Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1913-09-26
THEDEACON'S
TIP
BY M. QUAD
Copyright. 1918. by Associated Lit
erary Press.


and a guileless man. He subscribed to
and read a religious weekly, but so
seldom glanced at any other sort that
the trickery and wickedness of the
outside world were almost a sealed
book to him.
On a certain evening, however, and
one to be remembered to his dying
day. as the deacon was abroad with
drop into the postofice. 1t is doubtful
If he had ever heard of the game of
poker, and yet he felt that bunch as
strongly as Senator Bailey might when
holding four aces. Yes. there was a
letter for him-a letter bearing the
New York postmark.
1t was from a market tipster. He
wanted to do the deacon and several
other persons a good turn by putting
them next to a good thing.
The stock of the Wild Cat silver
mine, then selling at Z cents ON the
dollar. was to jump to 60 within a
month.
1t. was an alluring circular. One
read 1t through a haze of greenbacks.
1t made ones blood run faster and his
toes to snap. The preacher would
have to preach no more, and the wild
ow could go ahead and get her fur
coat and auto.
"But it's speculation sighed Deacon
Haskins as he laid aside the letter.
"Y-e-s," sighed the wife.
"We've got $500 in the house, you
know. If we invested that we would
make over $500 in a month. That's a
big profit, Martha"
"Its a whopper, and I can't see
wherein it's wicked to take advantage
of the chance. 1t almost seems as if
Providence sent it to u.s.
The matter was debated at great
length, and the conclusion arrived at
was that it couldn't be very wicked
to speculate in silver stocks. They
weren't food or clothing, and poor peo-
pie couldn't be harmed.
"But don't send your order in," eau
toned the wife when the other matter
had been settled. IF you do some one
is going to find out about 1t. You just
go right up to New York and see this
Mr.. Nipper personally. If he looks
honest leave the money with him. If
he don't then bring it back. / have
In idea he's a church member and all
right, a Christian nan wanting to do
another Christian man a good turn"
THAT'S the way l feel" replied the
deacon, and two days later he was
face to face with Mr.. Nipper.
Mr.. Nipper looked honest. He had
a face as open and frank as a yearling
child.
He quoted Scripture.
He was a church member and fully
intended to go to heaven when he
died.
He courted the fullest investigation
into his life and actions since the day
he was born.
OF course Deacon Haskins bought
$500 worth of silver stock. He re-
fused a cigar or a drink, but he did
shake hands with great heartiness and
whispered something about meeting
Mr.. Nipper In a better world than this.
Martha, If that man hain't as hon
est as the day is long then l can't read
human nacher," was his report on ar
irving home.
But is he a church member?' she
asked.
why, he's one Of the elders in the
biggest church in New York ethyl"
- k1.za. oo,Ado-oa uyoo nhtIdIfEn
as they sat down to wait and the prof
1t they were to make was figured out
two or three times a day. You know
how sush speculations end. 1t was a
staggering blow to the deacon and his
wife. They hardly spoke for days
and days. The neighbors saw a great
change In them. but none got at the
cause of 1t.
The reader must nov jump things
along for six months. One July day
as the deacon was a mile from home,
looking for stray hogs, he came upon
an auto that had rammed into a fence
from the bursting of a tire. There
was only one man in the auto, and he
was held In the fence by his foot.
1t was MI. Nipper. He was taking
a little spin by himself from a sum
mer hotel several miles away. He had
made some changes in his appearance.
but was almost instantly recognized.
Such was the bitterness called up by
sight of the man that the deacon went
off his head. He pried the foot loose
and then flung the man to the ground
and walloped him till he begged for
mercy. Then the walloper stopped to
get his breath and walloped some
more. 1t wasn't Deacon Haskins now.
1t was an enraged bull seeing red.
He slammed and hit and battered and
banged, and Mr.. Nipper really had
hard work to make him take 500 and
60 his way.
The deacon went home to tell his
wife and put the money in the cup
board and then continued on to the
parsonage. He made a clean breast