Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1893-06-13

tired. III pay him for his onsutng mes
sage. I'm not a-gyine to kill him, boys.
ri leave life in his rotten old carcass, but
th"r's all II amy of you'n want to hear
Old Sledge preach you'll have to go ten
miles from the roads TO do it,"
Slowly and so!emuly the preacher came
AZ he drew near he narrowed down his
tune aud looked kindly upon the crowd
He WAS massive man in frame, and had a
heavy suit OF dark brown hairs but his
face was clean shaved aud showed n nose
and lips and chin OF tirmness aud great lie
termination
Look at him, boys. and mind your eye
said the horse thief
Where will | find my friend. Bill
Jones9" inquired Old Sled9e.
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 oeHst," and he slowly dismounted and
faced his foe its though expecting II kind
reply
The crisis had come and Bill Jones met il.
! "fou Internal old hypncrite you ctissed
old shaved faced scoundrel; didn't You
know that | had swored nm oath that
would make you sing and dance and whip
you besides ii you ever dared to pizeu these
crossroads with your shoetracksf Now
sing, DID you. sing, aud 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,
We'll Brother Jones. did not expect 80
warm welcome, but If this be your cross
rf.t., DO 4
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 or his feet, while
the pnrson continued to sing in IA splendid
tenor voice
Ten thousand foes arise.
Never was lion more aroused to frenzy
than was Bill Jones. With his powerful
arm he made at Old Sledge as ii t. annihi
late him with one blow, and many horrid
oaths, but the parson Tended of the stroke
as easily as practiced boxer, and with his
left hand dealt Bill "A settler on his peppers
as he continued to sing
Oh, watch and fight and pray
The battle ne'er give DER.
and the settlers were watching with bated
breath The crisis was ut 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 aud
began the offensive as he sang,
Ne'er think the victory won.
Nor lay thy arinor down.
lie backed his adversary sqnarely 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 aud the short of it was
that Old Sledgc whipped him and hum
bled him to the ground aud then lifted
him up and helped to restore him and
begged thousand pardons
When Devil Bill bad retired to his house
and was being cared for by his wife, Old
Sledge mounted box in front of the
grocery aud preached righteousness and
temperance and judgment to come to that
people
lie 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, aud he besought his
hearers to stop and think "sstop, poor
sinner stop aud think" he cried in alarm
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 en-
hortation. Bin Jones wife, poor woman.
hal crept humbly into the outskirts of the
crowd, for she had long treasured the mem.
cries Of her childhood, when she. too. hid
gone with her good mother to hear preach
Ing. In secret she had piued aud lamentet
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 if She might go
down and hear the preacher For II min
ute he was silent and seemed TO he dumb
with ama2rment He had never been
whipped before, aud had suddenly lost
confidence in himself and his uiideity.
Go long, Sally" he answered, 1T he
can talk like lac can fight and sing, maybe
the Lord did seud him lt'4 NIL mighty
strange To ne, aud he groaned in anguish
His animosity seemed To 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 lliil Jones salvation aud that of his
Wlie huN children reached the window
where lii4 was sitting, and he heard it
His wife returned In tears and took a seat
beside him, aud sobbed her hearts dis
treSs, but said nothing Bill bore it for
awhile in thoughtful silence, and then
putting his bruised and trembling hand in
hers. said
sally it the | ord sent Old Sletlee here
nad maybe he did i reckon you Aad better
look after his horse And sure enough
Old Sled-e stayed there that night and
held family prayer, aud the next day he
preached from the piazza to great multi
tude au'i sarg his fayorite hymn
Am II snllier of the CrnssY
And when he got to the third verse his
un'utured hat musical voice seemed to be
lifted a little higher Hs he sang;
Sure must tl.sht If would reign.
Increase my courage, Lori
Devil Bill was converted and became a !
changed muu. lie juined the church. and |
closed his grocery aud helped to build a
meeting house, aud it was always said and |
believed that Old Sledge mauled the |
grace into his uubelieving soul and il !
would never have got in any other way
Bill Arp IN Atlanta Constitution