The colored American., 1903-05-09
THE coLoRED AMERICAN.
DEACON HASTINGS Fiddle.

pdSungS was elected one or the dea.
cons Of his church that he not only
owned a fiddle, but played on It He
had been censured for this act Of
worldliness. but as It was his only
weakness and as he was eminently 1T
ted to I'LL deaconship his brethren
went ahead and took chances. 1t might
be just possible, argued the majority,
that man could fiddle and not bring
the church into disrepute. But at the
same time he was expected to play
nothing but the most solemn airs
The first move on the part Of Satan
was to induce the new pillar to stop
and gaze at some circus bills posted on
barn A brother deacon caught him
red handed and lectured him for an
hour on the enormity of his offense. The
transgressor promised better things
But, 10, when the circus arrived he
permitted his daughter Minnie to at
tend in company with young Ike Har-
per! His excuse that young people had
curiosity to see lions, tigers, bears
and kangaroos didn't go down, and he
was warned that any more Uifiing
would be serious matter.
The deacon was penitent, but IL
wasn't four weeks before he bought a
piano for his daughter. At an informal
meeting Of the other deacons, the pew
openers and the box paSsers 1t was de-
cided that piano could not be classed
under the head Of naturally wicked
The question was. Could the deacon
live in the same house with a fiddle
and piano and maintain his religious
integrity?
The deacon's critics were watching
and waiting, when they caught him
tripping in another direction. His barn
faced the road, and when an agent for
e stomach bitters came along and offer
ed him $50 for the use of the roof for
year the good man pocketed the cash.
A mighty sign soon appeared on the
roof, and the last letter was hardly
finished before Deacon Hastings was
in trouble. 1t was the opinion of the
majority that all stomach bitters were
three-fourths whisky and that the dea-
con had sold himself to the cause OF
fntemperance and ought to be disci-
plined- He was going like a lamb to
the slaughter when the agent hired q
man to drink four bottles of the bitters
at once and proved that there was
nothing in 1t TO lift a mans heels Off
the ground. The object lesson couldn't
be denied. but yet no one was satisfied.
He realized this fact and didn't dare
give cornhusking or an apple pairing
ehat fall
Nemesis was close on the deacon's
heels, however. His daughter Minnie
was a general favorite, and one winter
night a lot Of young people appeared
as surprise party. He couldn't turn
them away, and he reluctantly brought
ont his fiddle
The fiddle and the piano started out
with Sweet BY and By accompa-
MED by all who could sing, and how
they ever switched OFF on to ragtime
the deacon could never explain to HIM
self. 1t was like a dream to him next
day. When told that the young folks
had formed in sets and danced to his
first four forward and back-ladies
change-gents to the left-an prone
nade," he studied over it and sighed.
Before noon next day it was known
far and wide that Deacon Hastings
had dddled for dance. That he would
be churched was regarded as a matter
Of course, and it was determined that
his fellow deacons investigate before
he could run away from the scene OF
his crime. Accordingly, at o'clock on
the evening after the party, they filed
4rlfr is arlr To