Mount Olivet church. For years he had been deacon in said church, and
was president of the official board. In fact, he was as truly a part of
the Church as was the pulpit on the platform or the bell in the steeple.
No meeting was complete without him. He was an indispensable part of the
service. He always sat in the same pew, and none coming into the Church
previously to Deacon Gramps ever dared sit in his pew any more than they
dared to monopolize the preacher's chair in the pulpit. He always
enjoyed the double pleasure of chewing his tobacco and hearing the
sermon simultaneously, and this necessitated his occupying a pew near
the window, as you may well suppose. This window was known to roguish
boys as "Deacon Window" and not even the bravest of these boys dared
peep through this window during services as was their custom in the
case of the other windows.

Perhaps it is needless to say that the uninterrupted presence of Gramps
had a profound influence upon the service. No preacher dared to fail to
recognize his dignity. As well as being an officer in the church he was
the heaviest contributor to its collections. He had a very curious habit
of twitching his right ear when the preacher said something that did not
just set well with him, and it naturally followed that every pastor who
ever served Mount Olivet fell into the habit of watching Gramp's ear,
and of course the sermon was governed accordingly. Thus "According to
the deacon's ear," came to be a by-word through the community.

Well, as I have already said, Deacon Gramps sat on his plow-handles.
Just as he turned to unfasten the trace-chains from the plow to drive
his horses to the barn, he saw two men climbing over the whitewashed
fence that led from the barn toward the Church on the hill. Seeing these
men were coming towards him, he resumed his position on the plow-handles
and waited for them. As the two men drew near, he recognized in them the