The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1894-12-27
PRAYING FOR WEALTH.
BY EDMUND STUART ROCHE.

1t was after sunset before Calkins
succeeded in recapturing the two eXpe-
rienced old burros, who, desiring a
break in their laborious journey
toward the desert, had withdrawn
during the night, and found restful Sc
clusion in the dense pine oak brush on
a neighboring hillside.
Thus it came about that the ruddy
light of CalSin's campfire again at
tracted us. The conversation took a
wide range at first, but approached a
focus when one of our party, the old
lady with the black mits, referred to
the generally prevailing drought. She
mentioned, in this connection. a recent
newspaper report of church meeting
in some ariy section of the northwest
where general prayers for rain were
offered with such immediate effect that
the congregation, who were unpro-
vided with umbrellas, were drenched
on their way home.
Purely coincidence, flippantly
suggested Manton, a recent importa-
ton from the eff>te east.
II regard it as the most striking il
lustration of the efficacy of all sincere
and earnest prayer reprovingly re
marked the old lady with the mits.
what do you say, Mr.. Calkins?' in
quired Mantou, unabashed. I'm sure
you'll agree with met
Our host stirred up the fire before
expressing himself. You're dead
right ma ami he at length replied.
prayer won't do, if you're in earnest
and pray hard enough, and don't pray
for too much nor too little, and stop
right there. But you can handicap a
good, strong, willin' prayer, same as
you can anything else, and then it's
bound to balI and make trouble"
II fear | do not quite grasp your
meaning, Mr.. Calkins," said the old
lady with the mits, laying down her
knitting and regarding Calkins with
look of puzzled inquiry.
'P'r'aps | wasn't very clear ma'am,
but had in mind a queer experience
of my own in the earnest-prayer line,
some years ago way up north in Trim
ity, which'Q illustrate my meanin'
better'n any explanation / can give"
Call1ins settled himself again out of
the line of the sparks and smoke,
which his late attention to the fire had
provoked, and began:
at was in the winter of rs and was
carryin' mail from Gormans-over to
the Brown Bear and Roundout camps,
and made the round trip once week
on snowshoes When | was at Cor
mans, which was four days in the week,
l stopped with a Frenchman named
Prot, who worked drift claim on the
river. We bunked in shake cabin,
back of the hotel corral, and got along
middlin' well for the first month we
was together Evenin's we'd generally
turn up at the hotel and after sittin'
by the fire with the rest in the saloon
for awhile, we'd finally drop into old
man Germans private parlor, and
listen to Kitty German playin' on
the p&rlor-organ. always liked
music, but | hadn't no faculty at pro-
ducin' it, so I'd just sit and listen while
Kittyd play and Prot, who had big
throaty voice, would now and then
sing to KittyS accompaniment
IhIS was ali well enough "U iSU'
but, after two or three weeks, found
it duh and uninterestin', just sttin'
there by myself on the cold, slippery,
black bair-cloth sofa, with never a
word nor a chance for one with Kitty,
who seemed all took up with Prot
and the music, and only'd speak to me
wher she wanted another stick on the
fire Then after awhile | STONED
goin into the parlor, and would sit in
the saloon till bedtime, feelin' mad all
through to hear Prot singin' and
Kitty playln' away for dear life to
keep up with him on the gaspin' old
organ in the next room. Then | grew
bitter. because ! knew that while,
naturally, Kitty liked me best of the