The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-05-04

counter. the fddler's elbow, swinging
out with unusual vigOr, struck the side
scene and toppled it to the floor
For a moment after the screen 1eI
and the bow stopped the old man sat
Disconnected, blinking cOnfusedly at
the rows of smiling faces. scarcely Wis
IbIe in the dim glow OF the candles set
about the room. A roar Of laughter
succeeded the first aStOnished eXclaIna-
ton. Then, a light breaking over MS
face, old Adam mounted the chair ne
had used, still holding his violin, and
addressed the laughing men an women
Friends" he cried. many Of you
have come here only for amusement,
and many, I hope, TO help this poor
man who is trying. in his way, to pro-
vide for his sick wife and little chill
dren- You have been amused. and the
puppet show has served your purpose.
Make it serve Gods purpose, too Who
ever wishes may contribute now, and
drop the money for this man into my
cap. He has earned what you may feel
called upon to give" The old man
stepped down, his violin and bow under
his arm. and a coonsHn cap held in
willingly forth. All the while, as he
moved sI,out among them, he preached,
using the Snowman and the PERFORM
ance as illustrations of his text.
His first words quoted the laughter
OF the men. and the rude, tense elo-
quence of mis- sermon, homely, unre-
hearsed. broken with fervid thanks for
the coins that ratified into his cap, soon
had more than one face wet. The
Snowman had let down his curtain, att
/ er bowling his thanks to the preacher,
and was dismantIing his stage with
/ some confusion.
rs he all done?'' whispered little sis,
/ as Adam disappeared behind the cur
/ tain holding cap and violin cautiously
( yes, shows over, sis, said Crock
I EFT aloud, rising to join the movement
/ toward the tavern door. He was silent
as he came out 10 the road, shaking
out the red fOxsl1in cap that had beer
/ crowded into a pocket and settin II
jauntily on his head The tail of tbs
/ foxskin fell down, even below his long
hair, and gave the iron gray frontiers
man. seen in the thick dusk, something
of a feminine look. Men and women
/ were striding away in the gloom and
( putting horses to buckboards when the
| Snowman came to the tavern door
Raising his hand, he cried out:
''All you folks, listen! I was in trOu
BILE hungry and miserable, and yOJ
helped me. want to thank you AND
! want you to know how much have
to thank another, the old man who fid
died for my poor performance and col
lected for me money enough to help me
I say, God bless him. and I want yoJ
to hear me say itI' The Snowman
turned with the instinct OF his craft, L
drag old Adam out beside him. Tn
old man came forth hesitatingly, but
toning his coat that had been lOosene'
in the warm tavern hall.
For moment no one spOke-th
scene was charged with feeling, to
deep for quic speech. Then Crockec
stepped out to grip old Adams hand
and call out jovially, half in the man
ner of a backWOOds campaigner:
Fellow citizens, there are in this par
of the country, as I can see plain, som
mighty square, first-rate men and Wo
men-men of the real stuff, as the felle
says. half horse and half alligator, Wit
a. IeetIe mixture of the steamboat, tn
kind of men that grows all over thi
universal earth, but hOurishes in PAL
, ticular right here on the backbone c
, North America in 1885 And want
say that Adam Silbee is about the rea
! est man I've seen in a good many day
- I'm one that's gOin' to give three cheer
2 for him, whether any Of you join in {
s notI''
' But Crockett was by no means alor
= in the cheering.