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

tiF Hh'l iNtU VIII anu ffckltS~ anu reared
not God nor regarded man but one day NJ
camp meeting while Bishop Gastnn wsls
shaking up The sinner. nnd scarehing then,
over the Internal pit. Tom got alarmed. ana
before the meeting was over he prnfesAtti
religion aud became a z,nlons. ont3pokem
convert and declared his intention Of goin1
forth into the world aud preaching the
Gospel lie wHS terribly IN earnest for he
SAID he md lost power oi time aud must
MAKE II mp Tom vas runnh tAikcr, but
he WAS good one. aud knew right smart
OF ''Scripter ana good many of the oll
fashioned hymns toy heart The conference
Thought he was pretty gund feliuN to
send ont into the border country atuun4
the settlers, aud 30 Tom Straddled lis Oh!
flea bitten gray, aud Ia due time VIVA cir
cult riding Ia north Mississippi
In course Of time Tom acquired uuturicty.
aud IRAN liis strung Language. and struu0er
gestures iuld ais muscular cluuuencc they
called him old "sledge Hammer. andafte
while "tlld Stdge' Tor short ANlA
down ln one cnruer If his territory there
wns blacksmith shop and a wagon shop
nn'' WHISKY shop and a posfoiiiec At Bii
Jones crosst0nd.. and liill kept MI Of them.
and WAS kuuwn lar and wide us Devil
/ Bin Jones 81 as 20 distinguish him from
Squire Eli, themngi~trale Dpen BIN ind
Bwurn that no prcacber should pyet.tnot -
| horn or sin.sn nm ia the spttl,.r,rnt uud
! II amy Of the cusSed hynncritc, eyer durr,l
to stop at the croS.roat. he'd make linn
dance II hornpinr mud sing n hvinn and
/ whip him heSi,cs
| And Bill Jones meant Just what he said
/ for he had "A mortal bate for the meu a
! God II was reasonably srpp,,,,.l tl,ni rilI
/ could and would do wbni Le s,,il 6,rl5.
( trade at the anvil bNd uu,lr lin, stroi.,
/ aud everybody knew that he lntd AZ unrb
I brute courage rs was NECESSARY And ga
/ Uncle Tom was advised 10 take ro,tti,l,ut.
and never tackIe the crossroads ue ne
ceptcd this for a time and left The pronle
to the bad Influence Of Devil Eju hut il
seemed to him ne w.s NOT doln, the I.ord,s
will, an, wherever he thon~bt of ,h.
women and children hyin., iu dnrs,,e.s
and prgwinn IN in mH,lrlttv In. un,,l1
groan
One night he prayed over il with great
earnretness. md vowel TO 10 the LORDS
will If the Lord would give him HIGHT. and
il seemed TO hu H. be rose from his knees
that there was no longer any donbt-be
must 30 Uurle Tom never dallietl nboui
anything when his mind was made IN FL.
went right ut IL Ike killing snakes. rgd so
next morning nv "nAbor" passed on hi.
way to Bins shop Uncle Tom said.
"Aly friend. will you pltfse carry a mos
sage To Bill Jones for mey DO ,ou tell hin,
that il the Lord is willin win be ~ IN,
crossroads to prcnch m,xt Sun,lnv ~ II
O'Clock. and am shore The ord !. ,yifln
Tell him to please 'nornt,. il in the sai,l,.
n,ent about. and ux the women nnd rbit
drcu to come Tell Hill Homes viii s,ny
at his hotiSe. God within nntl I'm shnre
he's willin. and I'm preach S,u,luv ton n
things KIT along harmonious
When Blil Jones got the message he wa.
amazed uslouuo.d nna his {n,li,,uniin,.
knew no boun,ls He raved ANIL ctu.rl ~
the consult M he called 1.-THE "ops,,lt
ing MESSAGE of Old Sle,lrer-anI ne s,,.,,,,.
that lac wonld hunt hin, mn and Win, bi,,
for he knowed that he wouldn,t dar. ~
come To the cro.srunds
But the "nabors" whispcred II arourd
that Old Sletltse Womb come fnr bn WINS
never known to make mn Amendment u,,I
break IL. aud there VIA nm old horse tb,rf
who used 10 run with Alnrrrll's ,,,,,r. o.to
said he used to know Tom barker when NJ,
was a sinner aud had seen him urbt. nnd
he was much OF nmau
So II sorp,rl Ike vfld1re tbnt ofa
sle,l,,c v9s rnnin,. md MA AN 49,
"t,,vinar ia ,yl.,, nm, f,,I ,,,l,,tt -,
and sim, n .,lim, - nna trn,,t ,n,, ,.,rr,,,,.s
nparb brandy .h,si,les
Devil Bill had his enemies. of course. for
he WAS n hard man. ui,d one ,vav or mn
other had eohbled up all nf the sllrnlns ~
the 'uahorhood" and had given uofbin,, in
exchange but whisky. aud tbps, enemies
had hoped TOR Spuphaly to come unl mr.,
him down They. TOO rirculatp,l tbn ~.
founding news. and without communion.
themselves to either party. slid thot nj
would break loose on SATURDAY. Al Tho
crossroads. aud that Old Sledee or tliu
devil would have To 20 under
GA Friday the settlers brsan to drop iuto
,he crossroads under preteuSe Of business
hut really TO gtt the bottom facts Of the
rumorS HAT were Utloat.
beNll hHl kncw lhli well what they
game Tor and he taiked aud cursed more
htiouSlS tbHn usual, aud s~ore that any
body who would come expecting 70 see
oid SlcdSe tomorrow WAS nm Internal
Tool Tor he wasn't n.coming He aid bare
his strong arms Uud shook his long hair
anu s',d lie wished the lying, deceivipg
hYpocs''e would come Tor It tai been "a
on TO fourteen years siuce he had made
preacher dahee
saturday morning 10y ? o'cloeE the SGT
tiers oes''h Ia gather lhry came on foot
a'N u'' "u'aS' NS$' ana ~ carts men, "om
81 an" e'll"'Veu anu iN'ote II O'Clock