The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1907-10-18
s elect Stnrp.
THE PREACHERS GRIP.
BY ". II. WITHR0W.


many drinking bout at the village tavern.
"rm in it, whatever it is, replied
Phin Crowle, with vicious grin.
These worthless were notable sports and
dog -fanciers, and each had his bulldog
''that could whip anything of its size and
weight in the country 1t was agreed,
therefore, to bring their respective dogs tc
the evening preaching, to keep them asun-
der till the service was well under way,
and then to incite them toa fight. A few
well directed digs with their heels excited
the beasts to angry growls and snarls, tc
the great amusement of the village toughs
and to the great alarm of the women and
girls.
Lawrence Temple, student from a
neiyhboring college, had just been ap-
pointed local preacher with view to the
ministry. He was sent to try his prem
tice hand on the natives of the -Four Cor
ners Schoolhouse, a neglected rural neigh,
borhood near the college town. His first
preaching experiences were likely to be, to
put it mildly, not uninteresting.
His previous practice Of athletics in
telling trees in lumber camp stood him
in good stead He did not easily get rat
tied nor lose his head When the dis
turbance became too obvious, he requested
the owners Of the dogs to keep them quiet
or to take them out. When the annoy
ance continued, he announced that the
disturbing of religious service was vio-
lation of the law and must cease at once.
"Now's yer time, Phin, said Larkins,
in loud aside, ''let her 60 and in a
minute the exasperated dogs were rushing
at each other throats and causing panic
of terror among the women.
Quickly leaving the teacher S desk which
served as a preaching stand, Lawrence
walked down the central passage to where
the dogs were swapping, sna,ling and roll
ing over each other on the floor.
Take your dogs out, he said with a
very decided tone and gesture, Seeing
that their owners took no notice, he added
sternly "And do it at once.
''Take EN- out yerself if yer wants to, y
said Phin Crowle, "but l warns yer it S at
yer peril If my Tige grips yer leg he Il
never let go-not if yer cuts his head off. .
"Open the door, please, said the young
preacher, which was promptly done by a
man sitting near it.
Lawrence had not practised football in
vain. Before their loutish owners could
interfere, he had planted we'll directed
and tremendous kick on the interlocked
and astonished dogs that unlocked their
jaws; followed by two others, that swept
first one and then the other over the thres-
hold before they knew where they were
''Now follow your dogs he said grimly
to the cowardly bullies-for your bully is
always coward.
''Supposin we don't choose to =
drawled Larkins.
"Tll simply have to make you! said Law
renee with blazing eyes, ''and tomorrow
have you fined for disturbing public wor-
ship"
'Let's go, Jim said Phinj 'he's got
the drop on us this time.
"We'n be even with yer yet, Mr..
Preacher, and he BANKED to yer, growled
the human brute, Larkins, more degraded
than his dog, and went into the blackness
of night making the air lurid with oaths
and curses.
In moment Lawrence was calm again,
and with earnest pleading tones he read
over the words in the Apocalypse concern
ing the finally impenitent Without,
in the blackness of darkness forever, ARE
dogs, and sorcerers, and whatsoever loveth
and maketh a lie, " and with tears in his
voice he exhorted his hearers to heed the
solemn warnings of God and to flee from
his present and eternal wrath His words
came home with strange power and not a
few of the rufians' companions who had
''come to scoff remained to pray
An hour later Lawrence was making his
way home from his first service at the
Four Corners Schoolhouse. A great g lad.
ness filled his soul and he needed not the
wild and wintry winds nor the drifting
clouds that were scudding rapidly across
the sky. Through their riffs the moon
shone brightly. Just as he reached Il
bridge across ravine two figures glided
out of the shadows of the trees, accom-
panied by two dogs. Lawrence at once
recognized them as Jim Larkins and Phin
Crowle and their invariable companions
we might almost say comrades-Bull and
Tige.
''Now, Mr.. Preacher growled Lar
kins, 81 said L be even with yer yet,
and blest if it isn't goin' to be ter-night. y
Only "blest'' was not exactly the word he
used, but one of opposite meaning.
81 have no cause of quarrel with you,
said Lawrence. forgive you all about
that little incident at the schoolhouse. y
'But ain t forguv yer, nor Bull Meth
er, and we've get yer where we want yer.
Sic m, Bull Sic m, Tige r
Ominous growlings and snarlings fol-
lowed, but just then rift in the cloud
emitted bright gleam Of moonlight which,
reflected by the snow, revealed the group
with almost the light of day. Both dogs
seemed to recognize the man with the EN-
phatic boots with which they had so re
Gently made unpleasant acquaintance, anc
skunk behind their respective owners.
Course EN- | never knowed EN- tt
do like that afore Yere not afraid, be
yer? Ere, Bull, sic m. Tige, seizt
holt
"We'll have to wade in, Phin.
81 have no quarrel with either of you
and don't want to have,' said Lawrence
"Oh, ye're coward, be yer? On yel
own ground in the schoolhouse yer wua
bold enough, but here yer sings another
tune. Ye've got ter fight and one or othel
ofus goes over that bridge, and he pointed
to the deep shadows in the ravine.
"Not l, if l can help it, nor you either
so far as l am concerned" replied Law
renee, calmly.
Take that, will yer?' said Lsrkins,
o,,d ho b.t hin, N h., H.at mr., tba ohaaL