The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1911-03-17
THE DAY OF
THE TRUMP
By M. QUAD
Copyright. 1910. by Associated Lit
erary Press.


he was going. She knew. Every week
day night for years and years Silas
had gone down to the village to loaf
and CAB for two or three hours. Ev-
cry night he inquired for mail at the
postoffice, and every night he received
shake Of the head.
On this evening, however, Silas did
something he had never done before
He stopped for a moment to look at
his wife and children, as If bidding
them farewell.
Mr.. Wigs had come to be forty-eight
years old. He had worked all his life.
He hadn't broken his back at it, but he
had done fairly well for a man who
hated work. There were days when
he was hoeing corn for some one for
81 a day that he got so mad he jumped
up and down and whooped. He want
ed to take life easy, but he couldn't.
He wanted to have a whole sack of
-four and three pounds of butter ahead
of the appetite of the family and then
go fishing, but the day had never
come.
Neither the village postofice nor the
grocery nor the drug store saw Silas
that evening nor for many long even
ings to come. 1t was remarked that
something must have happened to
him. Something had. On leaving the
house he had walked In the opposite
direction from the village. He had
walked all night and all the next day.
In fact, he kept on walking until he
was 100 miles away. Then he stopped
and got work in hotel barn for few
weeks. He finally found the man he
was looking for, and after several in
terviews with him Silas put fifty more
miles between him and home. Then
he sat down In a hamlet In the midst
of rich farming community and got
his breath. AS soon as rested he an
nounced himself as Ablijah, the proph-
ct. He had come there to warn sim
ners and all others that the last trump
was about to sound. He set the day
for It to sound. The date had been
given him in a dream.
Silas' hair hung down to his Shout
ders, and he had a venerable appear
ance and deep voice. No one around
there had ever seen a prophet, but it
wasn't long before everybody was
agreed that Silas at least looked like
one. At first he was laughed at and
ridiculed, but that only made him the
more earnest. He spoke from the
steps of the tavern, and he went from
house to house and from farm to farm.
He spoke to the women more than to
the men. In two weeks he had half a
dozen Of them with him. Then he
found male converts. This was in
May. The last trump was to sound on
the 4th Of August.
In four weeks two-thirds of the pop
ulation of a county were converts. In
six weeks there were only few out
siders. The weekly papers scoffed at
Silas and his dreams and predictions,
but he silenced them by asking, How
do you know that this thing won't
come to pass? They didn't know 1t.
They couldn't declare it impossible.
They couldn't sneer at the last trump
business without offending their Chris
tian subscribers. 1t was the same
with lawyers and doctors. They jump
ed on Silas to jump off again.
"You believe there is a heaven, don't
your he would ask.
"Oh, yes"
Ever been there2"
"Of course not"
ever see any one who had"
mo"
"Then why do you believer
Because the Bible says So"
"But it also says there shall be a
Judgment day."
Eyes, but why on the 4th Of Au-
gustT'
"Why on any day? Why not on that
day as well as anotherT
"If the last trump is to sound what
of our property"
at will be destroyed with the earth,
Of course" was the reply.
That suited some, but not the major
ity.
All day on the Sd of August the coun-
ty held its breath. Farmer and VII
lager put on clean shirts and did no
work. 1t was said that children forgot
to cry and that never rooster crowed.
Hundreds of people sat up all that
night, going to their doors now and
then to consult the heavens.
On the morning of the 4th there was
a gathering on hills and knobs and a
farewell shaking Of hands. People
smoke in whispers. and husbands and
wives held hands. It was so up to 10
o'clock, to noon, to midafternoon, to
shutdown. Then Silas Wigs stood up
and said to the people around him:
at has not come and we will dis
perse, but to hold ourselves in readi-
ness for week yet. 1t may be that
| Gabriel has mistaken the date"
Did they swarm for him2 Did they
bring out a rail and tar and feathersf
Did they go to the courts and cast him
into Jail? Nothing of the kind for Silas
Wigs. They allowed that there was
a mistake somewhere, but 1t might be
Gabriers fault instead of Mr.. Wigs.
He hung around for week and then
withdrew by daylight, as an honest
man should. He said he would dream
again and try and have the thing come
| off on time.
Silas hasn't worked any since. He
doesn't have to- His share of the plum
der permits him to go fishing all the
time. and he never comes home empty
handed.
Four Handed.
"A monkey has four hands," re-