The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-02-08
THE DEACON AND
HIS CONSCIENCE
CNew York Evening Sum-


gosh. I'll never fright the time Dea-
con SquiIlers' mare wuz stolen began
old Bob Fleming as ne propped his feet
onto the rim of cylindrical stove standing
in the center of the tavern floor.
1T happened bout two weeks afore
Christmas an it wuz a hard blow to
Squillers. who wuZ a man born with a
fOndness FIR dumb beasts. He wuz per-
ticulully fond o. the stolen mare an
wanted to git her back agin badly. So he
offered $l6 FIR her return an no questions
put He remember'n the ole adage bout
money maxim the mare go an he thought
money,d bring her back, TOO. When Dea-
con Allen heeTd o this offer o. course he
immejetly skedaddled over to see SduilIers
an git gen'ral description o. the horse.
Allen Wuz shrewder than she wolf an
the meanest man I'm here to anywhere.
He'd look FIR needle in a haystack eff
work.
"'Whut,s the characteristics O. the ami
miller asked Deacon Allen.
" Wa-al." drawled Squillers, hes ez
solid as the treasury O. the United States,
down an wouldn't prop up eff a steam
whistle screeched the Declaration o. In
dependence longside it,
"A droopin' ear wuz enuff FIR any de-
tectiVe f'r a clew, an Deacon Allen start
ed out on his cruise o investigationmen(.
Course this wuZ all acted on the part o
Allen. as yer viii afterwards learn. Wa-al.
on Chris mus mornin' who walks into
Squillers' yard but Deacon Allen, leadin'
ahind him horse with an ear hangin' ez
limp ez a cows tail in winter time.
NOW there wuZn't a man in the hull
country c'ud beat Squillers in a horse
deal an it wuz known that he bested
David HarHm wunzt. though nuthin' wuz
mentioned bout it IN that ere vollum he
got out So wen he sees Deacon Allen
comm into the yard with horse, his
mind wuz made up in a minute.
told y'r.l'd bring her back, Nat be-
gan Allen.
e Bring who back?' says Nat with sober
look n his wrinkled face.
Your horse, O. course, Found her
But. hemlocks, faint my horse We
. Tint almost shrieked Allen with a
No. faint But I'll tell We what I'll
dc. Allen, seem ez y'r taken back some
at: I'll take the beast off y'r hands. see
one that wuz stolen. Ye've taken all We
trouble to search for my benefit an 1
want to sort o compensate We. I'll give
We eight dollars fr- the horse.
But y'r reward wuZ fr SIS, deacon.
an l think ez y'r replacin' y'r lost horse
he'd ought to be worth the hull amount
Talnt f'r me TO argy, Allen; eff |
don't buy her the horse ez on y'r hands
an think to you S. in the hand ez worth
stud o. horses in the stable; we've no
use fr en-
Deacon Allen hestitated a few minutes
an then he bursts out: 'Wa-al let's have
the eight an ez Squillers handed over
the money there wuz a dubious look in
mis- face, an eZ Allen took il the look in
his face wuznt jes' right, nuther; jes'
ez though one didn't know whut to think
o the other.
Chris mus come around ole Squillers lay
dying. He had gotten out O. bed one cold
blusIery night cause he heerd the horse
kickln an feerd the critter wuzn't fixed
conf table. That night he got this here
new monia an the doctor ups and tells
him that his times cum. an he'd better
said he wuzn't afeerd to die an added :
There's on'y one crooked deal against
me. an, want 10 set 1t right, Doc before
l go. VIII ye send fr Deacon AIlen?i
Deacon Allen cum right over. an the
two deacons meetin' wuz a picter I'll
never frgit. Squillers extended his few
erish hand an says IN a tremuious voice
While all on us stood about with anxious
silence:
Deacon, do ye remember last Chris
81 do
DO you remember my mare that wuz
" Do ye remember how We brought back
a horse an I acknowledged the eritter
didn't belong to me?'
Wei, Alien. I lied to We and, rye
been ez full o. remorse ez a country farm
house with city relatives in summer time
l lied thet time jes' to save s. 1t vvtlz
my mare an. skun you out o. s. F'give
me, Allen, an unless you do 1 don't want
to die
Allen raised his tear-stained face
which wuz bowed all during SquilIers
confession. an when the dyin' deacon
had finished Allen said
Nat. f'fgive We ez Only an ole friend
kin frgive-pervided We in your turn FRI
give me-
r rglve your said Squillers n gruff,
hollow tone o voice while the est on US
wuz gittin ez itchy eZ a mongrel dog
wantin' to know whut he needed frgive-
ness fer.
Yes. frgive me- Allen went on fer
takin thet S.
:. But We deserved it, Alien; We deserved
No. / didn't. for 'twuz me thet stole
yer horse
.'Squillers only groaned an then his
life fitted out. an tibet WIZ 5es' thirty
Chris muses. ago tonight.