Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-08
TIE SAGE BRUSH PARSON
BY A. B. WARD.

Read this and get it through your head
what Winslow's up to-
Cant you tell me what is In it2' In
quired Vaughan,
Barker gave him quixzical look. "A re-
hash OF voitaire and the encyclopedias
done into mining and cowboy vernacular'
but It's cleverly done. Read 1t, read IT.!
Are you In hurry for your paperT
asked Vaughan.
mo But you must read It, right away.
You've got to preach to the D. p. l. next
Sunday. You know it's All Fools and as
chaplain of the D. p. L
who said I was chaplain of the D. r.
I.f interrupted Vaughan, smiling in spite
of himself
our day. you'll have to preach to US. The
Masons have day. and SO does the 9. A.
r. Why not the D. p. l.: Let me know
definitely by Friday, SO that can adver-
tise. I shall count on YOU. so don't fan
me-"
He left the church, and Vaughan returned
to his thoughts-anxious thoughts they
were. OF the danger that threatened the
pretty sister Of Mary Flynn.
His visit to Richmond Hill the previous
day had not had for It's object the romp
which the children claimed. or the inter-
view which Katharine missed, but was
message to Jerry asking him to come to the
church. The two men had conferred long
and earnestly, but without arriving at any
definite conclusion.
3.
IF we say too much she'll kick over the
traces. and there we are! I'll talk with
Mary, but I'm doubtin tn do amy good.
So they left 1t.
The Wednesday Sentinel remained on the
table where Barker had flung 1t, unopened
till the following morning. after prayer
meeting.
There was by no means the usual attend
ance-young girls and the women who al
ways came were presents~hu there was not
a man in the church, save~the parson him.
self
yet Dick had ridden In from the Well
man ranch ION purpose to CO." he had him
self told Vaughan when they met
on the corner. And 10 and his
crowd had not In weeks missed single
service. Shed Wellman was out of town.
Jack and Mat were both busy. But what
had become of the others? Vaughan de-
layed the meeting, hoping they would APP
pear Suddenly Barker's warning required
to him. He sprang to his feet and gave out
the opening hymn.
AS soon as the worshipers had departed
and the lights were out he returned to his
study and took I'D the Sentinel. Winslow' S
effort was not hard to find. 1t was on the
front page between JOB Jumper Can Re-
turn, Says Jury Sitting on the Mexican g
Remains and Under the Red Light: Eight
Bichloride of Mercury Tablets Did the Bust
ness of Self-destruction." Between these
two headings there was an attractive brew
ity about Winslows rs There God?'
Vaughan read it eagerly from beginning
to end-not word escaped him AS Bar
ker had said. 1t was cleverly done. The
heaviness of argument was avoided, yet ar
gument was there, plausible, convincing.
and through it all glttered and shone the
laughter of the man whose method had been
borrowed along with his plea. Especially
did 1t play. like heat lightning. about Meth
odism and the Methodists.
Stung wide awake by the hints, the allu-
sions, Vaughan caught pen and paper. and
as Winslow had written he wrote. uncon-
scious of his surroundings, until the dawn
Knocked his lamp. Then he pushed back
what he had written, his sermon, his D. l..
p. sermon. written on the text, The Fool
Hath Said in His Heart THERE'S No God"
broke his fast. went to Barker's office. and
left word that he would preach as requested,
and set out on walk over the Geiger grade.
Two hours later he came home, full of re-
Spouse to the reckoning April, reread the
carefully composed sentences in which he
had attempted to reinstate in the universe
the God Winslow had elbowed out, tore the
manuscript in shreds. and gave his mood ex-
preston in dozen pages or more of a very
different sort.
Barker lost no time after receiving
VaughanG message In making ready a no.
tice for the Sentinel. 1t read as follows:
Next Sunday being All Fools day service
Church. A sermon will be prea ched to fools
by fool" Saturday night the significant
row of lighted candles appear red on Main
street, announcing a business meeting, and
every member of the D. P. l. who could get
there came.
Sunday morning the little church was