Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-04-23
THE DAILY
SHORT STORY.
The Parson of
Nugget Camp
toriginaI.I

bright spring morning enbtreu Nugget
Camp. Addressing myself to an old
man washing for gold in the creek. 1
told him my object and asked if the
inhabitants of the place would be like
~ TO give me hearing.
Reckon not. parsOn," he said. Eve
had man along here on the same
business Il year ago"
Tell me about it,"
lit was jist sech Il mOrnin' as this
when a man walked into this place an
said he was Il parson. He was not
straitlaced, long faced duffer, but
one OF them ginoine, sympathizin' sort
of fellerS cal'c'lated to take right hold
of Il camp like this. The first thing he
done was to sit down TO game of
poker with the boys, an it wasn't long
afore he cleaned 'em all out. Then he
set up the liquor fur the gang an
drunk one stiff horn hisself
Now. boys he said. 'sence I've
shown you that I'm no whinin'. long
haired, snivilin' evangelist, but one OF
your own kind, | think p'aaps you'll
pay some attention TO what / say. I've
mined an struck il big. an mined an
mighty near starved. I've gambled an
soaked an done n heap of ornery
things too numerous to mention. Then
one day struck it bigger'n l ever done
afOre. l got what's with more'n al!
the gold in these yere mOuntings-re-
ligion. Sence that time I've wanted
other people to enjoy my find. an /
want to give ii to you all right yere.
an after you git il you'll all say it's
Ii
we're camp
"'What do you want us to do, par
son?" asked one Of the gang.
Il want you to come outen the
woods back Of this place an listen to
what ! got to say to you. Come right
along now while the sperit moves YOU
Tell all the rest on 'em. Scatter
through the camp an say that man
has come among you who'll distribute
treasure-a treasure not of this
world. but of kingdom come
"Waal. the man had got such an in
huence outer 'em that they went round
collectin' the people. Some come from
curiosity: some because they had once
got religion an, havin' lost il. wanted
To git IL again; some because the mer
huntin' 'em aNed 'em TO. Ieastaways
IL wasn't mOre'n half an hour before
every man, woman an child in the
camp was in the woods waitin' TO lis
ten 40 the parson. When they was all
there, the stranger stood up on Il stump
an says to 'em:
Gents. this yere woods is now con
secrated TO this yere holy purpose. 1t
isn't meet to come inter tample or
the Lord with sich Ornary things as ~
caliber reNolvers or ten inch dirk
knives. You're expected TO come meek
an humble Now. before the service
begins | want all weapons deposited
over there on that mound. Any man
as keeps so much as a rusty pocket
knife may expect eternal damnation.'
The men that the parson cleaned out
at poker was the first to move. Then
the rest OF the miners. seem what had
been done, or. moved by the holiness
OF the occasion, goes to the mound, I'M
straps their weapons an throws 'em
on the pile. When it was all done, the
parson aXed 'em:
Has any man concluded to desc
crate this place with weapons hid I'M
der his shirt? If so. that man will re-
pent in sackcloth an ashes
He looked so searchin' that one
man who had KEEP his pOcketknife
wilted an went out an throwed it
over.
"I'm glad that mans conscience
said the parson, has forbid his COM
mittin' an objectionable sin. Is there
any other sneakin' sinner who's got a
weapon
Nobody else moved, an the parson
knowed they was cleaned out. Then.
reachin' under his coattails, he draw
ed out two bankers an addressed the
meetin':
'Sence you're all unarmed an 1 got
the drop on you would announce that
the fust an the last thing afore this
meetin' is Il contribution. All step up
as l pint you out an deposit your
valybIes afore this we're stump
do you know, stranger. that rascal
made every one on 'em walk up to the
foot of the stump he was a-standin'
on an throw down what he had.
There was n pile of things, some OH
'em valyble, some on 'em no use, fur
the people was~so frightened that they
pitched over all they had. When the
last one had contributed. the parson
got down an. still holdin' his barkers
an keepin' one eye on the congrega-
ton. picked out what he wanted. When
he'd stuffed his pockets. he backed UT
on ter the stump an pronounced
benediction.
"'GaIoOts.' he said. I've gone
through multitude OF suckers. but
never bled a stupider lot than you peo-
pie OF Nugget Camp
''Thar was one real religious man in
the crowd, an he spoke up an. look
in at the bogus parson, said. quotin-
Scripture:
Fool. This night thy soul shalI
be required of thee
HE hadn't no sooner spoke them
words than n rife cracked from be-
hind the man on the stump, an he