Show Deacon D One o of the Staunchest Piers Fillers of the tha Bingville ailIe Church Is s Biting Low lol b by B Bill I Hepburn Hank an Dewberry Who Conspired AI Him Kim KimBill r Bill Hepburn our a blacksmith black black- bl black blacksmith ck- ck smith aided and abetted by Hank Dewberry Dewberry Dewberry Dew Dew- berry who has no visible means mean of I support and never did have ha played I a joke on Deacon Butterworth one of oi the stanch p pillars of oft the Bingville I church last Saturday n night t which humiliated humiliated hu- hu the Deacon in the extreme and made him so in the eyes eves of e hereabouts that it will viti probably take him years to live it down F Bill went to the Co seat last Saturday S Saturday Satur Satur- tur- tur da day as usual and brought home a jug of ticker as usual to last him over o Sunday For some reason or oth other r Bill Bm wasn't as much under the weather when he arrived in in Bingville as he generally is Of course he was in high I spirits and full of mischief but he seemed to retain most of his faculties as you might say As soon as Bill dri in in Hank Dewberry went to help him unhitch and put his horse in the stable Hank is is very accommodating that wa way especially if he thinks there is any to be rewarded b by a 1 little tittle 1 rip nip p of licker After the horse had I been p pt t up Bill i and md Hank and the thc the j 1 jug adjourned to Bills Bill's black blacksmith m lh shop where Bill Dill built up a fire and him and Hank drunk to each others other's health a couple of times time but still they wasn't out of the wa way at all By and by Deacon Butterworth on onI l I his way ay down to Hen Weathersby's store happened to see sec a light in in the i blacksmith bl shop so he he would II go in to get ct warm W rm and chat with Bill Dill Billa Dilla a while When Bill Dm heared the Deacon coming coming he hid th the jug jUf in in th the wagon shop and the Deacon he come in in and stood around and talked about the weather and cr crops craps ct et c terr for a l spell Hank asked th the Deacon how his Us health was and the Deacon said he was vas pretty being being be lc- ing as IS he had a powerful bad had cold on his chest Then it was th that Bill Dill had hada a and he says to the Deacon Deacon Deacon Dea Dea- conVell con Well Vell Deacon Delcon I can sympathize I with you I have ha been taking sonic some cold medicine and am almost well now What be you jou ou taking says the Deacon I 1 dont don't know what sa says Bill but hut powerful po good for colds Doc Livermore in m ed ed it up fo for me Ole and I have some left in the bottle back in inthe inthe inthe the wagon wacon shop Perhaps you'd like to have a dose if Id I'd mix mix it up forr for r rI you jou OU I dont don't know but I would says sas the Deacon Im willin to take anything anything any any- thing that will help my c ld So Bill Dill he winks at Hank and takes the lantern and goes back in the wagon shop and pours out nearly a of licker ticker into a glass and put some Jamaica ginger Jinger hick he happened to have e into it to disguise it and brings it back and hands it to the the Deacon who innocent as a lamb takes the glassand glass glassand and drinks it down o n without even stop stop- stopping ping to tas taste e it 11 That aint so bad says the Deacon smacking his lips and Hank and Bill stood around to see what effect ef effect effect ef- ef it would have on him if any After After- about five minutes Bill says Does Docs that pear paar to help your our cold any Deacon i It does that says the Deacon I feel better already I dont don't seem to h hiVe e no cold at all aU now says sas the thc Deacon and I feel like dancin Go ahead and dance then says Bill if you feel like it The Deacon said he hadn't danced for years and years but he was Wa willin to tr try so he took off ofT his coat pranced around the shop dancin jigs jigs and nd scandal us until he tripped and set down downin in a big tub of water which Bill uses to cool hot irons in with ith a splash The Deacon didn't seem to 11 mind nd this however however however how how- ever but got right up up drippin with water and went right on dancin harder than ever After he had danced until he was all an oaten breath the Deacon begin to sing hymns and after he had sung all att the hymns he could think of he puts on his coat and went down to Hen Weathersby's store where many of our most respected citizens were gathered together around the stove When the Deacon entered reigned At first no- no 0 budd buddy could account for his being as a general thing the Deacon Deaconis is a mild mannered and soft spoke man man but he carried on tumble in the store He upset chairs and pushed the weighing weighing weighing weigh weigh- ing scales from irom the counter to the floor and pushed Lcm Lem Quigley against the stove and burnt Lems Lem's hand andall and andall andall all the time he het kept hollering My cold is better my my cold is better It kind o ox of riled Lem Less up when he got his hand burnt and he wanted to know of the Deacon what in was the matter with him and if he pushed him against that stove like that again he would haul off and hit lilt him a crack Then the Deacon invited Lem Lemout Lemout Lemout out into the street to fight By this time Hank and Bill Bm had arrived at the store and told about the joke they the had played on the Deacon Finally Seth Dewberry our heroic town constable was sent for for- forand and ar arrived arrived arrived ar- ar rived on the scene Seth took h hold ld of the Deacon and told him he would take him home and if h he didn't come along he would arrest him for resisting resisting resist resist- ing a officer of the law but the Deacon resist resist-I picked Seth up and him behind behind behind be be- hind the counter after which he went home of his own accord singing in a aloud aloud aloud I loud voice all the way 3 and walking all aU allover allover over the street instead of on the sidewalk sidewalk side side- walk Mrs Butterworth's when the Deacon come into the house can bet better bet bet- 1 tc ter be des described than imagined When I sh she detected the odor o of licker ticker on the D breath she ht broke down and wept and then she got mad and grabbed the floor r mop op and lambasted her husband husband hus hus- band until he pleaded for mercy after which she made him h 1 go to bed bd b d. d Next da day the thc Deacon spent in bed bcd and Mrs Butterworth told the nabors that he had a ble headache He Heis Heis is is 5 up and about now however but he dont don't have ha much to sa say about the occurrence occurrence oc oc- oc- oc currence and if anybody asks him if he is anything for h his s cold the Deacon changes the subject Bill Hepburn Hepburn Hepburn Hep Hep- burn and Hank Dewberry ort to be ashamed of for their lus Ius |