The herald., 1896-09-20
STOPPED THE FIGHT.

SIUPFED IHE ElUHI.
A strange piece of property for Rector
Warne!
There was nothing to distinguish the
fector's red pyle from any worldly fight
ing cock 1t had the same snaky head, tho
same wicked eyes, the same powerful
wings. Its spurs were almost stiff enough
to force their way unshod through leath-
or boot leg, let alone through the neck Of
any cock that dared to stand up against
him.
The rector never would have owned him
ut oil if 1t had not been for Jake Breeze.
Jake was the promoter of most of the
cooking mains between Coalition and Cab
town. Cockflghts between the two rival
towns were always popular, but the fight
in which the rector won the red pyle rose
to the dignity of a historic event. The
battle took place at sunset on the last Sat-
urday night of March, which was also pay
day. All the sports of both places were on
the edge of the old reservoir above the
Coalton breaker. Pud Edwards was the
referee, and Lon White, otherwise known
as "The Gobbler,'' was the stakeholder
There was $500 up for the best three in
five.
The main was only fairly begun. One
speckled 2-year-old from Coalition had been
disabled, and the red pyle c:Asred by the
Coalition party had just worsted the Cab
town bird. The third match was begin
ming when "Spixe" Wright's boy slid
down the embankment and broke into the
shouts and oaths of the ring with an ex-
cited gesture: .-
"Cheese it! Here's dc preacherl Mr..
Warne's right out de udder side o. dc
bank. T"
The men started up uneasily, the shouts
sinking into cultural silence.
Instead of catching up the birds and
returning until Mr. Warne was safely out
| Of the way, little Mike Flynn, who had
charge Of the remaining Gabtown cocks,
turned them all into the ring at once and
then disappeared before the crowd from
Coalition could punish him for his treach-
cry. The red pyle, beset by four birds at
once was doing his best to hold his own
in spite of the terrible odds. Avoiding
| their attack as well as possible, he finished
the bird with which he had been fighting
and then attacked the strongest of the
| three remaining adversaries. The Coalition
crowd, frantic at the sight of their cham
| pion so unfairly matched would have
trampled under foot the cocks of the Cab
town party, but the referee rose instantly
| to the occasion and ordered that the re-
manning three birds of the Coalition crowd
should be added to tho ring.
| In the meantime the rector had pushed
on rapidly until he came to the top of the
! embankment. lie paused but an instant
to gain breath and to survey the motley
crowd below. Then he cried out in ring
ing tones: "For shame men! Have you
no manhood to set Gods living, feeling
creatures to torture one another like that?'
Only a few Of the men looked around.
! The rector went on to urge those nearest
him to leayo such brutal sport and come
with him to separate the fighting ROSTERS.
Some laughed uncasily; others moved
away, while one or two wavered. But az
no one complied with his impassioned
pleas, the rector pressed through the crowd
alone to the edge of the ring.
The cocks were now in battle royal, al
most evenly matched. They paid not the
slightest heed to what was going on about
them. The rector waved his hand once OF
twice in futile endeayor to frighten them
apart and was just reaching out his walk
ing stick to intercept the red pyle when
Jake Breece sprang forward, presented his
brawny shoulder under the rector's out
|
around and Without needing his protest
began to push him backward up the hill
! toward the top of the reservoir.
The movement was thoroughly uncler.
ical-more like an awkward colt being
backed out Of the wrong stall than anything
else. The rector would never have found
himself in such an undignifled position il
he had only staid in his study that Satur-
day night. There he would have been safe
and warm and away from all disagreeable
sights and sounds. But the rector had a
theory that he got some of his best sermons
while wandering about the dark corners OF
his parish.
But, ii he must 60, why should he choose
the night after pay day Of all the nights
IN the month? Why not wait until the
wages Of the community had got safely
into the hands Of the saloon keepers and
the sporting fraternity and the men had
settled down to gruinble at the hard times
and poor work about the mines? Nobody
wanted the rector 20 be abroad on pay
night. His own people did not like their
spiritual adviser to see the sights incident
to that lively season, and those who were
outside the church were still less anxious
to have him about-unless, indeed, some
member of his flock happened to be 'mak.
ing a holy show of himself" about one Of
the saloons Then the scoffers were quite
willing that the rector should see all that
was to be seen.
But to have the rector come upon a man
of his own congregation drunk was one
thing, and to have him catch the men in
the midst Of a cockfght was quite another
matter. There might be church law
against drunkenness, but there was statute
law against cockfghting. Rector Warne
was known to deal very tenderly with the
weak brethren Of his flock who had fallen
under the power of the cup, although the
men whom he visited and prayed with on
the subject did not consider it pleasant
interview. But 1t was not known just
how leniently the rector would regard the
subject Of cockfghting. Indeed, it was
very seriously doubted whether he would
deal leniently with the offenders at all.
There was a tradition concerning old
Father Hill, who had been the locum ten
ems In the church Of Carbonville many
| years before, that he enjoyed match az
keenly as any one else. One Sunday after.
noon, 60 the story went he had CHANGED
upon a crowd under tho lee Of culm
dump watching couple of cocks lighting.
The old man was declared to have said: II
suppose they got to fighting of their own
accord, boys. Nobody would set them to
fight on Sunday, I'm sure. Might as we'll
let them have it out now. It's got to ~