The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-09-06

saved his life It helped to keep him
| on top of the water. Down the crick
went the Deacon, not knowing whether
he was being carried to his doom or
not After he had floated downstream
about Is yds one end of the railing
which had a upright still sticking to
it become hooked to the root of a old
sunken tree out in midstream and
stopped. So did the Deacon. He belt
onto the railing and there he found
hisself at least 20 #. from either shore
and water over his head. The Dea-
con pulled hisself along the railing until
he got to the root of the sunken tree
and there he perched and engaged in
deep thought.
His posishion was now a miraculous
one. He was awfully chilled. He was
exosted and outen breath and wettern
drownded rat He begin to grow numb
and he ca1kilated that he couldn't hold
little while he would haft to let go and
then the water would swallow him up.
His teeth was chattering and his voice
was weak and languid, but he lifted it
up to ask forgiveness for his sins, es-
pecia1ly for skinning Cy Hoskins in a
boss dicker the week before, being as
he worked off old spawned beast on
Cy, telling Cy she was gentle as lamb,
and the first time Cy went in the stall
to feed her she come within two inches
of kickin his head clean often his
shoulders.
Then all to onct he heard a voice up
the crick in the darkness say: who
is that?" 'tIt's mel" ho1lers the Dea-
con. with new hope in his heart
who's me?" come back the question.
gTTN Al,
'T fell often that tormented old foot
bridge, and here be out in the middle
of the crick roostin' on a stump, and if
you will kindly save my life for me,
whoever you are, and no questions
asked, I will thank you kindly"
Presently who should come runnin
down the crick but Lem Brown, who
also lived acrost the bridge from town,
and in going home had heard the Dea-
con. Soon as the Deacon found out
it was Lem he blessed his name. Sud-
denly Lem happened to recollect that
the Deacon had onct sold him a dozen
eggs for fresh eggs which he took
from under setting hen, and Lem said |
he guessed he would mozey along home !
and go to bed, being as it was late, but |
the Deacon plead SO hard that Lem
hadn't the heart to leave him there, so |
Lem hunted around in the dark and |
found long sapling and threw it out |
to the tree top and the Deacon grabbed |
it and chung to it and worked his way /
along until Lem could get holt of him |
and pull him out on the bank. The !
Deacon was so thankful that Lem |
thought that being as he had saved his |
worthless life for him he would now
perceed to rub in Goals of fire on his
head, as the saying is, SO he took the |
Deacon to his home and brought out a
pint flask of ticker which he had in
the house for medicinal purposes only, |
and told the Deacon to take a swig of |
it as it would keep him from contract
ing pnumonya and the Deacon removed |
the cork and drunk down the whole en-
tire pint without stopping before Lem
could get the bottle away from him.
After few minutes the Deacon was
in such a condishion that Lem had to
assist him home, being as he couldn't
walk straight and insisted on singing
"Old Hundred" The Deacon's wife
was setting up for him, and when Lem
presented the Deacon at the front door
and Mrs Andrews saw the intoxicated
condishion he was in she lit into Lem
for getting her husband drunk and give
him such a tongue-lashing a fly would |
be ashamed to light on him. Lem says
that's the thanks he gets for saving
the Deacon's life and he wishes to
grachious he had left him in the crick
where he found him. The Deacon is
up and around again and as well as
ever. When Rev. Moore, the beloved
pastor of our church, took the Deacon
10 task for being intoxicated, the Dea-
con blamed the whole thing on Lem,
saying that Lem led him astray and
got him drunk,