The Rev. Charles Parker a good guy: teaching baseball to boys, tearing his pants but not caring, planting flowers before finishing his sermon for the next day. The hobo telegraph (words on the back side of a billboard near the tracks) says he's the town's softest touch. George, a tramp, gets to Parker's house and thinks the reverend, torn clothes and all, is a fellow hobo. Charles invites George in, fixes him lunch, and, after a discussion about trust, gives George $10, the keys to the car of his daughter's boyfriend, and tells George to pick up roses for the Parkers' anniversary. Hours pass and George hasn't returned. Did the reverend believe his own sermon and trust the wrong man?
—<jhailey@hotmail.com>