The Carolina Spartan. [volume] (Spartanburg, S.C.) 1852-1896, 1892-09-07
4 Calf Story.
AND THE GOOD DEACON THAT SOLD A
MATCH FOR A DOLLAR.
By Ex-Gov. JOHN P. ST. JOHN.

Lords side at once in this business,
and quit trying to carry the saloon on
one shoulder and the church on the
other, my friends. Thew wont ride to-
gether longer.
Let us see. heard of fellow out
West who owned calf. That is moth
ing new, because l knew man ont
there who owned two, and the man
had a ten year-old boy, and the boy
carelessly let the bars down and let the
calf out of the lott did tn 1t once my
, self over in Indiana when l was boy,
and have not forgotten it yet. My
| father did not grow in grace at that
time. can feel it to this day. And
the calf strayed on the railroad track
and an engine came along and struck
him and doubled him oil up, and =
was not worth anything as calf after
| that, and the owner of the calf was
| somewhat vexed. He was not very
particular whether the "sun went down
on his wrath or not and he sued the
railroad company, and after lawlng
away the price of hundred calves, the
company beat him-as the company
always beats man who sues for the
price of calf-and the fellow got mad
| der and coming bone from the trial he
I said to the old church deacon: "Dea-
con, am going to get even with that
railroad company"
How" said the deacon.
81 am going to burn the bridge across
the chasm just outside of town"
why" said the deacon, 'you would
never do that, would your"
Yes" he said, II don't propose to let
any rich corporation run roughshod
over me-"
And the next night, the deacon in
telling his wife about it said the o!d
fellow intended to burn the bridge that
| night at 8 O'Clock, and the time came
around. and the wife, who was mem
| Der of tie Woman's Christian Temper
ance Union. said they had better so
down and see about it, but the old dea-
| con said he would not burn it, he was
inst in a passion when he said he would.
"Wcll," she said, ''let us go down an'
see about it anyway" So they started
down towards the bridge, and sure
enough the fellow was there and had
lust finished saturatinga a portion of the
bridge with kerosene oil, and just as
| they reached him he felt in his pocket
and found that he had forgotten to
bring matches. He turned to the dea-
| con and asked him for match aid
the deacon said:
What are you going to do with the
match ?'
"Going to burn the bridge" said the
man, las l told you last night l
would"
WELL" said the deacon, 'now pro-
pose to show you the difference between
! a man who has made his peace with
.f,... >,... ....,. >. :.,.-.. ..I.s. t1-'S
| loan you a match TO burn the bridge,
said the deacon, II would be as guilty
as you are"
WE'LL" said the fellow, "deacon You
need not get on your ear about IT,
There are plenty Of matches. l VIII
have them if L want them. You know
there is no doubt about that. Why dea-
con, know where l can buy matches
at different places, right here in the
village. You can't suppress the sale OF
matches, deacon, and we must have
the matches, and we want them now,
Now" said he, deacon, want one bad
and want it just now. will tell you
what | will do, deacon, will give you
a dollar for a match"
"Wen," said the deacon, "are you 60
ing to burn the bridge anyway"
"Why, yes" said the fellow, Il told
YOU last night l would burn it and yoI
might just as well have little revenue
as ANYBODY out Of this transaction,
don't you seer Exactly SO; l am going
to burn it anyway"
"Well," said the old deacon, if you
4 are going to burn it anyway, that puts
an entirely different light upon the
whole question"
And he reached in his pocket for a
match and his wife caught him by the
coat tail, and said, Here, husband,
YOU would not sell the. man match,
wauld you, to be used in burning the
bridge?"
| And that broke the deacon all VI,
and he said, Nancy, that is just the
way with you Christian Temperate &c
Union women. You are lot of cranks
and fanatics and always going to ex
tremes in everything. 1t is your busi
ness to attend to household affairs and
| it is my business to provide for the
family. aud when l have an opportu
nity to make an honest dollar, don't
want you to come around and put youl
oar inn And he hands over the match
to the man, and the man passes hin
back big wagon wheel silver dollar
and as the deacon shoves it way dowr
in his pocket at point where he ah
solutely knows that it can't get awa'
when his wife is mending his pant
pocket, he then turns to the man an'
says:
"Are you going to burn the bridge!
"Why, of course l am" said the man
That is what bought the match for
"Well," said the deacon, may do'
have mercy on your soul. l wash M
hands of the whole business"
/ And the match was lighted and tn
7 bridge is ablaze and the cars come alon
at the rate of forty miles an hour an
9 dashed into the cavern and one hui
dred lives were lost!
Who is guilty when 1t comes to tn
3 Judgment bar of God? The man VIII
sold the mrtch is just as guilty as tn
man who lighted and fired the bridge
1.-The Statesman.