Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1871-11-03
CHAPTER MI.
THE HARDsHELL PREACHER.

"They's preaohin' down to Bethel
Meetin' house to-day" said the Squire
at breakfast. Twenty years in the
West could not cure Squire Hawkins
of saying tor for at" (" 'I rather
guess as how the ole man Bosaw will
give pertickelcr fits to our folks to-
day"
For Squire Hawkins, having been
expelled from the " HardShell" church
of which Mr.. Bosaw was pastor, for
the grave offense of joining tempe
rance society, had become member
of Reformers." the very respectable
people who now call themselves "Dis-
ciples,n but whom the prOfane will
persist in calling Campbellites. u
They had q church in the village OF
| Clifty, three miles away.
/ know that explanations are always
nbominable TO story readers, as they
are to story writers. but as so many of
my readers have never had the inesti-
| mable privilege of sitting under the
gospel as it is ministercd in enlighten-
| ed neighborhOOds like Flat Creek, |
find myself under the necessity-need-
| ceSsity the Rev. Mr.. Bosaw would
call it-Of rising to explain. Some
people think the " Hardshellsn a
myth, and some sensitive Baptist peo-
pie at the East resent all allusiOn to
| them. But the" Hardshcll Baptists, !"
or, as they are otherwise called, the
the Whisky Baptists, land the For
ty-gallon Baptists," exist in all the
old Western and South-wcstern.-
States, They call themselves ANTI
means Baptists" from their AntinoEli-
an tCnets. Their confession of faith
IS a caricature of Calvinism, and is eX-
pressed by their preachers about as
follows: "Ef you're elected you'll be
saved; eff you amt, you'll be damned.
God'Il take keer of his elect. It's a
sin TO run Sunday schools, or temp
rince s'cieties, or 10 send missionaries.
You let Gods business alone. What
is to he will be, and you can't hender
it," This writer has attended a Sun
day school. the superintendent of
which was sOlPmnly arraigned and
expelled from the Hardshell Church
for" meddling with Gods business
by holding Il Sumday-schOOl. OF course
the Hardshells are prOdigiOusly illi;e-
rate. and often vivacious. Some of
their preachers aTe notorious drunk
ards. They sing their sermons out
sometimes for three hours at stretch.
Ralph found that he was to ride the
" clay-bank maTe,n the only one of
the horses that would carry double"
and that consequently he would have
according to HOOsier custom-tO take
Miss Hawkins behind him. If it had
beer Hannah instead, Ralph might
not have objected to this young
Lochinvarn mode of riding with a
lady on "the Group" but Martha
Hawkins was anUther affair. He had
only this consolation his keeping the
company Of Miss Hawkins might
serve to disarm the resentment of Bud.
At all events, he had no choice. What
designs the Squire had in this arrange
ment he could not tell; but at any
rate the clay bank mare carried him
to meeting on that December morning,
with Martha Hawkins behind. And
as Miss Hawkins was not used to this
mode of locomotion, she was in state
of delightful fright every time the
horse sank 10 the knees in the soft,
yellow Flat Creek clay.
1--WE don't 20 to church so at the
East" she said. "The mud isn't so
| deep at the East. When [ was to
| Bosting-" but Ralph never heard
what happened when she was to Bos-
ting, for Just as she said Bosting the
mare put her foot into deep hole
nodded by the foot of the Squire's
horse, and already full of muddy wa
ter. AS the mares foot went twelve
| inches down into this track, the mud
| dy water spurted higher than Miss
Hawkins head, and mOlted her dress
with golden spots of clay. She gave
a little shrek, and declared she had
never " seen it so at the East"
The journey seemed little long TO
| Ralph, who found that the subjects
uron which he and Miss Hawkins
! could converse were few; but Miss
Martha was determined to keep things
going, and once, when the conversa-
ton had died out entirely, she made a
| desperate effort TO renew it by remark
ing, as they met a man on horseback,
"That horse switches his tail just as
they do at the East. When L was to
Bosting | saw horses switch their tails
| just that way"
What surprised Ralph was to see
| that Flat Creek went to meeting. Eve
rybody was there-the Meanses, the
JoneSes, the Bantas, and all the rest.
| Everybody on Flat Creek seemed to
be there except the old woOden-legged
basket-maker. This family was rep
resented by ShOcky, who had come,
| doubtless, to get a glimpse of Hannah,
not to hear Mr.. BOsaw preach. In
fact, few were thinking of the religi-
! Gus service. They went to church as
a common resort to hear the news. and
| find out what was the current sensa-
ton.
On this particular morning there
seemed to be some unusual excitement.
Ralph perceived it as he rode up. An
excited crowd, even though it be at a
church-doOr OIL Sunday morning. can
not conceal its agitation. Ralph de-
posted Miss Hawkins OH the stile.
and then got down himself, and paid
her the closest attention to the door
This attention was for Buds benefit.
Blu. Bud only stood with his hands i'm
his pockets, scOwling worse than ever.
Ralph did not go I'm at the door. 1t
was not the Flat Creek custom. The
men gossipped outside, while the VIC.
men chatted within. Whatever NAV
have been the cause of the excitement.
Ralph could not get at it. When he
entered little knot of people they be-
came embarrassed, and the group dis
solved itself, aud its component parts
Joined other companies. What had
the current of conversation to do with
him? He overheard Pete Jones saw
ing that the blamed old wooden leg
was in it any how, He'd been seen
goin' home at two in the morniu'.-