The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1893-06-15
THE PARSONS RACE.

Cester county, Massachusetts,, used to
live a clergyman whom we will call
Ridewell. He was of the Baptist per-
suasion, and very rigid in his ideas
of moral propriety. He had in his
employ an old negro, named Pompey,
and if this latter Individual was not
SO strict in his morals as his master,
he was at least a very cunning dog,
and passed in the reverend household
for a pattern of propriety. Pomp. was
useful servant, and the old clergy
man never hesitated to trust him
with the most important business.
Now it so happened that there
were, dwelling in and about the town,
sundry individuals who had not the
fear of the dreadful penalties which
Mr. Ridewell preached about before !
their eyes, for it was the wont of
these people to congregate- on Sab
bath evenings upon a level piece. Of
aand in the outskirts of the town
and there race horses. This spot
was hidden from view by dense
piece Of woods, and for long while
the Sunday evening races were car
ried on there without detection
by the officers. or others who might
have stopped them:
It also happened that the old
clergyman owned one of the best
horses in the county. This horse
was of the old Morgan stock, with
mixture OF the Arabian blood in his
veins, and it was generally known
that few beasts could pass him on the
Mn Pi1nun1l
becoming his calling, declared that
the heetness of his horse never af-
forded him any qualification, and
that. for his own part, he would as
lief have any other. Yet money
could not buy his Morgan, nor could
any amount of argument persuade
him to swap. ..%.
ESQ. Ihe church was so near to the good
: clergyman's dwelling that he always
walked to meeting, and his horse was
consequently allowed to remain in
the pasture.
Pompey discovered that these races
were on the tapis, and he resolved to
enter his masters horse on his own
account. for he felt sure that old
Morgan could beat anything in the
shape of horse flesh that could be pro-
duced in that quarter. So on the
very next Sunday evening he hid the
bride under his jacket, went out into
3 the pasture and caught the horse, and
then rode off toward the spot where
the wicked ones were cOngregated.
Here he found some dozen horses as
ssembled and the racing was about to
commence. Pomp. mounted his beast,
and at the signal he started Old
Morgan entered into the spirit of the
thing, and came out two rods ahead
of everything. So Pomp. won quite
a pile. and before dark he was we'll
initiated in horse-racing.
e.. Pomp, succeeded in getting home
without exciting any suspicious, and
The now longed for the Sabbath after
noon to come, for he was determined
to try it again. He did go again,
and again he won and this course of
wickedness he followed up for two
months, making his appearance upon
the racing ground every Sunday
afternoon. as soon as he could after
"meeting was out" And during this
time Pompey was not the only one
who had learned to love the racing
& NO, for old Morgan himself had come
to love the excitement of the thing,
too, and his every motion when upon
b the track showed how zealously he
entered into the spirit of the game
But these things were not alway S
& to remain secret. One Sunday a
pious deacon beheld this racing from
a distance. and straightway went to
the parson with the alarming in
). telligence. The Rev. Mr.. vRidewel]
was utterly shocked. His moral
i feelings were outraged, and he re
solved at once to put a stop TO the
wickedness. During the week he
made many inquiries, and he learned
that this thing had been pract;sec
all summer on every Sabbath latter
moon. He babe his parishioners keel
quiet, and he told them that on thu
next Sunday he would make his ap
pearance on the very spot and catcl
them in their deeds of iniquity. s,
On the following Sabbath, afte1
dinner, Mr. Ridewell ordered POM
to bring up old Morgan and put hin
in the stable The order was obeyed
though not without many misgiving:
on the part of the old negro A
soon as the afternoon services wer
closed, the two deacons and som,
others of the members of the churcl
accompanied the minister home, will
their horses.
cit is the most fragrant piece 3
abomination that ever came to M
knowledge" said the indignant cler
gyman, as they rode on.
cit is. most assuredly," answere
one of the deacons. =
"Horse-racing on the Sabbath!
uttered the minister.
@ 'fDreadful!' echoed the secon
deacon.
And so the conversation went O
until they reached the top of gentl
eminence which overlooked the plat
where the racing was carried on an
where some dozen horsemen, with