New-York tribune., 1893-12-31
PARSON TOM.
HOW A SNOw-SLIDE IN THE SAN JUAN
MINING DISTRICT SAVED HIS LIFE.


crouchng form was unsightly ana n,s tf,,. n Iii,
voice dsagrceabln. He was short. thick-puiIt
man If man hc really was. for ne nah ''o'e .,'r
appearance If n boy-who shuii'ei aD,u' an
l,rr.d AZ Won with a devilish grin whch Ha"'
you f.i uneasy In his presence"
His brain was quick. though his ply move
, mrnrs were slow AMI he was strong ~ ~. ~,
IIis record that ~ tin horn gambler amn ",,
| round thief Added I" this he pore IN" ,T",..
II having been run OUT "t i"t..''r ~ W,,'"ro.s ,p
stealing ami having escaped from inWoss"n's
ready made Justice. charged with IKE """''
Thus he cam" - tn" mining amp ,yiis .'
pirrty basin under the shadow ~ "i' N,nk r',
mon one of tn. granlrst mountains "t "'"'"''"
Colorado. ,, ,,r,., ,c
Ninr-tenths II the population had hcpar'"l Do"
| fore the first storm had come. AZ was 'h' VII
| I'm new camps In the cary days h'i"r' INV ~
| roads had brnaL.n"d IN" trails ana "I"h'i W."
passes through tn" Rocky Mountain '",y -,
about one hundred men ana women re'"ai'' H. T.,
CAMP that winter. and they hdd niue ''' ~ W.
| than amu.e themselves They were iaw-ao'''!,s.
| and had NH. is, f,r p"ac" ofil'ers. - III"
town and county "'cial- ,""k tnIiL ill., "f fa"iur h
lion with others who id NJ f""l IKE i"''"S ~"
| rigid winter which was pr"di"t"i ~
Saddle -Hoss Pete d.d not ~ out with IN" ma
,ri,v I'm fact Pete seldom acted with 'h' mn
jority NJ. usually formed minority OF on"
Inn ne was not d..app At their leaving MN
lie thought he would b, able Z" stani ~ '.r u,'"
| season I,ut Payinasior f' ana iHg FRANK. WIZ
| .,n.J ,o n. lnnk.d upon guardians ~ IN"
| affairs ~ the camp. plainly t"l' MN INA, -, m
must get out-ha' th" "naity ., m.' pa,n ..."n" s'
| would he sudden death. =" Saiil"-ii"ss f"'' ~
~.r,sd before IN. second storm had come
| whittier nobody kn"" A.. .,,,, A., tho
parson Tom hal come 7" IN" camp In Wv
! ,r.vin,,s spring and had mad" IA R"" 'hpI'N'
r,'' r' n his own kind II people. though I'll" pres
ont remaining popula't"n knew n,'h "' mn p,
| and did not car" whether u" r"ii'ain'n ~ I,',,
Nnn. ~ them church going p'"p'. n'.'
| ma The pors,n said h" had no Idea "f pr"a'h',s'
nobody objected to his staying IN amp. ~"
way. as a r"ason for staying that IN cas-" -,
| death his services would b" nr,n"n' '''>"
| that he would not ntruie his "ni'"S'
Tho .x,rcmc length - tn" winter had lr'i l
paymaster Iill to inquir" I'M" th' I'rSo""
| nnances and learning that th"r" was pi""'
ah,ii,v - his running short before his pa'i1h'"n-
"rs should return I.iil proposed To the men IN
| the camp that purse W" ra's"'i x..-
mi himself presented the hatful OF money. az
| compsnyins the presentation WIN an apr
| ate .xtcmpor" sr"""h In when n" h".''
parsrn Tom - the appreciation 81 IN" "'",~
| parrnn Tom declared h. could not accept me
money unless hc should have an opportunity
| - earn n. H., h
| ,.c,.d I,jll ''iist ter give ye chanc" Ter earn
IN. money We'd ru,h"r pay ye ter pray Ter "'ir
continued good health. jis' "a "" drihkS ..r >''''
good health wen makes UP tnat p''~'
| p,rsnn Tom laughed and sdid b" hah ~ ".-
sire for IN" dennis" Il any one. but m'r"iy
wanted To- civ" them some ~turn f"r IN" ii''r,. n,
| That night Parson Tom apT"ar"h III f''S
| Er,nL.s saloon v-h.r. the rntir- NAL" I"pn'a-
| don was -nicay, Ing TO break III" bank nay
ing cl"anrl NJ III" Corner sal""h carry III III"
| IT.. arpearancc - m" rars"n created huttcr.
| and on. nr tw, sup"rstiti ~ plan l,st 'N"'f
bet th.y mad f,r m" balance ~ tn" '''.ai VIZ
the end ~ ih, IL al hal been r't'hr' III" l'h'Si
| asked their attention ir i'w ."i, 49,
and mounting the platform when h'p' wv
| Imknut chair. h. thJrk'd them kiniiN Tor 'n'r'
GENEROUS donation. ard said II my w"uIh '''''.
=, ,h,. mn. srho,,hor." ~ sunday evening
| for II hnl,-hour h. world rnd'tN"r ~ ,h''-
| tain them wi,hou; preaching S"fm"n re- ~ 80.
! clar.I that Il" could n"t a'''i' '"'" '''"''
| with. ~ rarning H..
Th. invitation was a"""r'"' am ih' ltrN
was as,"i (" hay" ''rar "hi'h ne ,s'.,n us".'',
Will. the. crowd drank ";r IA" health ~ i'rH"n
Tom ~. bowed his a ki'wl"itn''htS "''""''
further INTERRUPTION 4 m" gh'n".
Tr,n entering his r.hn. Fars"n Tom strr"h
,h. Nr. thinking Z hi~ visit. and. after ~ ''tE
~, f.. warmth ti h. had 'haw"i hi'nS''. H.
went To- his trunk which held ms 'r"'@nl',. Y,
look AZ the nh" hoard ~ g"ll ana H',N''
,h"s. rough u'n "f ;h' mountains n'i - N'''f
, donated ,
/, vas no, there Perhaps IN his 'Nci'rHrm' ',o
a, his good fortune, H.. bad hidden Il from him.
s.lf AMI forgotten 'h' hi'lrS fi''' '''' 49,
| A was not In tn" cabin
Th.. pars"n WIS troubled II" could h'' u'
Ucy. that any Il IN" MI VIII" hhd h''h - KIM
T., him would J." guilty II robbery. Nn' >'.
th, money was gn. The long hurkShin hAS
in which h. kept his m"n.y and whi'h pore ms
nam. worked In silk"n thr'ai II" t""h' "''"'''
Wn.n h. me-, Pavrnast.r Ihl IN tho following
morning h. mentioned his loss i'ii was
ast"n-h"i II" iii not h"ii''r 'h'' any ".'" nan
, I'm the camp WI" mean enough '' S''' az
any rate. not parsons m1''. -
Th,. story ~ th.' loss ~ Par-''n Toms m"n'y
told about the amp ana. w'''nr u s,,,I.., Mn
and said they rtlrss.I IN" pars'n was "Nit'i.
AMI that /, would turn up al rlrhi IN tln".
ON SunIa, IN" sun sh"n' "ut h'igh' ana '''a',
and old KING Solomon waS ~ glorious / sght
49, ,,,. NIGH, wish T., -.r His biblical mann
sak.. In all his r,rui"i glory could n", h'N'
furnished "A gran'i"r inspiration l'ut larson
Tom had pruini-.I not {" preach i'Sh'S Ne
vas NOT urii. s,r. that III" incr'''ulNy concern
ing the loss "f his m"'"N hal entirely tiShp,
r"nr,I -. h- must h' careful what h. should
81, t. them that night
tyrr, male person w,s promptly on hand tha;
rivht AT thu NH" Schnolh"us". amt th'i" WAS :,
srrinkl. IL the other s'N women whr h'ti not
listened To- preacher '"i'" S'n'' '"'F "'''
Th. half hour WAS i"v"'"i t, reading stories,
which w"r- responded t. hf hearty Laughter
and "A few pathetic -, ,limiti"nS
when Iarsnn Tom had finished ana WIS
ahnn, tn say g",d-night ra>mast'r ian ar"sr
anh reminded his c''nrini'n' th'i on ,h' hsn'
tn. p,rs.,n had called on them A. hai i-"n pro-
n,s. tina, = fund h.. started toward bniliinS
"A church, Then h" added:
Il don't reckon nom" "I " has s"t h"',n' % "
hackin' down on th"t th"f Pr"I"tS''""' I'll "
has. let's hear II. , a,
There was not n dissenting voice. though IN"
amount ~ gold AMI silver dropped In IN" Iar-'
SONS pretty bu,kskin haE was not ~ large ~
It might have been had the pats'n not i'S'
his first winnin.
rh. moon had dropped down behind III" peak
of King solomon. having the camp IN lark
ness while soft sruw fell with that steady
monntuny which indi"aTs heavier IAN l"
come. A.,
Parson Tom had Just "r"nrd III" door "t his
cn hin Il, s, u in. when Il heavy hand was iaid
mon his throat and Il hoarsr voice demanded:
",;ivc me that money! quick =,
Tn. parson was by II" means coward ne
.truvrir,i with his assaiiant. and together they
fcll into the cabin and rolled out I'M" IN" ''eht
,,r ~ fresh snow which had fallen on tn"
srnzrn crust. Muttcrrd curses AMI ukh''r
grin upon his throat met his resistance
"pa,nn this SNOW. II this job could have been
a,r., nm hour rarIirr Id IA bin all right.
| mutt.rrd the voice II: th" form mower AVA! III
the da rknrsS. , r.
Thai WAS the last IN" pars'n hrafu. IN"
| uvht SNOW fell straight from thr skt. Th't"
wns no wind to disturb Its course. nn" thr s"i'.
nnc nakrs were hardly pl"ntiful enough !"
| furnish n bed for footprints.
| Tarron Tom knew not how long he had 'aln