THE DEVIL MADE HIM DO IT

DENNIS THE MENACE MEETS ROBIN HOOD

For those of you who haven’t heard of Calais, it is tucked neatly away in Eastern Maine. It’s an old blink-and-you’ll-miss-it mill town that will dump you out in New Brunswick, Canada if you do in fact, blink and miss it.
This is where the self proclaimed Leveler lived about two hundred years ago. His name was Tom Cook and was considered the down east version of Robin Hood.
When Tom was just a boy, he fell deathly sick with fever. His family feared for his life so they called in for prayer from the local parson. His mother, not willing to except the fact that her beloved child may die, threw down a whole lot of blasphemy, shouting he needed to live at all cost and to hell with God’s will. Literally, to hell with it.
The parson tried to explain to her what she was actually saying, but you don’t mess with Mama. Ever.
Tom miraculously recovered and grew up to live a life of mischief as if he were the love child of Robin Hood and Dennis the Menace, before either of them were even a thing.  He was so full of Hell that everyone thought he must be one of Satan’s deciples after all.
Once the devil decided Tom had a good run, he came to earth to collect his servant to take him back down to Hell. Tom, as clever as they come, pulled out his bargaining skills and asked the devil if he may put on his suspenders first…it wouldn’t be very nice of Satan to drag him out of the house nekked. The devil, agreed that Tom shall remain dignified for his DECENT DOWN TO HELL…because he’s such a nice demon….I guess????
This is when Tom took his suspenders and threw them into the fire!! The devil, cursing his own good nature, (give me a break) had been outsmarted. He couldn’t take Tom after he agreed to the suspender rule! Satan made his decent back down to Hell, leaving Tom to lead a life of crime.
Tom would steal from local stores and the filthy rich only to give his loot to orphanages and the less fortunate. Tom, and most of the townspeople considered him a good person and was doing “God’s work,” ironically enough. They thought so highly of him that once the police caught up to Tom, the jury found him not guilty due to the fact that he had helped several members of the jury when they had fallen on hard times.
Tom kept on with his ways until he died of old age. Many of the town folk prayed at his grave for God to judge him on all the good that he had done instead of the bad.  What do you think? Was Tom doing God’s work or the devils?