The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-11-27
Short Stories
 from Real Life.

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 A particularly dignihed preacher of the Gospel who lives in the vicinity or Mont- gomery had an experience in the long ago with goat which he tells even anto this day with great relish.
 In the days wien the. clerical gentls" man encountered the goat he-tne preacn- er-had two sons who were mlschevous rascals. They have outgrown the ms. chief and both of them are well known trsinets men at this time. The preacn- CT had 8 church in a village and as IS the custom with country parsons ne operated small farm. His grounds included a of a crystal creek. It was, naturally, the rendezvous of the two mischievous sons The end of the meadow was broken by bluff which abruptly descended to the sparkling waters fifty feet below.
 The preach ,r owned flock of goats which browsed in the meadow and SIT W William led the flock. He was a me specimen of the genus goat and his but parson as having been abnormally de- elc ped. Subsequent details will prove that the parson had good reason to kEow. ., years. set a trap for his goatship which worked with so much success that 1t was often repeated for diversion. Standing on the precipice looking down into the e1eek they attracted the ,ie,Y atten'ipn ra,seS Straight for the boys he came with head lowered. Just as he reached the mis. chievous youngsters they stepped asioe self going down, down, down into the laughed and scampered homeward.,
 A Sunday afternoon came around ana the parson strolling about the meaaow espied his sons in the act of attracting the attention of the goat by vigorously waving a red handkerchief. The rather was just in time on the scene to witness the acrobatic feats of the goat as ne gyrated in the air and went over the ciiff.
 Being Sunday afternoon the father re- monstrated with his sons in a most ma terial and substantial manner, glvlng them to understand that such practices were neither uplifhting nor ennoblns; The boys did not soon forget the reprovai which they received but their time to laugh came, and they 'laughed last with fiendish delight.
 On a day week the reverend gentleman again strolling in his fields bethought himself of the practical joke the boys had played upon the goat. He laughed aloud.
 Tt was funny he thought but boys must be reproved for such absurdities 1t was Sunday and their time should have been better employed
 Then the parson thought asaln or the funny situation. Again he laughed.
 II declare" he said half aloud, Tt was so funny I've a notion to try 1t on the old rascal myself. The parson was about to lower his dig nity He cautiously peered about the | meadow to make sure that he was alone. No one was in sight. Stationing himself upon the brink or the precipice the parson waved hand
 Hi. there, Billy" he yelled. waving the handkerchief vigorously.
 The goat turned. saw the gesttculatine | rarson, adjusted the bit of leather boot | pen which he was chewing in the lcti corner of his jaw and made straight tor the parson, who stood radiant with smiles.
 shall step aside.' murmured the preach | CT, and the old fellow will be taught another moral lesson.
 With head lowered and body. doubled | up like kangaroo his goatShip was bounding toward the preacher.
 | Suddenly sound came from the near by brush 1t resembied subdued laugh | ter. It was laughter. The two bad, bac little sons of the preacher were witness | ing the performance and they could no suppress their mirth. . l You little imps, I'll - - l But the parson has not completed th' sentence until this day For fatal sec ond he overlooked the fact that he wal playing matador In the ring with a mac | goat. , | Just below what prize Hgnters call tH' | solar pleXus the goat struck the parsoI and as he went over the cliff the laugl of the wicked sons rang in his ears.
 Do you know" says the parson wnei he tells the story in an undertone to m intimate friends. Tt seemed to me tn water in that creek was the coldest wa ter in which I have ever bathed. A stout gentleman in the Pullman at tached to the southbound Louisville ant | Nashville train one night this week en tertained several fellow passengers Wltl interesting stories of the revolution II Colombia. He was one ot the olhclais Q an American fruit company and his head quarters are at Colon. where the prlncl pal part of the revolution seems to h sojouI ming.
 there" he said, in answer to question as to the proportions of the. war, the! are always fighting, for that matter | They are divided into parties, the part! one Is fighting to stay in and the othe is fighting to get in.
 ''I had an experience several weeks az l over there which was somewhat unusu Il I had embarked in one of the company steam launches for a run up a lagoon 1 the coast after a load of bananas. m launch, by the way was one of the oid est and most dilapidated in the com panys service.
 As I approached the wharf at the ia end of the lagoon a party of troops wn had entrenched themselves behind tn ramparts near the wharf opened fire oi my launch with their little old cannon paid no attention to the firing. for tn shots either fell short or went far owe us. I ordered the captain of the fauncl to run right up to the wharf, for l knev had perfect right to land. What wa my surprise when one of their ridiculou old cannons put ball right through tn launch in vulnerable spot! And late sine sank.
 "All of my party came through saf and we nearly scared the. life out of tn leader with our threats of vengeance fo his days work. l put in good stii claim for the launch and appealed to tn British consul. who immediately ordere the claim pald. And l got it. full value you may believe"
 The general manager has been to Bos ton on business for the company and wa on his way back to Colon when he re cited his experience to his fellow pas sengers. ,,-,.,- when | got to Colon" he explained; "br know the leaders of both sides in tn little quarrel and I apprehend no troubl whatever in getting through, whoeve may hold the fort.
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