Part 39 (1/2)
”Mr. Crosby was heard to say a few days afterward that no ten men in his employ could, or would, have done that day's work. Meeting the divine shortly afterwards, Mr. Crosby said, 'Well, parson, you can handle more lumber between sunrise and dark than any man I ever saw.'
”'Oh,' said the parson, 'I was working that day for my Maker.'
”Moral: Never trust pioneer preachers with your lumber pile, simply because they wear broadcloth coats, for most of them know how to take them off, and then they can work as well as pray.”
This conjuror with the pen has called up another well known personality of the earliest times in the following sketch and anecdote:
”Dr. Maynard was of medium size. He had blue eyes, a square forehead, a strong face and straight black hair, when worn short, but when worn long, as it was when whitened by the snows of many winters, it was quite curly and fell in ringlets over his shoulders. Add to this description, a long, gray beard, and you will see him as he appeared on our streets when on his last legs.
When 'half seas over,' he overflowed with generous impulses, would give away anything within reach and was full of extravagant promises, many of which were out of his power to fulfill. He once owned Alki Point and sometimes would move there in order to 'reform,' but seldom remained longer than a month or six weeks.
Alki Point was covered with huge logs and stumps, excepting a little cleared ground near the bay where the house stood. But when the doctor saw it through his telescopic wine-gla.s.ses it was transformed into a beautiful farm with broad meadows covered with lowing herds and prancing steeds whose 'necks were clothed with thunder.'
”One day, in the fall of 1860, while viewing his farm through his favorite gla.s.ses, David Stanley, the venerable Salmon Bay hermit, happened along, when Maynard gave him a glowing description of his Alki Point farm as he himself beheld it just then, and wound up by proposing to take the old man in partners.h.i.+p, and offered him half of the fruit and farm stock for simply looking after it and keeping the fences in repair. The temptation to gain sudden riches was too much for even his unworldliness of mind, and he made no delay in embarking for Alki Point with all his worldly effects. His object in living alone, was, he said, to comply with the injunction to keep one's self 'unspotted from the world,' but the doctor a.s.sured him that the change would not seriously interfere with his meditations, inasmuch as few people landed at Alki Point, notwithstanding its many attractions.
”The day of his departure for the Mecca of all his earthly hopes turned out very stormy. It was after dark before he reached the point, and on trying to land his boat filled with water. He lost many of his fowls and came near losing his life in the boiling surf. After getting himself and his 'traps' ash.o.r.e, he built a fire, dried his blankets, fried some bacon, ate a hearty supper and turned in.
”The excitement of the day, however, prevented sleep, and he got up and sat by the fire till morning. As soon as it was light he strolled out to look at the stock, but to his surprise, only a bewildering maze of logs and interminable stumps were to be seen where he expected to behold broad fields and green pastures. The only thing he could find resembling stock were--to use his own language--'an old white horse, stiff in all his joints and blind in one eye, and a little, runty, scrubby, ornery, steer calf.'
After wandering about over and under logs till noon, he concluded he had missed the doctor's farm, and returned to the beach with the intention of pulling further around, but seeing some men in a boat a short distance from sh.o.r.e, he hailed it and inquired for Dr. Maynard's farm. Charley Plummer was one of the party and he told the old man that he had the honor of being already upon it.
Stanley explained his object in being there, and after a fit of rib-breaking laughter, Mr. Plummer advised him to return to Salmon Bay as soon as possible, which he did the very next day.
”The old man had a keen sense of the ludicrous, and joined heartily in the laugh, saying he had been taken in a great many times in his life, but never in so laughable manner as on this occasion. A few days afterward as Charley Plummer was sitting in Dr. Maynard's office the hermit put in an appearance. 'Good afternoon, doctor,' said he, with an air of profound respect.
'Why, how do you do, Uncle Stanley, glad to see you--how does the poultry ranch prosper? By the way, have you moved to Alki Point yet?' 'O, yes, I took my traps, poultry and all, over there several days ago, and had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Plummer there. Did he mention the circ.u.mstances?' 'No,' said the doctor, 'he just came in. How did you find things?'
”'To tell the truth, doctor, I couldn't rest until I could see you and thank you from the bottom of my heart for the inestimable blessing you have conferred upon me.'
”At this demonstration of satisfaction uttered with an air of profound grat.i.tude, the doctor leaned back complacently in his easy chair, while an expression of benignant self-approval illuminated his benevolent face.
”'Yes,' continued he, 'I can never be sufficiently grateful for the benefit your generosity has already been to me individually, besides it bids fair to prove a signal triumph for religion and morality, and it may turn out to be a priceless contribution to science.'
”At the utterance of this unexpected 'rhapsody' the doctor turned with unalloyed delight, and seeing that the old man hesitated, he encouraged him by saying, 'Go on, Uncle, go right along and tell all about it, although I can't understand exactly how it can prove a triumph for religion or science.'
”'Well,' continued the old man with solemn countenance, 'my orthodoxy has been a little shaky of late, in fact I have seriously doubted the heavenly origin of various forms of inspiration, but when I got to Alki Point and looked around my skepticism fell from my eyes as did the scales from the eyes of Saul of old.'
”'Yes,' interrupted the doctor, 'the scenery over there is really grand and I have often felt devotional myself while contemplating the grand mountain scenery----'
”'Scenery? Well--yes, I suppose there is some scenery scattered around over there, but it isn't that.'
”'No, well what was it, uncle?'
”'Why, sir, as I was saying, when I get a chance to fairly look around I was thoroughly satisfied that nothing but a miracle, in fact, nothing short of the ingenuity and power of the Almighty could possibly have piled up so many logs and stumps to the acre as I found on your _farm_.'
”Here the doctor's face perceptibly lengthened and a very dry laugh, a sort of hysterical cross between a chuckle and a suppressed oath, escaped him, but before he had time to speak the old man went on:
”'So much for the triumph of religion, but science, sir, will be under much weightier obligations to us when you and I succeed in making an honest living from the progeny of an old blind horse and a little, miserable runty steer calf.'
”This was too much for the doctor and springing to his feet he fairly shouted, 'There, there, old man, not another word! come right along and I will stand treat for the whole town and we will never mention Alki Point again.'