Show The Preacher and His Converts T. T a a rBy r- r By ARTHUR B. B HERBERT HERBERTg g 1926 Western Newspaper Union I PERHAPS he hc Should be excused If I pERHAPS his walk was a bit chipper Despite Despite Despite De De- I spite his fort odd forty odd years In fn the pulpit Rev Rey George Enderson was Vas decidedly human Twenty-five Twenty years Is a long pastorate In one place especially when the twenty five years have witnessed a achurch achurch achurch church growth and success such as Enderson had wrought In Arlington Memorial To crown his work was to come the new church building As Enderson rounded the street corner deep In plans and hopes for the new structure he had bad over In tho the pocket of his frock coat In his desk drawer were three thousand more moro Abruptly Enderson was brought back I to the Immediate present as a disarrayed disarrayed dis US- arrayed ed figure hurtled by him and landed In a heap against the wall of ot ofa ota a building An If you want any more Just get getup getup getup up an sa say so the big figure of Bud Nas Nason n invited the fallen one Chagrined and thoroughly annoyed Enderson suddenly realized that he had become an unwilling member of ot this group Of Ot course It was a again aln the fault tault of ot Bud Nason Bud Nason-Bud Bud Nason the to seen In church The Thc few days ashore between sailings were Indeed indeed indeed In in- deed too short to be spent fooling around with such company As Enderson hurriedly disentangled himself from among the fight enthusIasts enthusiasts enthusiasts his eyes met those of ot Bud Nason Nason Nason Na Na- son and the hostile message which they telegraphed was not lost on the brawny sailor Well Vell Ill I'll be d d-d d d half in surprise half In Indignation summed up Nason's Nasons Nasons Nason's Nasons Nason's Na- Na sons son's thought Jumped on again condemned condemned con conn without a 8 hearing as usual I Here a n w comes home after ten weeks at sea comes home and gives a n well deserved licking to the good-for- good nothing who has been heen bullying the nel neighborhood during his absence absence- and for that gets a dirty look from the parson Well Nell Ill I'll be d d-d d d l I repeated Nason and those about him without knowing the provocation agreed to be d d-d d d I with him for was not Bud Nason tumble fi of ofa champion rough tumble rough tighter fighter a too none neighborhood ChampIon Champion Champion Cham Cham- pion unless you ou considered Red ned Barren Barron narron Bar nar- ron ren the only man who could beat him down Enderson his pleasant thoughts rudel rudely jarred by Nasons Nason's exhibItIon exhibition exhibition tion passed down O 11 the block Into the side gate ate of at the church churchyard ard and through the tho rear door of the parson parson- age It was several moments before he could account for the queer sense of at danger that coursed his spine sevrai several sev sev- eral rai moments before he gathered the significance of at the pile a of silverware piled together on the room dining-room table Instantly Enderson's thoughts flew fiew to the building money stored In his desk drawer att a R bank ban deposit the next day Was Vas It still safe Even as his eyes took In the open and ransacked desk drawer the tIle study door closed behind him and a towering towering towering tower tower- ing red-headed red fellow s swung sung ung viciously at him Taken completely by surprise Enderson the man of peace who had never struck a blow In his 11 life fe planted plant plant- ed his fist squarely into the snarling face Enraged by the unexpected opposition opposition opposItion op op- op- op position the burglar came on a second tI time m e. e As the queer and unequal combat ran on the Infuriated redhead gradually gradually radu- radu ally recognized the unbelievable unbelievable his his strength was waning Dazed only the desire to kill In his mind he grabbed a n handy andiron and swung wildly at atthe atthe atthe the diminutive e preacher Fortunately for Enderson the andiron caught In a curtain tore It from his grip and then his head Bud Buel Nasons Nason's mind was still on Enderson's Enderson's En En- dersons derson's unjust condemnation as bestrode he be strode past the parsonage He turned a sneering face toward what he knew was Enderson's stu study y window window only only to behold the cu curtain at that window suddenly come tearing down from Its pole while a n tinkle of falling fulling glass gloss accompanied the strange phenomenon As he lIe bounded up the stoop the parsonage parsonage par par- door opened and into his arms rushed a dazed bloody red-headed red giant whose only thought was escape But Nason thou thought ht otherwise The fi fight ht was short hort It only needed two of at Buds Bud's mighty swings to send the exhausted exhausted ex ex- hausted crook Into unconsciousness To Io his congre congregation atlon the Ue next Sunday morning Rev Hev George Enderson was the same faithful minister except that one arm was In a sling and several strips of ot court plaster decorated tho the tide side of his Iris head But in his own heart henrt Enderson knew that he was changed u II new light and understanding had burn boon given him It was with pride undo and gratitude r that he beamed down upon 1 Nason whose redoubtable fists hn l B saved Bed ed the building fund funel Bud Nason Na Na- son who had bud even refused a cent of ot the reward for Red Heel Barron Uncomfortably l Bud Dud had squirmed In hi hl- unaccustomed stiff white collar a bit he eyed the immaculate late Inte I i- i i about him hint then his doubt i l' l yes eyes es fell upon the figure In Inthe Inthe inthe the r and lit and Bud Nason beamed back back- earned upon Enderson with a alook alook look In hi which was all worship hero and Hll iiii ll at the years of or blind blind- blindness ness I f oln which he had been awak awak- e ened d. d |