Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1891-08-28

N"' ~ pay nun lor MS pnsultlnH mes
sage. I'm not a-gwine to kill him, boys
IN leave life in his rotten old carcass, but
that's all. II any Of youn want to hear
ga Sledge preach you'll have to 40 ten
miles from the roads to do it,"
Slowly and solemnly the preacher came
AS he drew near he narrowed down his
tune and looked kindly upon the crowd
lie was massive man In frame, and had a
heavy suit of dark brown hair; but his
face was clean shaved and showed nose
and lips and chin of flrmness and great de-
termination
Look at him, boys, and mind your eye,"
said the horse thief.
Where will | find my friend, Bill
Jonesp" 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 to you,
and ask your hospitality for myself and
my beast" and he slowly dismounted and
faced his foe as though expecting kind
reply.
The crisis had come and Bill Jones met IL.
You Internal old hypocrite; you cussed
old shaved faced scoundrel; didn't you
know that | had swored an oath that |
would make you sing and dance and whip
you besides il you ever dared to pizen these
crossroads with your shoetracksS Now
sing, ID you, sing, and dance as you
sing" and he emphasized his command
with ringing slap with his open hand
upon the parsons face.
Old Sledge recoied with pain and sur
prise.
Recovering in moment. he said
well, Brother Jones, | did not expect 10
warm welcome, but If this he your cross
roads manners suppose must sing" 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
the parson continued to sing In splendid
tenor voice:
Ten thousand foes arise.
Never was lion more aroused to frenzy
than was Bill Jones. With his powerful
arm he made ut Old Sledge as II TO annihi-
late him with one blow and many horrid
oaths, but the parson Tended off the stroke
a. 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,
The battle ne'er give DER.
But Jones was plucky TO desperation,
and the settlers were watching with bated
breath The crisis was at hand, and he
squared himself, and his clinched fists flew
thick and fast upon the parsons frame,
and for time disturbed his equilibrium
and his song. But he rallied quickly and
began the offensive as he sang;
Meier think the victory won,
Nor lay thy armor down
! He backed his adversary squarely to the
wall OF his shop. and seized him by the
throat and mauled him as he sang:
Fight on, my soul, till death
Well, the long and the short Of It was
| that Old Sledge whipped him and hum
bled him to the ground and then lifted
him up and helped to restore him and
begged thousand psrdons.
When Devil Bill had retired TO his house
and was being cared for by his WIFE, Old
| Sledge mounted 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 for
| the Lord ever since, and he besought his
| hearers TO stop and think. stop, poor
] hluucIt supp anu lHluhI ue CTltu III hltffI-
] ing tones
There were few men and many women
/ in that crowd whose eyes long unused TO
| the melting mood, dropped tears Of repent
| ance at the preachers Kind and tender ex-
| hortation. Bill Jones' wife, poor woman,
had crept humbly into the outskirts Of the
| crowd, for she had long treasured the mem
| Dries Of her childhood, when she, too, had
/ gone with her good mother 10 hear preach
| ing. In secret she had pinned and lamented
/ her husbands hatred for religion and for
| preachers. After she had washed the blood
| from his swollen face and dressed his
wounds she asked him IL she might 20
/ down and hear the preacher. For a min
ute he was silent and seemed 70 be dumb
with amazement. He had never been
whipped before, and had suddenly lost
I confidence in himself and his infldelity.
Go long, Sally" he answered, ''if he
can talk like he can fight and sing maybe
the Lord did send him. It's all mighty
strange TO me, I" and he groaned In anguish
His animosity seemed 10 have changed into
anxious wondering curiosity, and after
Sally had gone he left his bed and drew
near TO the window where he could 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 IL
His wife returned in tears and took a seat
beside him, and sobbed her hearts dis
tress, but said nothing Bill bore II for
awhile In thoughtful silence, and then
putting his bruised and trembling hand In
hers, said:
Sally, IL the Lord sent Old Sledge here,
and maybe he did, reckon you had better
look after his horse" And sure enough
Old Sledge stayed there that night and
held family prayer, and the next day he
preached from the piazza TO a great multi
tude and sang his favorite hymn:
Am a soldier Of the Cross1
And when he got to the third verse his
untutored but musical voice seemed TO be
lifted little higher as he sang:
Sure must fight II would reign,
Increase my courage, Lord.
Devil Bin was converted and became a
changed man. He Joined the church, and
closed his grocery and helped TO build a
meeting house, and IL WAS always said and
believed that Old Sledge mauled tho
grace into his unbelieving soul, and II
would never have got In any other way
] Bill Arm I'm Atlanta Constitution.