The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1905-03-19

~LD man Mitch, Andy Wilson, Sol
I'M Jones and the Rev. John Ash
III HI ton-Kent were drunk. About all
" Kiowa was, too, but that is only
an INCIDENT. The drunkest man
in town was the heretofore model
young minister. But it was not his
fault. You, too would swallow a flask
of liquid lightning in five frantic gulps
If, when walking deep in thought, you
were grabbed from behind by four Of
the strongest men in Kiowa, the bot
ties neck forced between your set
teeth, and-but l am travei.ag ahead
of my story.
A year before the Rev. John Ashton
Kent had been graduated from an east
ern preacher factory" as Paddy
called it once, and timidly bid 119
pounds of pretty goodness goodby, and
had answered a cali in Kiowa. Things
had gone slowly for the Rev. John ASH
ton-Kent in Kiowa, though in every
other way the city had surged with
life of the frontier.
Every Sunday morning at o'clock
TO the minute, the school house bell
announced that the Rev. Kent was
pulling the rope. Then followed a real
ly eloquent and scholarly sermon to
the few who gathered to hear him.
Sunday evenings, Wednesday evenings
at all times did the young minister Ia
Dor, but in vain. That dull, soul-dis-
couraging thing that men called in
difference, all his zeal, faith, prayer had
rallied to overcome. Clearly the Rev.
John Ashton-K Kent, with his somewhat
ef1em1nate, precise ways, was not popu-
lar in Kiowa. Neither was he unpop-
ular. Kiowa simply tolerated the gen.
tleman. He's harmless grinned Pad
dy.
Kiowa fed and rooted him, some mis-
of Ia
modest bills. But one day Kiowa was
thrown into commissions.
Old Niger Sue" who did washing
Tor 90 cents a dozen, and lived in n
miserable shanty on the outskirts, had
smallpox. incidentally half the soiled
clothes of Kiowa were in the polluted
shack. Now, your frontiersman fears
not the bullet nor the knife; but small
powell, that is another matter.
However. 1t all ended by the Rev. John
Ashton Kent, with a huge basket of
provisions, some medicines and a few
books going to live in the hut for ten
days. When the laundress died, the
Rev. Kent, unaided, dug a deep grave
near by and buried her with simple but
appropriate ceremonies. Then the
young divine carefully sprinkled kero-
sene over the premises and applied the
match. incidentally Kiowa's soiled lin
en- was consumed. The young mar
went off into the wilderness of Andy
wilson's pasture and lived alone in a
tent for a month. No signs of the dis
ease appearing, he again burned his
domicile and contents. including the
clothes on his back
After rub down with water strong
with chloride of mercury in a sandy
pool of Kiowa creek, not overlooking
his hair, the minister donned new raj
ment, the first he had known since
leaving college. AS it was Sunday
morning. he proceeded gently to the
school house. The bell rang for the
hrst time in six weeks. In ten min
utes the room was crowded
The pent-up feelings of six long, try
ing weeks pealed forth. The Rev. John
Ashton Kent pleaded for a church. It
was in the spring. Every one was short
or ready money. But $269.40 was what
the tin pail contained when services
were over.
1T is a nest egg," said the Rev. Kent
But brave deeds are not uncommon in
and around Kiowa. They never are in
the cattle country. Slowly Kiowa for
got.
Once more only dozen or more
gathered every Sunday in the little
school house. 81 am almost discour-
aged. Pray for me-" was what a pair