The Portland daily press., 1892-06-09

S~N s~N~-O
whin wasn't Christian fo' shucks, and
could lay cut regiment of 'em, two at
a time. They kinder 'spects, and mebbe
they're not so fur outen the way, that
thar's a right smart of the old Adam
about me yit. Now eff yo' think that
the good Lor would ruther yod stay
right har and do yo'r plum squar jooty.
I reckon yo'll find me on his side and
yo'rn, let the wind blow high or the
wind blow low. And bless the God of
Israel, Father Peters, thar's my hand on
hit"
The two men shook hands, and then
they knelt down and, to use Bradley's
expression, ''wrastled powahfully with
the Lor in prayah."
This conversation was had on Friday
and the following Sunday being a pleas
ant Indian summer day, the people be-
gan to swarm down from the hills earlier
than usual, and the old clergyman noted
with pain that nearly all the men car
ried their rifles, habit that he had in
duced them to give up for some years
before the war.
Heretofore these people, for whom he
had toiled SO long and so hard without
any compensation, always saluted him
with a boisterous heartiness, but this
morning they met Father Peters salu-
tations with curt beds and clouded
brows. Even the Union men held aloof,
fol, they were in the minority and knew
that the slightest indiscreet act might
precipitate the trouble which was proph-
esied every day and expected at any mo-
ment
Het Magoone was at meeting this
morning. He was a great, hulking.
brutal Desperate. He had killed num-
Der of men, and the more peaceful stood
in awe of him, for at the best of times
law was only name in the mountains
but at this time it had not even ashadow
of existence.
Het Magoone was the leader of the
desperate element that had come to the
conclusion that Father Peters was
black Abolitionist, and as this to their
brutal and ignorant minds was the
greatest crime of which any man could
be guilty, they could not receive with
respect the religious teachings of the
old man. 1t was known that Het Ma
goones hatred was due to the fact that
Ella Peters had rejected his advances,
and that her father insisted that the
rufian should cease his visits. Despite
the encouragement of these rebuffs the
fellow would have kept on had not
Strong Dick Bradley led him to one side
one day and told him with much of his
oldti1ne vigor of speech that if he did
not keep away from Father Peters
house he, Dick Bradley, would consider
it his duty to "lay him out, " preliminary
to which he would "break his neck like
a pipestem."
This particular Sunday morning Het
Magoone staggered about like a man
who felt himself to be master of the
situation and wanted others to acknowl-
edge the fact. He stood in the meeting
house door and with much profanity
shouted his salutations to the newcom-
ers. When the clergyman and his wife
approached it was thought that Het Ma
goone would bar their entrance This
certainly was his purpose, as he after
ward confessed, but the appearance of
the blacksmith on the scene induced
him to postpone action.
Father Peters walked back to the lit
tie platform at the farther end of the
meeting house, and here, as was his Gus
tom, he knelt down for silent prayer
and few of the congregation went
through the form of following his ex-
ample.
AS but very few of the congregation
could read, hymn books were not used.
The clergyman read out a hymn two
lines at a time, and the singing that fol-
lowed, which Ella Peters and her mother
tried to lead, was not a very high order
of sacred music Father Peters adjusted
his glasses, cleared his throat and was
about to announce the hymn when Het
Magoone stood up near the door and
called out:
''Hold on thar, Father Petersr' !
"What is itf" asked the astonished
pastor.
''Afoah you uns ken do any noah
preachin in these var hills we uns'd like
fo' to know jist how yo' stand" and Het
Magoone fondled his rifle as mother
fondles her child
''This is certainly an extraordinary
proceeding in the house of God" said
the old man TREMENDOUSLY, but with dig
nifty.
$50 hit isl continued Het Magoone
"but these har is mos stormy times ez
every one'l allow. Now, Father Peters,
I want you to answer me some ques-
tions; will yo' do hit?'' J,
"Let me hear Them
s'Hain't yo' Yankeep" this with a
wink to his friends.
81 was born north of the Ohio; if that
makes me Yankee" said the old man,
with spirit, Il suppose am one"
''Waal, yo' couldn't "a denied hit with
out lyin. Now some of we uns hez been
talkin this ovah, and we allows that yo
KEN down here ten year or SO ago to play
the spy
"That is false" said the old man, his
eyes aglow and his form trembling with
excitement. ''As God is my judge 1
came here with my wife and little one
that | might be the humble instrument