Connecticut western news., 1892-11-24
ANGELS.

Angels, Strangerf l thought uY course e7erybody'd heerd that yarn Tell yer? Why. sure: but let's liquor again, n I'll raminiscA
 Yer Sec, twas afore Angels got to be sech . big camp as twas later on, but it was . rich camp h mighty wicked one There were lots uv chaps there who'd jest, as soon die in their boots as eats n ,everytothers house was, g dance houss TOT . saloon TOT gambling hell. Pretty Pete n his pardner, Five Ace Bob, was reckoned the wickedest men in the state. n old Bill Jones, what kept the Golden West hotel. had na- tional reputation for cussin.
 11'The idea of a,yparson striking the camp never was. thought uvs but one day. l was playing bank into Pete's game. when Five Ace came runnin in n sez: Boys, I'll be =, but there's an ornery cusa of a parson jest rid up to Jones'. He's got 8 pardner with him, n he lows he's goin to convert the camp The - he is,' sez Pete. I'll finish the deal n go down and see about that
 50 we all walked down to Jones' n thar, sure huff, in the bar, talking with Old Bill, wuz the parson, black coat n white tie n all He was big, squar shouldered chap, with black beard h keen eyes that looked right through yer. His pardner was only a boy of twenty or 50, with yeller curly h'ar, pink h white gals face n big blue eyes. We all walked in, n Pete he stands to the bar n shouts fer all hands ter drink, n to our surprise the parson n the kid both stepped up n called for red flicker n drank it.
 After the drink was finished the parson sex: Gents, as yer see, I'm a minister of the Gospel; but 1 see no harm in man drinking ez long ez he ain't no drunkard. drank just now because 1 want you to see that am not ashamed to do before yer face what I'd do behind yer back Right yer are, parson. says Pete; put it thar;' n they shook hands, n then Pete he up and called on the hull ,gang-Five Ace D Lucky Barnes n Dirty Smith n one h all the rest nv 'em. The parson shook hands with all uv us, n said be was going to have meetin in Shifty Sal's dancehouse that night, ez twas the big n We sed we would.
 .tWhsn we got outside Pete ser, Boys, yoa mind mo, that devil dodger'l cap turs the camp, n he did. That night I've all wont along down to Shifty's n found the parson n the kid on the platform where the fddlers ust to sit D every man in camp wux in the au- disucs. The parson spoke first He sed: tGents. 1 want to tell yer first oil don't E want any uv yer dust. I've got enuff fer myself n my young friend. 'n there won't -be no rakeof in this yer meetin house, dn Pm not here to preach against any mans way O making ivin. will preach ag'in' drunkenness, D shall speak privately with the gamblers; but 1 want to keep you men in mind uv yer homes s'n yer mother n yer wives T yer sweethearts, n get yer to lead cleaner lives, so's when yer meet 'em ag'in yer'n not hev to be 'shamed. h then he sed we'd hev song, n the d concertinA h sang Yes, We Will Gather at the River; n there wuzn't one of us that it didn't remind uv how our mothers ust to dress us up Sundays n send us to Sunday school, n stand at the door to watch us down street T call us back to ast if we were sure we had our clean pocket handkerchur, n toll yer, mister, thar wuznt Q man witt dry eyes in the crowd when he'd finished That young feller had vice like ( angel Pete he sed it wuz tenner rice but Five Ace offered to bet him a hun dred to fifty it wux more like 2 ffteenel or . twenty Pete told. Five Ace he wu, a- old fool n didn't know what ht wux tall<in about.
 Well, things run along for about { week, n one day Pete como to me anc sez: Look here. Ralters, this yer camp ain't no jay camp, n we've got to hev { church fer the parson. He's 8 jim dandy and won't ask for nothing. He'd jes natchelly go on prayin and preachin I tryin to save . couple of whisky soaked souls like yourn n Bill Jones'. whicl ain't wuth powder to blow 'em to - n you'd lot him go doin it in that olt 1 shack of SaPs n never make a move l Now I'm goin to rustic round "a dig ul dust enuf foom the boys, and we'll jes build him meetin house as'n be credit to the ca.np;' n in 8 few days tn, boys he'd . good log meetin house built noored "a benches in it n everythin.. ;,'The parson- WAS tickled most t, death. Next they built him house, I he n his pardner moved into it. Thel ]. Pete said the gals must go; sed it wuz dead, rank, snids game to work on tn
 parson ter hev to go down street D b guyed by them huasies cn. they did gu,
 him awful sometimes, tool, 70 the gal
 they went. Then Pete .sed ths churcl
 he'd to be, properly organized; he'd t
 hsv deacons "a church wardens "a se1
 tons n things; 90 old Bill Jones n Als
 bam wuz made deacons, n Psts
 Five Ace was church wardena.
 "In month every last man in cam
 wuz worryin bout his future state. Ol
 Bill Jones came into meetin one nigh
 with his face n hands washed n an ol
 black suit on, n sot down on the am
 ious bench n ast to be prayed fe1
 The parson knelt down n put his arr
 around him, n how he did pray. Bs
 fore he got through Lucky Barnes, Als
 bam n me wuz on the bench too,
 Pete showed his Chinaman up the aisl
 by tho collar n sot him down 1ongsid
 O me. Pete said he was high tone
 Christian gentleman himself, he'd bee
 born n raised Christian n was senio
 church warden to boot, n that he
 make Christian of An Foo or spoil
 Chinaman-
 "Waal, stranger, things run alon
 nice n smooth fer 8 couple uy months {
 SO till Chris'mus comes nigh The boy
 he'd been a-keepin mighty straight; thel
 wasn' man in camp that drunke
 more'n wuz hullsome fer him; thel