The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1889-10-26
L ON nv SATAN.

uoF - 8DGhoA Ah0018oG Co08
Prom the Chicago Ttsnes.
IL was nearly midnight. I had been
working hard all The evening, and after
putting away my hooks and papers ]
threw myself on N sofa, ton weary 10 go tn
he'd. The silence and the warmth Of the
fire had q soporific effect upon me-, aud
from u revcric I clipped into q drowse. /
had slcpt perhaps an hour when I was
wakened by q noise, and sprang up % find
. strange man reposing comfortably i'm
the easy chair by my side.
Somehow ! was not startled, or even
surprised. IL never occurred Tn me 20 ssis-
pert that he might have unlawful designs
upon me or my property. ] fell back u
curious combination ~ ~ appearance.
He had the nose Of u pawnbroker, the
keen eye and plausible air Of n con
man, the knowing look of n divorce law
yer. and was dressed like . society dude.
He seemed wonderfully at home and eva:
IDENTITY didn't consider that his unexpected
call tr~anscendlesl the rules of propriety i'm
the least. C~'rasping sny hand he cordially
'Sorry tn disturb you. old fellow. I
know you were having ~ delightful nap,
thirsting for information Of q certain
kind, and seeing a light In your sanctum
! couldn't resist th., desire TO drop in"
that Hannah Maria had forgotten to
fasten up the house?
"Oh. 1 always dispense with little form
alities-such IN ringing or knocking" he
airily returned. ~ have - faculty unusual.
but very convenient, Of passing through
Is evident You don.t rec"eni.e me, my
friend. The truth is'--and he approached
and whispered onildentiaily in my car
1 jumped hack. II l hadn't been fright
cned before ! was now, i'm good earnest.
majestic at any time. Indeed / held Sc
TO have him appear withou. warming and
the least. I was 40 ratified that I couldn't
even act the part of host and offer him the
ho~nitaii.y Of. hs place: Blu. he was equal
stirred the dying embcrs into q blaze,
heaped ON more coal. and then lighting a
cisi n:a he r e. siar nass i" hi hi. s chair ,.,a,x.
..I'm not half SO bad a fellow AS you think
I am. / haven the slightest notion of
Srns,rG sin Se arr aws: y as sn smoL sas awhile Shs
in silence, and then observed:
you hicagoans seem 70 be very much
attending church, hut I understand that
the minis.ers are p~reaehins about me.
"They are discussing your personality
1 replied. regaininR my sclf-possession
and sitting down again.
with some curiosity.
s"Som of them maintain that you're a
veritable individual, and others affirm
you're as thin and intangible as the evan
They're both right rejoinesi the dev-
vi when MIN m sl.1srr 1 mx al ar w,,i' e as yo%in Ia, S@%
act later on. But no matter about that.
Why are the ministers qIarreling over
await their consideration? What the
devil do they care about my corporcity!
It's ridiculous. They might as well be
writing learned dissertations upon the
length of my horns, the size of my lioofs,
or the fiy-dispeliing qualities of my tail:
nay" "VveiI .y you see," answered. Startled
by his irascibiiity. and ci~sicnvoring to
put the case a. mildly and dclicately as
bc at the bottom of pretty much of all the
mischief going. and naturally We feel a
That where you're wrons,'' interrupt
ed the devil. with some heat. 'I'm tired
OF being the scapegoat for all humanity.
You commit crime and heap the respoI-
sibility on me because you're too cow
ardly to bear il yourselves. I'm a pretty
good fellow, and can prove II by the very
book from which you get most of your
Information concerning me. i never did
anything worse than to affiict job with "a
This constant Remuneration makes me
ired."
He snorted quite ferociorsly for a mo
of his coat-tails, as il he were lashing his
caudal extremity i'm his wrath. But he
cooled down presently. and said i'm IA re-
"Thcsc ministers are strange folk. Now.
I do ~ good deal of skirmishing around i'm
u quiet ann utlOttesttltlDlS way. Being
able to make myself invisible at will, /
can go most anywhere without creating "a
fuss. And l see great sights, i tell you
lights that would make Your heart ache.
I've found ssamstrcsses working day and
night for wages that would barely suffice
to keep the breath of life in their bodies,
stool this evening beside one as she sat i'm
her little room, bending her pale face over
her needle, shivcrinR with cold, longing
for the good her inccssant labors would
not bring. And"
"But what has all that To do with the
question ?" !
"Simply this" returned the devil, where
there is so much suffering i'm the world,
why don't the ministers hold il up before
their congregations instead of pratng con-
tinually about me!"
Probably they think these. minor de-
tails not worth ~ulcntioning,' ! answered.
They're lighting you because you're the
root of all evil, you know."
But the devil paid no attention to my
words. .If they would only follow the ex-
ample of my friend InRersoll." he said,
half To himself, 'and refuse To wear ready
made shirts until the women who make
them are adequately paid. i would be 81
least q step In the right direction" He
paused to light a fresh cigar and then
broke out with his customary ab~ruptness:
'.Consider the children, too. why,often
1 have found the hungry, ragged little
a