Arizona republican., 1899-04-28
ITS TOLD AS A TRUE TALE
What Joke, Some Prayers and a Big
 Rainfall Did in California

H. HI. Pitcher, capitalist. financier.
 fruIt grower and president of the
 Bank of Livermore, has just made the
 neatest business turn of his life. He
 bought $500 worth of prayer stock and within week it netted him thousands
 of dollars profit. The stock wasn't
 watered, but Livermore valley was
 few hours later: and thereby hangs this true tale of terrestrial negotiations with Providence
 This contract was not the customary cast-iron, formally legal, typewritten. notary-seal affair. It was merely yer pal. The whole transaction started in joke A woman began it.
 Here is the story of Livermore val ley's merciful escape from disaster bv drought:
 In all California there is not a pret- tier spot than Livermore valley. Its almond and olive orchards. it's vine yards, it's fields of undulating grain, it's charming country homes form a cheer 1ul picture of agricultural prosperity when the clouds are kind in winter. Llvermore is the center of distribution at this eastern end of Alameda county. There are some 1,50O people within Liyermore's limits. The man with the hoe in Livermore valley comes to town with a shipment of shelIed almonds at $7,000 per carload, or wine by the thousands of gallons, or wagon loads of barley. His family has access to a public library of 4,00O volumes. He is proud of his hust,ing town with it's cement sidewalks and friendly shade trees and fragrant gardens.
 The valley is famous for it's hay. So when, less than a month ago, the sum- mer arrived ahead of calendar time, and the clouds that should have been kind melted upward instead of down ward, and the grain took on a saffron hue, and the veins of vine and fruit tree choked with sluggish sap, the earth grew browner and drier day by day and there were anxious brows thronghtout the length and breadth of the valley.
 None was more worried than Banker Pitcher of Livermore. A dry year meant millions of dollars lost to that locality alone. It meant hard times for the Bank of Livermore It meant that the only kind of crop maturing would be crop of mortgages, and what bank wants to be saddled with job lot of dried-up farms?
 One memorable evening Mrs. A. L. Fuller dropped in to pay Mrs. H. H. Pitcher neighborly call The bank CT was gloomily pacing the halls Of his handsome residence They talked on the only subject of interest to any or them Just than-the fatally lovely weather.
 Mrs. Fuller is a teacher in the public | school and a jealous worker in the | Methodist church. Noting the distress | of the usually jovial banker she smf1- l lngly suggested that he pray for what he wanted
 'sDo you believe that praying for rain will bring it?" he asked.
 T do,' was the replay. Then the sooner you start ill the | better, said the banker with business like promptness. Give me four inches of rain within the next two weeks and I'll cancel the Methodist | church indebtedness"
 Honor bright?" breathlessly in | quired the little blue-eyed school | ma am, who believed in the efficacy of | prayer.
 Honor bright" said the big black eyed banker, who hadn't a shred of | faith in prayer petitionfngs, but who was growing desperate at the critical | situation.
 By the next morning he had forgot
 
 little Mrs. Fuller immediately went | home by the shortest cut and com menced praying as soon as she got there
 That was on a Sunday. The follow ing Tuesday it began to rain in good earnest. Meanwhile the news of the bankers offer had spread throughout the town. The good sisters of the Methodist chu1 h went on their knees to the rescue. So did the brothers. Then the congregation of the only other Protestant church in town, the which had no debt, joined in on general principles. The prayers rose. The barometer fell. The faster the one went up the steadier the other went down. Between prayers the good sisters kept tab on the rain gauges. One-two-three-th and a half inches were registered. The high water mark had reached three and three-quarters, when Mrs. Fuller met a tall man with an umbrella com ing down the street.
 Another quarter of an inch" said she, gleefully, twill wipe out that debt"
 tOh, mo-" protested the banker, 'There must be some thing wrong with those rain gauges"
 But when Friday came the record showed the four inches, with few over just for luck. Bank CT Pitchers prayer stock was above par Such rejoicing was never known ir Iivermcre The Methodist sisters held an informal jubilee. That mort gage had been a millstone around their necks ever since the church was organ ized In vain they tried to cancel it. There had been church fairs and lem onade sociaIs and grab-bag soirees, and pink-tea fights, but the mortgage wouldn't down. And now few days of good, hard praying had not only freed the church but brought joy to everybody in the valley.-San Fran cisco Examiner.