The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-09-09
DEACON PLAYED
WRONG HAT
He Had "Hunch" Dream and
Quietly Bet on Hatouchee, but
Sombrero Was the Winner.

Deacon Smith is spiritual official
in thriving flock of church-goers on
the upper end of Manhattan island
The deacon is pious, prophesies blue
blazes and forked tongues for ali
transgressors and SCOTS at supersti-
ton. He doesn't believe that If a black
cat crosses his trail that he is soon TO
meet q violent death or that dreaming
OF snakes without terminating the ca
reer of their snakeships means that a
dangerous enemy is on his trail. He
doesn't believe i'm dreams of any sort,
IN truth. and he says SO. Consequent
ly when the good man saw the vivid
running of a vulgar and wicked horse
race during a refreshing nights SUM
Der he did not trouble himself TO i'm
agine what il meant
On the succeeding night. however. as
he visited the land Of dreams and was
inhaling deeply the pure air that
waved gently over the green fields and
beautiful valleys. he found himself sit
ting up suddenly and shouting: Come
on, you old skate, come on" with Mrs.
Deacon Smith reaching for the boot
Jack 10 defend herself against the mad
man should her fears prove true. But
the deacon assured her that IL was
simply a nightmare and that it would
be all right when he turned over and
slept on the other side. They finished
the nights rest Serenely and the horse
race did not bother the deacon for
week.
He had just made an address on the
temptations which beset youth i'm big
city and how to avoid them. and he
was very tired from the effort. Dur
ing his talk he had seized the occasion
20 denounce horse racing, dancing,
baseball and a few other things that
Americans are heir to, so when he
reached dreamland and found himself
I'm the betting ring of a race course he
thought the scene simply a part of his
speech and proceeded to sit up i'm bed
and eloquently denounce the thing.
Mrs Smith heard a few epigramS and
then jabbed the deacon rudely in the
side and suggested that he turn over,
which he did.
Next morning all he could remember
of his dream was the vivid flash first
past the winning post of a horse whose
name he could not remember but
which i'm some way suggested Hat.
The next night he dreamed of
Hat again and the horse again fin
ished first by a neck. Deacon Smith
tri 20. to forget it. but he couldn't
Reading carefully all the news and the
advertisements of his morning paper
the only objection to which he used 10
tell Mrs Smith was that it had d
sporting column-his eye merely hap
pened uuon the days entries at New
York race track and the name Hatou-
chez. Queer" unused the deacon,
mighty queer; and he felt the tempt
ers soft voice whispering ever so close
60 his listening ear
But the deacon was valiant man,
and the way he whacked the tempter
aside was caution when any oruIl-
ary tempter would have needed. Not
so with this one. however. II kept tap
ming at the deacons soul all morning.
and he couldn't think of anything
else. q,
Finally he decided on a course. Put
ting on his hat, he strobe around the
corner to the little church where Black
Sam. a gentleman of serious color, who
had played every game from marbles
to horse racing. and been finally re-
formed by Deacon Smiths eloquence.
was busting off the pews and keeping
a sharp eye for lost nickles.
sam" said the deacon. Il have been
troubled recently with persistent
dreams about race horses. and each
time there is something in the dream
that suggests Hat Now, you know,
Of course. that l have no faith in
dreams In fact. think they are mere
w the result of bad digestion; but
would like to know. just out of Gu
riosity. what your opinion is of the
strange persistence with which this one
returns"
BLACK Sam dropped the buster. gazed
at the deacon with keen interest for a
moment. then stiffened with dignity
His face took on the appearance of d
wise old owl as he delved into his val
uables" pocket. There came TO the sur
face two ra zors. a little bunch of tooth
picks wrapped i'm tissue, a Barlow
knife and a rabbits foot, before Inc
reached the desired article. IT was
Somebody's Famous Dream Book
which told you not only the meaning
of every dream. taking you over TIT
course in alphabetical form. but what
10 eat to dream the right sort OF
dreams. etc.
After n solemn perusal of chapter %
Black Sam. who had meanwhile lis
tened to the deacons story. announced
that so far as he could learn from tn,
hook 10 dream OF a horse race mean
good luck. and "Ah tink. Marse Sniff
And play dat Hat boss fuh all Al
had"
told Black Sam that IL would never dc
especially as he had only yesterday de
ncunced that very sin in such vigorou
terms. However. the tempter ably sec
onded by Black sam, who became elo
ouent i'm the plea that a large FORUM
might be made with a small hazard
finally prevailed. aud Deacon Smltl
hustled over 10 the bank and drew
down the mcager savings of year o
more. These ne transferred to Blacl
sam. after binding him to close Sc
Crecy.
Black Sam. while he has been con
vcrted and was a church going blacl
man. did not shuu his old acquaint
ances entirely. and he therefore foun'
no trouble i'm finding a place to lay tn
money.
sixty TO one were the odds on Hatou
chez. and Sam played him TO win. Tn
deacon had entrusted him with $16. AM
Black Sam had 81 of his own. There
fore he stood TO win 1920. His foolisl
ole head turned giddy at the thought
Of what he would do with his portion.
BY the time the race was calle'
Black Sam was i'm perspiration, am
when the announcer cried. They're off
with Hatouchee in the leadr' the col
ored brother could feel the kinks leav
ing his hair
- -t~