saw printed tract Of a few
pages bearing the title: "a Vindication Of
Polygamy."
J "The Internal, impudent scoundrel." snort
ed Walton.
Then he walked away, and out OF the corner
OF his eye he saw his wife return, and with an
anxious glance in his direction, pounce down
npon the tract, and retire
For the first time since the advent OF tine
parson into the community Walton began to
entertain vague fears ol--he hardly knew what.
He knew that his wife was true to Linn, and
yet he felt that she was being misled in some
way, and that some disaster was impending.
One afternoon lie came home and found his
wife absent lie needed a missing key, and in