Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1895-09-26

CoNKY STILES.
he Was a veritable Concordance
of the Holy Scriptures.

ever knew how 'Conky Stiles came to
knew so much OF the Bible as he did.
Thirty years ago people as class were
much better acquainted with the Bible
than folk are nowadays, and there
we sn't another one Of EN- in the whole
Connecticut valley from the Canada
line to the sound that could stand up
'longside Of Conky Stiles and quote
Scripture. Well, he knew the whole
thing by heart, from Genesis, chapter
one, to the amen at the end Of the Rev.
citation Of st. John the Divine; that's
the whole business In NUTSHELL
His name wasn't Conky; we called
him Conky for short. His real name
was Silas Stiles, but one time at n Sun.
day school convention Mr.. Hubbell,
the minister, spoke Of him as vert.
able concordance Of the Holy Scrip.
lures" and SO we boys undertook to
call him Concordance, but bimeby that
name got whitfield down to Conlsy, and
Conky stuck to him all the rest of his
life; not bad name for him, neither
as names go; heap more dignifed than
| 81!
My father always insisted that Conky
got his start in the Scriptures in this
way: Conky's folks lived for about five
years while Conky was boy in the
old Ransom house. Their next neigh
bors were the Cooleys, and just over
across the road lived the Kelseys. May
be you've heard Of the Cooley-Kelsey
debate? No? Funny, isn't it, how soon
folks forget events al d epochs and
things Fifty years ago nothn' else
but the Cooley-Kelsey debate was
talked Of in Hampshire county, and yet
here we are livin' in this intelligent
state of Illinois, and it's dollars to
doughnuts that half our people never
heard of Lawyer Kelsey or Of Deacon
Cooley
You see, the deacon was high up in
the Congregational church. and he be-
lieved in "baptyzo," which is the
Greek for the Congregational doctrine
Of sprinkling. Lawyer Kelsey had
never been converted and had never
made a profession, but, having brother
who was baptist minister in Penn
sylvania, ho was counted with the
Baptists, too and guess he was a
Baptist il he was anything, although,
like as not, he'd have said he was
heather If he thought he could get up
an argument by sayin' it, for of all the
folks you ever saw Lawyer Kelsey was
the worst for lccpin' things stirred up.
One time Deacon Cooley and Lawyer
Kelsey come together an locked horns
on that word "baptyzo" Lawyer Kcl.
scy maintaining that the word wasn't
or shouldn't be "baptyzo," but hap
tidzo,' and, as you know, of course,
there is as much difference between
"baptyzo" and "baptidzo' as there is
between q toy and thunder shower.
Well, for about SIX months they had
II up hill and down dale, In all the
meetin' houses, and schoollouscs, and
vcstry-roons, and town halls in the
country, and it did beat all how much
lcarnin' they got out Of the hooks and
dictionaries, and what long sermons
they made, and what q sensation there
was among the unbelicvers as well as
the elect guess they'd have been
arguin' yet II the freshet hadn't como
and distracted public attention by car.
ryin' away the Northampton bridge
and the Ilolyokc dam
1t happened that while this theo-
logical cataclysm was at Its height
Conky Stiles, being six years old. was
born again, and, repentin' OF his sins,
made q profession OF faith And from
that time he never lapsed or back
Sided, but was always Il conscientious
and devout follower, illustrating in his
daily walks las Mr.. lIubbell, the min.
lister, said) those priceless virtues which
had illuminated the career Of his
Grandmother Cowles, u lady esteemed
not more by the elders for her piety
than by the younger folks for her
cookies and squash pies.
When Conky was eight years old he
got the prize at our Sunday school for
having committed to memory the most
Bible verses In the year. and that same
spring he got up and recited every line
Of the Acts Of the Apostles without
having to be prompted once. BY the
time he was twelve years old he know
the whole Bible by heart, and most Of
the hymn book, too; although, as !
have said, the Bible was his speciality.
Yet he wasn't one Of your pale-faced
studious boys no, sir, not a bit Of i'll
He took just as much consolation in
playin thrce-old-cat and barn ball and
hockey, as any of the rest Of us boys,
and he could beat us all Ashin I'll.
though perhaps that was because he
learnt a new way Of spittin' on his bait
from his Uncle Lutte Mason, who was
considerable Of n sport in those days.
Conky was always hearty and CHEEKY;
we all felt good when he was around.
We never minded that way he had Of
quotin' things from the Bible; we'd
rot used to it, and maybe 1t was u de-
sirablc influence At any rate we all
liked Conky,
I,ut perhaps you don't understand
what mean when | refer 10 his way
Of ouotin' the Bible 1t was like this;
Conky, well say, would be goin' down
the road, and Id come out Of the house
and holler; Hello, there, Conkyl
Where be you goin'?'
Then he'd say, John 2l;3'-that
would be all he'd say, and that would
be enough; for it gave US to understand
that he was goin' a-fshin'.
Conky never made Il mistake his
quotations were always right; he al.
ways hit the chapter and the verse sure
pop the first time.
The habit grew on him as he got