Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1900-01-17
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! A PROPHET UP The GaHiOa. !
Aud How the nire Result of His
Prophecy Vas kverted by
Woman.
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The news that old man Peacham
had predicted the death of Wiley Ba-
kcr within ten days swept through
Arroyo Grandc like Il prairie fire. Talk
smoldered and famed I'm the wake of
Winfield Smallcy. who was witness to
the prophecy and who just reported it
NJ the blacksmith's shop and later held
forth TO successive audiences on the
porch OF his own restaurant and
cafe" Wiley Baker was postmaster
and keeper OF the general store. He
was behind his counter attending as
usual TO business when Smalley re-
turned from visit TO old man
Peacham's cabin ZIP the canyon ana
gave out this statement:
Say. boys. You could knock me over
with feather. / feel like I'd seen a
ghost. Say. It's the first time | ever
see n prophet at work. and / want il To
hc the last. not that I'm sayin any
thing against the old man B'gum. he
can have anything ne wants OF mine.
I wouldn't buck mp against him fer a
corner lot.
Well | went mp To take him some
Victuals AMI cold coffee and such. my
wife bcin too busy with the waShiu-
YOU know scncc his nephew cleared
out she's jest about kept him alive
and set down beside him ON the
bench in front of his cabin and begun
10 talk 10 him. lie didn't eat the
victuals | brought. though: set 'cm on
the ground in an Indifferent kind OF
way and said he had plenty.
That stirred me up. thought may
be his nephcw'd come back ana was
i'm hidin somewhere. KNOWN ne was
wanted. But the old man said no: the
folks from town had been hringin him
things. all he could eat and more. Well.
OF course. know thcre'd been q
mighty los OF interest ia him ever
since the wreck. nui thought most
people fought shy of him. fcarin he
might prophesy about 'cm and thmkin
out OF sight out of mind was safest.
But IL seems there was "A good many
thought il safer TO get on the good
side Of the old man. or perhaps they
was Just curiouS-like me. ! wouldn't
think az tryn to slave of Il prophecy
with cold victualS. and yet | must
confess that if anything was comm
To me and old man Peacham knew II
I'd rather he wouldn't tell. No. sir.
wouldn't want go know IT, ! wouldn't
want TO be in Wiley Bakers shoes this
minute.
"Wel. il was my mention Of Wiley
started him of. but didn't do il with
any thought OF prophecy. though YOU
know Wiley and me amt on the best
Of terms. Ia fact, I've been mighty
slow to take stock iB ihis prophesyin,
as YOU know. and Just thought ia
pump him n little about it. so ! told
him what Wiley Baker said. that there
might be some material way of account
in for the fact that Jerome's barn
burned down soon after old man
Peacham said he had vision of
thunderboit strikiG Jerome and that
the Santa Fe freight train went off
the track after old man Peacham said
he saw n wreck
He didn't seem 60 pay much atten-
tion. but sat there with his good eye
lookin about as blank as his other
one. And. In fact. itd beat me. and
guess Wiley Baker too TO say how old
man Peacham could have anything to
DO with the barn burnin or the wreck.
Everybody knows he's too feeble to
walk down the canyon. And II he knew
anything was goin To do those things,
he wouidu't tell. leaStwayS If he did
tell he wouldn't stay up there alone
I'm that cabin. where anybody could
come back and get revenge on him.
No. sir. thst amt reasonable. as / was
...s,, III. II. IL.
beard sort of pointed out into the air
and he stuck his finger out, so. and
says. Wiley Baker Well. he was
pointin at a chaparral bush. and, OF
course, Wiley Baker wasn't nowhere
around. J asked him what he meant
and pretty soon he says ii again sever
NJ times-'Wilev Baker. Wiley Baker
And then he says: 4 see him. He's
a-layin there He's dead. The hand of
deaths on him now. Hos a-goin to die
this month
"Then the old man looked at me with
his good eye and nodded. awful sol
emn. J tell you. | nearly fell off the
bench. | didn't stay long after that.
B'gum. ] was afraid he'd see some
thin happenin To me. and as | say, If
there is anythin comm ] don't want to
know it,"
II did not take long for n synopsis of
this speech To get across the street
The postmaster. u tall. stout man. with
the neck of n bull and n rubicund face,
received ii with n snort OF disdain But
all the afternoon people kept dropping
In, ostensibly to trade or get their
mail, but each man with n question.