Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1903-07-29
CHAPTER TX.

CHAPTER TX.
II" HERE Is a certain class 81
individuals that will gather
around a man in misfortune,
! and It difterssvery little, II II
di6ers at all. from the class that warns
isself 10 the glow Of mans prosper
~.
Horses were hitched to the fence
nom the front gate oil the way round
/ TO The aide entrance. The mountain
people seemed to have left their yars-
Gus occupations to subtly enjoy the
spectacle OF a common man like them
salves who had reached too far after
forbidden fruit and lay manned and
torn before them.
Their disapproval Of the old man'e
effort to hurry Providence could not
have been better shown than in the
failure Of them all to comment ON the
rascally conduct Of the Atlanta lawyer.
They even chuckled over that part Of
the incident. To their minds Perkins
was sort of faroff personification OF q
necessary evil, who, like the devil him
self. was evidently created to show
moetais their limitations s
The Rev. Charles B. Dole, tall.
spare man Of sixty, who preached the
frst, second. third and fourth Sundays
Of each month In four different meet
ing houses within a days ride OF Bish-
ops, came around as the guest Of the
farmhouse as often as his Circuit would
permit He was called the '.fightin'
preacher because he had had several
fearless hand to hand encounters with
certain moonshiners whose conduct he
had ventured to call ungodly because
unlawful.
On the second Saturday after Bish-
ops mishap, as Dole was to preach the
next day at Rock Crest meeting house,
he rode up as usual and turned his
horse into the stable and fed him with
his own hands. Then he Joined Abner
Daniel on the veranda. Abnlt had
seen him ride up and purposely hurled
his head In his newspaper to keep hon
offering to take the horse, for An "
did not like the preacher ''any
hurt" as he would have put \ -
DOE did not care much FOR Abner
either: They had engaged In several
docfrinal discussions in which the
preacher had waxed furious over some
a Daniels views, which he described
as decidedly unorthodox. Daniel had
kept his temper beautifully and had
the appearance Of being amused
through 1t: oil. and this Dole found
harder to forgive than anything Abner
had said.
'sYOu ali have had some trouble,
heer, sence I saw you last" said the
preacher as he sat down and began to
wipe his perspiring brow with a big
handkerchief.
'.Well, reckon 1t mought be called
that" Abner replied as he carefully
folded his newspaper and put 1t into
mis- eoat pocket. None Of US was ex-
= u, Of 1t. an It sorter busted our
.calcuiaf1Dhs.S ALI had laid out to put
new high back benches in Rock Crest,
AN new lamps an one thing another,
am It seems to me"-Abner wiped his
TOO facile mouth 'like heerd I'm say
one day that you wasn't paid enough
Ter yore thunder an that he'd stir
around am see what could be done.s
Ahaers eyes twinkled. But, lawsy
mel reckon eff he kin possibly raise
& the seads to pay the tax on his invest
ment next yeer he'll do all the Lord ex-
pects.s
..Huh. 1 reckonF' grunted Dole. irri-
tated. as usual. by Abner's double
meaning. II take 1t that the Lord
hain't got much to do with human
speculations one way or other.
tEf just had that scamp that roped
i'm In before me minute. I'd fix i'm. I.
/, said Abnef. "Do you know what de-
i nomination Perkins belongs tor
mo. don't. Dole blurted out, Fan.
whats more. I don't care
'.Well. acknowledge 1t sorter inter
sestH me. went on our philosopher In
an inscrutable tone, "beca'se, Brother
lDol4 you kin often trace mans good
Jur bad doin's to his belief In Bible mat
tiers. Maybe you don't remember Jabe
Lyman that stold Thad Wilson's stump
nmGkiu' hos an was ketched an put
- Twas at the courthouse In barley
when he reee&xed his sentence. His
wife rant me to I'm to carry his pipe
an one tlhin& o. ether q pair o socks
an other slaesssaFy tricks. little can
q lye soap. fer one thing. She hadn't
the time to 90, az Ahe aaid she had a
patch o. young corn to hQeAut found
Sim az happy as ef he was ssin' of on
excursion. He laughed an lowed
: Il nd be some time fore he got buck,
3 an wondered what could a. made
i'm 80 contented, 50 made some In
Quiries on TINT line. found that he
was Arm believer In predestination
an that what was to- be was foreor.
dained. He said that he firmly believed
be was predcstinated to go to the coal
/: mines fer boss stealin', an that life was
/, too short to be kickln' ag'in the Lords
way O r,lnnin' matters. Besides, he
1. said. he'd heerd that they issued plug
so tobacco week to chawin' prison.
tera, an he could prove that he was one
TO- that sort OF they'd look how he'd
aground his Jaw teeth down to the
sgums."
"Huh!" grunted Dole again, his SHARP
fgray eyes on Abner's face as II he hall
believed that some Of his own theories
were being sneered at It was true
that he, being a Methodist, had not ad
wocated belief in predestination. but
.Abner Daniel had on more than one
occasion shown a decided tendency t.
bunch all stringent religious opinions
together and cast them down as out Of
date. When In doubt in conversation
with Abner. the preacher assumed q
GOODNESS on the outside that was often
not consistent with the fires within
him. " don't see what all that's got
70 do with Brother Bishops mistake. =
he said frigidly az he leaned back II
his ahair.