Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-10-01
amt praying" but very soon it was
decided that he was .ssinoin of hime -

| AANooeSC.E LII lOt q VIM " NIL hAAA
boys, I'll leave life in his rotten old carcass
but that's all. If any of you'n want tt
hear Old Sledge preach you'll have to g
ten miles from the roads to do it.
Sow Y and solemniy the preacher came
As he drew near he narrowed down hi:
! tune and looked kindly upon the crowd
a heavy suit of dark brown hair, but niS
face was clean shaved and showed nose
and lips and chin of irmness and great de
termination.
Look at him, boys, and mind your
eye" said the horse thief.
Where will | find my friend, Bill
Jones? inquired Old Sledge.
All round they pointed him to the man
Riding up close he said: my friend
and brother, the good Lord has sent me tc
you, and ask your hospitality for myself
and my beast, and he slowly dismounted
and faced his foe as though expecting a
kind reply.
The crisis had come and Bill Jones met
it.
You internal old hypocrite; you Gus
! sed old Sawed faced scoundrel; didn't you
know that | had swored an oath that |
would make you sing and dance and whip
you besides if you ever dared to pizen these
| crossroads with your sboetracks? Now
| sing, id you, sing, and dance as you
sing" and he emphasized his command
with ringing SLAP with his open hand
upon the parson S face.
Ola Sledge recoiled with pain and sur
prise.
recovering IN moment, he SAID:
Well, Brother Jones, | did not expect
so warm a welcome, but if this be your
crossroad manners suppose must sing, y
and as Devil Bill gave him another slap
on his jaw he began with:
My soul, be on thy guard.
And with his long arm suddenly and
swiftly gave Devil Bill an open handler
that nearly knocked him off his feet, while
senor voice:
Ten thousand foes arise.
Never was lion more aroused to frenz7
than was Bill Jones. With his powerful
arm he made at Old Sle6ge as If to annihi,
late him with one blow, and many horrid
| oaths, but the parson Tended off the stroke
as easily as a practiced boxer, and with his
| left hand dealt Bill settler on his peppers
| as he continued to sing:
Oh, watch and fight and pray,
AND the battle ne 'er give Ger.
But Jones was pluckv to desperation
| and the settlers were watching with bated
| breath. The crisis was at band, and he
squared himself, and his clenched fists flew
thick and fast upon the parson's frame,
| and for time disturbed his equilibrium
and his song. But he rallied quickly and
| began the offensive DIS he sang:
| Meier think the victory won,
Nor lay thy armor down
| He backed his adversary squareIy to the
wall Of his shop. and seized him by the
| throat and mauled him as he si.ng:
Fight on, my soul, till death
Well, the long and the short of it was
that Old Sledge whipped MIN an humbled
him to the ground and then lifted him up
and helped to restore him and begged a
thousand pardons.
When Devil Bill had retired to his house
and was being cared for by his wife; Old
| Sledge mounted a box in front Of the
grocery and preached righteousness and
| temperance and judgment to come to that
| people.
He closed his solemn discourse with a
brief history of his own sinful life before
his conversion and his humble work fo1
| lhC Lulu CNC1 SluCc, anu uc teSOuSub LIE
| bearers to stop and think. stop, poor
sinner, stop and think he cried in
alarming tones.
There were a few men and many omen
in that crowd whose eyes, long unused tc
the melting mood, dropped tears of repent
ance at the preacher kind and tender ex.
hortation. Bill Jones' wife, poor woman
and crept humbly into the outskirts of the
crowd, for she had long treasured the
memories of her childhood, when she. too
had gone with her good mothe to heal
preaching. In secret she had piued anG
lamented her husbands hatred for reig
ion and for preachers. After She had
washed the blood from his swollen face
and dressed his wounds she asked him il
she might go down to hear the preacher
For minute he was silent and seemed tc
be dunn with amazement. He had never
been whipped before, and had suddenly
/ lost confidence in himself and his il
fidelity.
go long, Sally" he answered, ''if ht
can talk like he can fight and sing, maybe
the lord did send him. It's all mighty
strange to me, " and nc groaned anguish
| His luminosity seemed to have changed
into anxious wondering curiosity, anc
after Sally had gone he left his bee
and drew near the window where he coulC
| hear.
Old Sledge made an earnest, soul reach
ing prayer, and his pleading with the
| Lord for Bill Jones salvation and that Of
! his wife and children reached the window
where Bill was sitting, and he heard it
His wife returned In tears and took a sea-
beside him, and sobbed her hearts dis
! tresS but said nothing RiiI hOre II for
while in thoughtful silence, and ther
putting his bruised and trembling hand in
hers, said:
sally, if the Lord sent Old Sledge here
and maybe he did reckon you had oct
ter look after his horse - And sur,
enough Old Sledge stayed there that nigh
and held family prayer. and tn,
next day he preached from the piazza to
| great multitude, and sang his favorit
| hymn.
| Am a soldier of the Crosse
And when he got to the third verse hi
| untutored but musical voice seemed to b
| lifted little higher as he sang:
| Sure L must fight if would reign,
| Increase my courage, Lore.
Devil Bill was converted and became
changed man. He joined the church. an,
closed his grocery an helped to build
meeting house, and it was Away
said and believed that Old Sledge maule
the grace into his unbelieving soul
and 1t woul never have got in an
other way.-Blll Arp in Atlanta Constitu
ton.
THE DERVISHES.
An Afternoon With the wailing7 an