Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-10-23
DAILY SHORT STORY
Rev. Mr.. DingIey.

a brother Clergyman who had been
taken ill, was proceeding by stage
the only vehicle then in use in Mon
tana-and alone in the coach. Shortly
before dusk the driver pulled up in a
lonely place, and l heard him talking
with some one. Then a man opened the
door and got in. He was roughly
dressed, but his face was singularly
refined.
The stranger opened conversation
and we soon got into an animated dis
cussion. He knew by my canonicals
that / was a clergyman of the Episco-
pal church, and l told him that l was
the Rev. Charles Dingley, going to
Helena to preach the next day.
"WeH, now," he said. that's strange.
am going TO Helena for the same pur-
pose"
"You?"
Certainly may not appear very
clerical in this toggery," glancing at
his high boots corduroy trousers and
blue flannel shirt, "but 1 will engage
to preach you as orthodox a sermon as
any regularly ordained clergyman in
our church"
u
ing.
"We'H be there in an hour" he con-
tinued Meanwhile 1 must be making
my preparations. You see, L was out
fishing when received the bishops or
der, and, not having time to go home
and get on my priestly garments. cut
across the country to meet this coach"
There was something very eXtraor-
binary about this. Surely the bishop
would not order two men on the same
duty. l stared at the fellow and wait
ed for further development.
"Tll trouble you to take off your
clothes" he said.
I laughed, but there was something
so serious in his manner that my laugh
was rather forced.
Come" he went on. I'm waiting"
l laughed again. Putting his hand
TO his hip he drew a six shooter and
placed the muzzle disgustingly near my
nose. 1t was now evident that there
was some desperate business in the
wind. and, realizing my defenseiess-
ness, l took off my coat, my vest, my
trousers and turned them over. When
I handed him the gold cross (which l
he hesitated a moment, as though the
sacrilege was trifie too much for him,
then nut 1t on. When he donned my
low crowned, broad brimmed clerical
hat he looked far more of a clergyman
than / even when appropriately dress
ed.
81 suppose you want my purse" l
said. You will find it in my trousers
pocket"
your purse?" he replied. DO you
suppose that l, clergyman, would
rob your" And, taking out the purse
after glancing at it's contents, he tossed
it to me.
May 1 put on your clothes?" /
asked. "I must wear something"
Certainly"
I slipped on his garments and must
confess that looked more like a man
of the wild west than he had looked
in the same apparel
In less than half an hour we pulled
up at the - hotel, and the coach door
was opened by the landlord. Ny COM
panion stepped out and shut the door.
1 heard him tell the landlord that there
was a lunatic inside the coach and he
formed him that he was the Rev.
Charles Dingley and had come to
preach the next day in place of the
Rev. Mr.. GOggin, who was ill; that on
the way q rough looking man had got
into the coach, who conceived himself
to be a clergyman, at once giving evil
dence OF insanity. 1 thrust my head
out of the coach door and protested,
but l saw at glance the futility of
doing so. Then for the first time the
seriousness of the situation came upon
me. l had never been to Helena and
did not know u soul in the town.
The landlord held the coach door till
men were summoned, who took me into
the tavern and upstairs to q room, or,
rather, a large closet without a win
dow, where l was locked in. There
was cot in the room, and soon after
my incarceration the door was opened
and my supper handed in. There was
nothing for me to do but accept the
situation. SO 1 ate the supper, then
threw myself on the bed and fell
asleep.
1t was the next afternoon about 3
o'clock that heard number of foot
steps on the stairs. and my door was
suddenly unlocked and thrown open.
There stood three well dressed men.
do you know anything about the
man who came in the coach with you
yesterday" asked one of them.
Eyes, he forced me to give him my
clothes, and when we arrived told the
landlord / was a lunatic."
"And you are
1.-THE Rev. Charles Dingley."
Gentlemen, we have been sold"
"Well?" l asked.
THE Rev. Charles Dingley who
preached this morning made an i'm
passioned appeal for funds to be used
in erecting a reformatory where road
agents and swindlers could be gently
led back to the paths of virtue. He got
the biggest collection we have had
since Easter but when we whose duty
10 70 foI oh of oil 81, IL