The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-11-09
UND(NIG OF THE DEACON
PRACTICAL JOKE o. 4 SCOTCH
DIVINITY STUDENT.
Glasgow Unlyersity Marine Ia
plleity 81 Sanay MeEWeA. ond the
Inneeence ef Donala Mclean.

man in the University o. Glasgow. he was
y' WIN shoen Of red Sair that looked as
IL 1, Knew neither brush nor comm. tie
used TO roam around the building with
laehrymoee, .iee Us pray" EXPRESSION uiat
deacon" He was a mystery to the stu
dents, none OF whom knew much about
him, and. as one OF the Fellows saao, ne
evidently knew mighty little about MINI
self or he would have chosen better COM
pany 10 walk with. he was never known
to speak TO. any of the students. and !.
hat might signify either YES" or mo
The students were not = little surprised
therefore, when the deacon vas seen
Quad" arm and arm with Sandy AcEwen.
known to be the leading spirit in every
| piece OF deviitry that went on In the Hhi-
| yersi,y. Had /; not been for Sandy's In
| genuous, boyish eountenance, innocent
smile and the plausible excuses that he had
ever ready, he would have been rusccaisd
exams was as much a. mystery 70 nm
| as TO the rest Of us. his time being taken
up chiefly in playing practical jokes On the
| professors and senior students.
The sight of THE deacon conversing
| ania oily with a ran Of Sandy's reputation
| was sufficient TO attract attention at any
overheard that "the deaSOn' was relating
| some tale of woe to Sandy. who was SYM
pathizing with him, jndging from the ex-
| pressions he made: "Puir fellow 'Dinna
| fesn DER it. mon.' and so on. He took
the opportunity when passing Of giving US
slsns. out peEeeplbie wink
| said fellow who Just came up. What's
Sandy doing wi the deaconT"
,n;z mot s sl,s re, replied another; "sympa.
making fool OF him by what We saw.
However, Well soon lind out, for he's JUST
Tbi., me "a, deacon. and CONS, 10 the gym"
on a trapeze smoking. As we entered he
looked at his watch. saying:
Il gave you five minutes to find me after
| left my reverend and esteemed friend.
| You've done it in three. Oh say. YOU fell
lows! He's mark; a great. big. red
headed. soft-hearted mark and just as
easy to pump as my mothers well. I had
| letter from friend in Marin yesterday,
| VINO asked me forbye IL had met man
| named Donald Mclean at the university
He said he was the son OF one OF his
him up l did looked him up-found
| him roaming around the quad like an aud
| red hen looking for her chicks So up
Beae mean mean s Mr M yays Iad m1rnng
| me as though i were some sort Of q rep
| tile. and says. shaking a fist like side Of
beef at me: Look We here lad! Gin We
try ony o. yer practeecal jokes on me,
| yleH suffer for 1t afore the morris morn.
| Mind ye that, noo.' L.osh! I thought he
would have thrown ms. across the quad.
| tHere he was greeted with roars OF laugh
| ter) Mr.. Mclean says, have here a
letter from friend of yours in Marin.
| II you'll stop your abusive language for
a while I'll just give you his message and
| go my way. may say. sir Il called him
sir that it is surprised I am that you
''He felt abashed at this continued
] Sandy. "and commenced to hem and haw,
| finally apoloeizing and saying that he had
| heard was Wild. harun-scarum lad, and
SO on. I gave him the MESA ge and then
We began haverin' about Marin. and COM
meneed spiering and pumping him, till at
last found ont that be was in love with a
lassie there called Mary Campbell He
said she was the bonniest lass in the High
lands. and raved about her till was sick
OF her name. He is to be married when
he passes his final exams. and Is ordained
but in the meantime he - not TO write to
her speak 10 her without her fathers
consent. He talked about Jacob and Ra-
chel and Bible bodies till ! was tired
That's when you fellows heard me sooth-
erin him. He said that he was sadly mis-
understood al the university-that he re-
ally was a very decent sort OF fellow. He
said he was glad that he had met me.
too: that he had idea / was so kind
and sympathetic. Losh. I was afraid the
dcffer was going to cry. Say. you fellows.
him up a bit. We cannot get him drunk
because he says he is TT. I'll tell you
what we can do. though, il you fellows
win keep mum about it
scheme.
Now. look here. Sandy" said the cap
tain OF the football team. You know me.
Well, you've proposed this scheme. II you
don't carry It through-well, on your own
head be IT. that's all
The most surprised man In the Human
ity' lecture on Monday morning was 1.-THE
deacon For the first time since he had
been at college he heard Mclean. Donai-
6us." called at the mail delivery. With a
shame faced air he received his letter.
Of the students As he resumed his seat
he turned to Sandy. who was sitting behind
him. and with heaming smile whispered:
ward that during the lecture THE deacon
had read and re-read that letter twenty
times at least. According 20 Sandy. the
asked him TO look the deacon up and
enclosed a letter 10 Mary Campbell. who
had left Marin and vas 10 be in Glasgow
with her father the following Saturday.
herself which she had intended to presen,
to 1.-THE deacon the writer said, bat had
forgotten. and had asked that ii be sent on
10 her.
'Its picture o. the lassie." said THE
deacon To Sandy Lad. I'm maist dis
tracted HeCh. but Saturdays a long way
OF, ! aye keep sayin.. till nysel' .Bide a
wee Donald. man Bide a wee,"
lie is literally bursting with his secret"
said Sandy. ''You can see e swelling up
IN him like some h'g tumor. He won't keep
that letter till Saturday. Til bet you
From that time on Sandy was "the dea-
cons shadow. lie was with him morning
noon and night, and wa always talking
about that photograph. Man. Donald"
Re would say II don't see row you can
So still with a Photograph - your sweet
heart near Won and not look at &"
On Thursday afternoon he came rushing
into the gymnasium. where We were 1.-THE
doacou's weakening" he said. Hes just
asked me Z 7 thought Il would be dis
honorable 20 opsn the enyelonA anT look NJ
the pho;ogra oh. ~ he d,d not read the Let.
ter. to'3 him hat. under the circum-
stances, i would"
Jgst tEssn enc Of the men near the door
shouted ''Rtn. Sandy. man: rr for yer
iifs. here's the deacon and hen kill you
Ne looked out. Across the campus .he
unE8iuiy figure az "the deacon" appareat-
" all arms ard legs. was rushing. his
trerrbeThcard cap blown of and his scar
iet accidents gown floating a. rigsi; angles
10 his body. Sandy gave one look and
tnar Ike = monkey. climbed the trapezs
ropes and extended himself ruli length
CT r-e % re beams. EsYdls- had hs io~e
90 when *'the ssaeou" arrived. naH'ing and
cut Of ereafs lie vas hn'hinC IN one hand
the letter sri II the otAcr a small comb