The Mississippi Creole. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1841-1851, 1846-03-14

statssu out summarily to convert another soul!
~"G-l-o-ree:" yelled a huge, greasy negro
woman, as in > fit of the jerks, she threw her
selt eOnyulsiyely from her feet, and fell like a
~Hthousand of brick,P across a ~diminutiye old
man in a little round hat, who was squeakiHg
consolation to one Of the mourners.
fGood Lord, have me,cgw CALCULATED the
little man earnestly and unafectedly, as he
strove to crawl from under the sable mass
which was crushing him.
In another part of the square a dozen old
women were singing. They were in a state Of
ectasy, as their shrill pipes gave forth:
/ rode on the sky
Quite unmolestedI,
And the moon it was under my feet9'
Near these last stood a delicate woman in
that hysterical condition in which the nerves
are uncomfortable, and which is vu~lgarly-and
almost Observation-Disclosures the holy laugh
A hideous grin distorted her mouth, and was
accompanied with a maniac's chuckle while
every muscle and nerve Of her face twitched
and tYitched in horrible spasms.n
Amid all this confusion and excitement
Suggs stood unmoved. He viewed the whole
affair as a grand deeeption-a sort of sopposi.
lion line" running againsthi lis own, and looked
on with q sort Of professional jealousy. Some
times he would mutter running comments Of
what had passed before him,
swell now.n said he, as he observed the full
faced brother who was officiating among the
women, 'that ere Teller takes my eJe--thal
he's been thishalfhour, a fgprip amongst them
gals, and's never said the fust word to nobody
else. Wonder what's the reason these here
preachers never hugs up therold, ugly women
Never seed one doit in my life-lhe sperril
never moves 'em that way! It's mater tho and
tho women they never tocks around one o. the
old dried up breethring-bet two to one old
splinter legs thar"-nodding at one Of the min.
isters-"won't cit q chance to say turkey to
goOS lqokip gal to day! Well, who bIamel
lem. Mater will be mater, all the world over
and ! Judge Of I was a preacher, 1 should save
the p~rettiest souls first myself"
While the Captain was in the middle of this
conversation with himself, he caught the at
~tention Of the preacher in the pulpit, who, in
fering from an indescribable something about
his appearance that he was a person Of some
consequence, Immediately determined to add
him at ONCE to the church j. it could be done;
and to that end began a vigorous, direct, per
sonal attack. + .siy
"Breethering, he exclaimed, 81 see yonder q
man that's a sinner; I kaoi0 he's a sinner! Thar
he stands pointing to Simon, "a miserable old
c%ritter, with his head a blossomin for the grave.
A few more short years, and down he'll go to
perdition, lessen the Lord have mercy upor
him! Come up here, you old hoary-headet
sinner, and git down upon your knees, ant
put up your cry for the Lord to snatch you from
the bottomless pit! YOU'RE ripe for the devil
you're bound Tor hell, and the Lord only know
what'll become on you"
"D--n it" thought Suggs, "ef / only hat
you down in the krick swamp for mint or SO
I'D show you whose old! I'D alter your tunj
mighty sudden, you sassy, 'caitful old rascal!
But he judiciously held his tOngue and gave n,
utterancc to the thought.
The attention Of many having been directe,
to the Captain BY the preachers remarks, h,
was soon surrounded by numerous well-mean
ling,and doubtless very piOus persons, each on
Of whom seemed bent on the application Of hi
own particularly recipe for the salvation 0
souls. Fora long time the Captain stood silent
or answered the incessant stream Of exhorta
ton only with a sneer; but atlength, his coun
t~enance began to give token Of inward emo
ton. First his 'eyelids twitched-then his up
her lip quivsred-next a transparent drop form
ed on one Of his eye-lashes, and q similar on
on the tip OF bis nose-and at last, a suddel
bursting of air from nose and mouth, told tha
Captain Suggs was oyerpOwered by his aemo
tons, AT the moment Of the explosion, h
made a feinta as if to rush from. the crowd, bu
he was in experienced hands, who well knew
that The battle was more than half won.
Hold to him! said one, it's aworkin nhia
ss strong as Dick horse.'
"Pouri it into him. said another, it'll all com
right directly.H a7lalf
"That's the way | love to see 1en dO,' Oh
MH ~ a. III u-
served a third; when you begin to draw tn
water from their eyes, faint gwine to be lon
afore you'll have lem on their kneesp
And, SO they clung to the Captain manfulh
and half dragged, half led him to the mourner
bench; by which he threw himself down, alto
gether unnamed, and bathed in tears. Gfeu
was the rejoicing of the brethren, as they SUM
shouted and prayed around him-for by thi
time it had come to be generally known tht
the "convicted" old man was Captain Simo
suggs, the very chief Of sinners in all that !;
gion.
The Captain iennined grovoling in the dui
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