The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1916-12-13


going to drive right past the Powers
place, and the Powers almost always !;
had mail Of SOME kind, even II Il
wasn't more than poultry magazine
or seed catalogue. After ono or
two such mistakes Deacon took charge
of things himself. From house to
house he went, stopping wherever he
had been In the habit Of calling, wait
ing until the new carrier found who
lived there and had looked through let
ters and parcels to see II he had any
thing for them.
All the forenoon and all the after
noon this went on. but when the red
sun went down In the frosty west there
still remained half hundred letters
and more than peck Of packages to
be delivered. The new man, was hum
CRY and tired. but he was no QiittGr.
So he begged some hay and oats for
Deacon, borrowed q lantern, and to-
gether they started to finish the route.
AS for Deacon, his old knees were
sitter than ever, his shoulder muscles
ached, his fanks heaved like pair Of
blacksmith's bellows, but he plunged
on, never skipping a single house,
never hesitatlng at roundabout half ;
mile, doing his whole duty quite MS
thoroughly as If there had been some. /
one behind to urge him on instead Of
cold-numhed clerk, who had no
longer even touched the rcins. At last
only one letter was left, thick, bulky
one In blue waterproof envelope,
bearing n foreign postmark. Josiah
Braisted, Esq.," was the address.
"Bralsted. eh?" muttcrcd the clerk.
wonder II the old horse knows where
he lives?"
Evidently Deacon did, for he was
plowing through big drift heading
straight out on the Boston road into
the darkness. Far ahead, on the top
Of long hill the clerk could seeethe
lights of a big house. There were no
other lights between. Miles behind he
could make out the glow of the city.
The clerk wished he could be back
there, where one could be warm again
and get something hot to eat. With
numb fingers he pulled out his watch
llalf-paSt nine! Why, it would take
them good two hours to drive back
now! Brnistcd be hanged! He could
get his letter after Christmas.
SO he grabbed the rcins and indi-
Gated to Deacon a desire to turn
around. But Deacon would not turn.
Pull on the rein as he might, Deacon
! would only swing his head about,
Keeping his legs moving straight
ahead. BY much shouting and saving
on the reins Deacon was stopped
> Then the new driver wadcd out to his
head, took him by the bits and tried to
point the horse the other way. Dea-
con refused to bulge. Those lights on
the top Of the long hill marked the end
; of the route, and Deacon knew 1t. And
q to those lights they went. Josiah
!, HraistcdT asked the driver curtly OF
2 the young woman who answered his
ring.
n "Oh, It's come. It's GOMEZ" she
> shouted to someone within, as she held
2 out her hand eagerly for the letter.
n Never before had he seen so much
n excitement caused by the delivery of
n letter. In a moment there were three
II or four persons In the front hall, all
2 talking at once.
z do you think 1t will save him, doc.
il tori" asked the anxious-faced old
Il lady who had followed the girl to the
q door.
1T will II anything will, I guess
Il answered stout, bearded man. And
, he mounted the stairs to see the Pc.
tient In the upper room.
. Then they insisted that the half.
:, frozen clerk come inside and have
= something to eat. Deacon7 Oh, they
:, would take care Of Deacon. They did
!, oil this and more. 1t seemed that this
:, letter had been long expected, and was
. sadly needed, for 1t came from a prod
:, igal son to very sick father. 1t hat
- It's effect, too.
:, OF course the clerk told them OF
- ~ Deacon's heroic stubbornness, of how
&c the old horse had insisted on goinf
- to the very end of the route wher
g he had tried to turn him back. JOSIAH
- Braisted, Esq, heard the story durinl
= his convalescence.
'o III must tell my son about that wher
y he comes home" he would repeat a.
- they told him Of the part Deacon
~ played in the story. "We ought to dt
something for that old horse" he said
le They did, too. The Office clerk, VIII.
le will first show you handsome golt
;, watch, tells the story best, always end
III ing with, "And old Deacon, why, h
>e lives out there on the Braisted place
~ like q thoroughbred. He's In clover
he is."
'Wcll," Dan Sweeney will add, at
~ no morc'n he deserves. Old Deacol
~ was 6 r;ighty good horse in his day
and mighty knOwn'."--St. Louis Globe