Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-04-21
strobe through the rank grass he sang to
himself his favorite hymn:

There is fountain filed with blood,
Drawn from Emmanuefs veins;
And sinners plunged beneath that food,
Lose all their guilty stains"
His voice was far-reaching one, and as
it rang over the meadows it called up the
echoes from the dark, cool roads over on
the hillside. 1t reached the ears of Miss
Deacon Bulge, who was frying salt pork
and making milk gravy for her husbands
supper. 1t penetrated the dullest senses
of man lying prone upon his face down
by the brook in the southeast corner of
the lot-a man who had fallen and lain
there in stupor for hours.
AT the sound of the Deacon's voice he
staggered to his feet and looked about
him with bloodshot eyes.
"Lose all their guilty sta-a-ains,
Lose all their guilty stains;
And sinners plunged beneath that flood
Lose all their guilty stains"
came the triumphant voice. He was a
young man-not much more than boy.
was scanned and SCARED and had an old,
hard look. Just now it was flushed and
his eyes were bright and CLASSY He was
dressed in nondescript fashion-old
brown trowsers, tucked into high-topped
boots-a dirty corduroy .jacket-a red
handkerchief jauntily about his neck and
a broad-brimmed hat set rakishly on his
close cropped hair. He was very seedy and
picturesque and disreputable looking, and
he was shaking like leaf as the Deacon
drew near him.
GOOD evening, my son." said the Dea-
con, with his sunny smile. Evenin'? ?" said
the boy "Great God, is it evenin'? Wot
time is it. Shutdown! Fll be damned"
"Pm afraid We WILL answered the
Deacon, ''if We cuss like that. What on
airth's the matter ?'-for the boy had sunk
to the ground with groan.
Pm sick" he moaned. "Pm so sick.
Eve ben sick fur days. / can't ride no
more-I tell We | can't ride tonight"
q haint asked We to ride" said the
Deacon, as he Bnelt down beside him and
looked into the feverish face and marked
:" an what's more, | haint goin' to ask
no sech poor, sick crittur to ride nothin.'
Who be We, anyhow ?"
"Signor Rinaldo Roudinell," murmured
the boy.
"What" CALCULATED the Deacon.
champion bare back rider of the
world" he went on, half unconsciously.
=" Vas, I'm coming-wait, can't yer, till /
get my trunks on?7 then suddenly rous-
ing, he added: Bill Edwards outside de
tent"
"Outside the tent" the deacon asked
wonderingly
Vas, de tent-de circus, yer know.
l belongs ter de circus, curse de luck and
he sank back on the damp grass with a
shudder
The Deacon involuntarily drew away.
The boy lying there so sick and helpless
did not see the movement of repugnance.
He moaned and stretched out his long,
thin, dirty hand, as if reaching for help
The Deacon looked at him. A circus
rider A hard case, no doubt. The
scratches and seams and scars on that face
did not mean innocence. What should he
do? Go for the doctor? Evidently the
boy was sick and suffering the long,
gaunt hand thrown out on the velvet moss
twitched nervously. Deacon Budge's eyes
fell on tit was such thin handsome
way it looked as if it had never held any
of the comforts of life-the Deacon's big,
generous palm suddenly closed over it with
a gesture of protection. At the touch the
boy opened his eyes; the Deacon smiled
down at him and said:
Don't We think we can git up, my son,
an come up to the house with me an have
good strong cup of tea an suthin to eat,
an then we'll see what's best to be done %
Signor Rinaldo stared at the Deacon q
moment, then silently accepted the out
stretched hand, and with its assistance got
on his feet. Then the Deacon put his arm
around him as tenderly as he might about
his own son, and half-led, half-carried him
to the farmhouse.
The amazement of Mis- Deacon Bulge
when she saw her consort approaching,
holding most dilapidated stranger in bis
brawny arms, may be imagined.
Lordamassy p she cried, in a shrill
voice In the name of all horned cattle,
what We got thar-a trampY
One of the circusers," ironically re-
sponded her husband
GA circuserp screamed the good woman,
in the same accent she would have en-
ployed had the Deacon announced that he
had invited the father of all evils to drop in
to tea. The horror in her tone of voice was
SO palpable that it seemed to amuse the
sick man. He opened his eyes languidly
and said:
Don't yer be ska't, ole LADY, shan't
eat YER" and then promptly and quietly
tainted away.
That was quite enough for Aunt Betsy
Bulge She flew around, as she ex-
pressed it, like hen with her head
cut off, In about five minutes she had
Signor Rinaldo's feet in hot water, mus
tard on his chest, and the kitchen reeked
with the strong perfume ofhartshorn, cam
pho, arnica and bYrntfeathers. The instant
he recovered consciousness, she poured
down him cup of her very best catnip TIA,
and she would have followed this with a
prompt dose of thoroughwort and penny
royal had not the Deacon interfered.
Don't kill him the very first thing" he
said, with twinkle in his kind eyes.
He's dretful sick boy, Ebeneezer' said
Mis- Bulge.
Vas" said the Champion B. B. r.,
I'm sick, but Pve got ter git ter head
quarters, bouts quick's | kin 90 dere,
Yer see dey sent me dis mornin' ter find a
stream ter water some of de horses at, an
remember findin' q brook down dere in dat
medder, an | don't remember no more till
| heerd some singin. You've been awful
good ter sech a ehump as | be, an ! must
be goin' now, fer l've missed one show, an
I'll ketch it, yer kin bet"
He rose to go, but staggered, caught at a
chair and steadied himself with it. "Won'
they let We off, SEEM ye're so sick?" asked
the Deacon.
'Let me off! not by =" He stopped
suddenly and looked at Aunt Betsy. She
was regarding him with anxious motherly
eyes. She was plain woman, dressed IL
a neat gingham gown and snowy apron,
but there was certain homely dignity
about her which Signor Rinaldo recog-
nized, and he did not finish his sentence
He clapped on his battered hat and reeled
toward the door. The Deacon hesitated 4
moment, then said. decidedly:
wait bit; if ye're determined TO go,
my son, FL go with ye"
"You, Ebeneezer cried his startled
wife. "Yhat viii folks say Pin the
church ?-an' the pasture-O! Deacon,
think twice"
"If l thought twenty times, Betsy
calmly replied the husband, 81 couldn't
think no different. That air boys nc
more fit to go ont alone than nothin' in
the world, an / don't see my dooty clear
TO lei him, an I've made up my mind to
| 90 along with him an take lSeer IF hin,