The Rainmaker

An officer of the government, equipped with a grand caravan of mule-drawn wagons loaded with balloons, kites, dynamite bombs, and electrical apparatus, halted in the midst of a desert where no rain had fallen for ten years. He set up camp, preparing for an ambitious project. After several months of meticulous planning and an expenditure of one million dollars, everything was finally in readiness.

Soon, a series of tremendous explosions echoed through the earth and roared in the sky. This cacophony was followed by an unexpected phenomenon: a great downpour of rain. The deluge swept away the unfortunate officer and his elaborate equipment, erasing them from the face of creation. The rain brought joy so profound to the agricultural heart that it was beyond words.

A newspaper reporter, who had just arrived on the scene, managed to escape the chaos by climbing a nearby hill. There, he discovered the sole survivor of the expedition—a mule driver—down on his knees behind a mesquite bush, praying with extreme fervor.

"Oh, you can't stop it that way," said the reporter, attempting to inject humor into the situation.

"My fellow traveler to the bar of God," replied the sole survivor, looking up over his shoulder, "your understanding is in darkness. I am not stopping this great blessing; under Providence, I am bringing it."

"That is a pretty good joke," the reporter laughed awkwardly, struggling to maintain his composure amid the torrential rain. "A mule driver's prayer answered!"

"Child of levity and scoffing," the mule driver responded, "you err again, misled by these humble habiliments. I am the Rev. Ezekiel Thrifft, a minister of the gospel, now in the service of the great manufacturing firm of Skinn & Sheer. They make balloons, kites, dynamite bombs, and electrical apparatus."