The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1875-11-26
A GRAssHoPPER SUFFERER.
Hcw He came to Believe in the Pow
er Of Prayer.


EFzon the colars do Minerl
lie was tall, angular, sallow-fi,ced
man clad in homespun-something rare
ly seen nowadays. The passengers
had all retired in the Pullman sleeper,
when he came in. carrying a dilapidated
black oil eioeh satchel, ornamented
with numerous white cracks, and de-
manded:
''Can a free horn American citizen git
a chance to take a snooze in this yer
kerboose?"
He was notified that two dollars
promptly produced would procure him
that privilege.
ais that all? Well, I'm one o. the
cusses that got cleaned out by the grass
hOppers, but dog my cats eff two dollars
is gwine to burst me Wit. Durndest time
over in our settlement with them insecks
you ever heerd of; 'f't hadn't been for
prayin' they'd have cleaned US out en-
tirely. Most wonderful thing you ever
heerd of; twas, by thunderr
'No doubt, sab; beds ready, sab;
please don't talk, sab. kase folks il all
asleep" remarked the polite porter.
just at this moment a passenger who
thought this was a character To be culti-
waited, stuck his head from between the
curtains ard said:
"My friend, how was it about that
praying you speak OFF"
"WelI, mister, it was this away. The
critters came over from Nebraska in
clouds, and lit everywhar; they were
thicker'n aies in a tavern kitchen in Au-
gust. and more ravenous'n harvest hands
when the horn blows. We tried brush,
and drags. and FIRE, bat it wasn't no use;
it only spread the cusses, and the ex-
ercises seemed to make 'em hungrier'n
ever. Our County Judge, who is a pious
old chap, and heavy on all the ordina-
ances, even eff he is cute one in hosa
trade, got lot o. bills printed, callin'
on everybody to come to a great prayer
meetin' at the county seat, prOmizin'
that ef they did the Lord'd answer 'em.
"For my part. I'm free to say that Pm
more on cussin' than prayIn'-that, ia
for a steady diet, anyways. and my
neighbors was mostly in the same boat.
But we found cussin' hadn't done no
good in this case. and 40 everybody went
to paryer-meetin' An you bet yonr
boots thar was some hefty old petitions
sent up agIn the hoppers. They were
likened onto the lOcusts of Egypt, and
every other cuss that had ever been sent
on the vearth, and men prayed that had
never tried ii on before; didn't take no
stock in it myself, but I was like the fell
low that tried to keep life in his body by
sncklin' pond water through a wheat
straw when he couldn't get bite o. grub
broke his leg in medder, and could
MT make ANYBODY hear him. you know
an thought it would be death on the
craps anyways, an prayin' wouldn't do
no harm, even eff it done no good.
"The weather had been Internal dry
no rain for three weeks, and every
thing was jest parchin': The people
started home about dark, and could hear
the hoppers gnawin' the life ont o. the
craps as they went along. The sky was
cl'ar as bell. and the little stars kept a
winkin', as much as to say: 'Yon fellers
think ye've done somethin' awful smart,
don't ye? Shortly after midnight, how
ever, a black cloud begin to come up in
the east, and then it was lightin' and
thunder and rain-raini Why, stranger,
it was reg'lar food, an ] began to
think we'd have TO hunt round for an
other Noah to save us. 1t just poured
down until the hull entire surface
of the yearth was sheet O. water boot
deep. In the morning ] went ont, and
thou ,h thar was little. mud, thar was
MT a hopper to be seen; / went down to
the river bank, an thar ! saw sight
| that Jest made me a firm believer from
that day on in the power of prayer.
Stranger, the river WAS boomin', and
you couldn't swar thar was any water in
it, either-it was jest one movin', tear
in, stream of drownded grasshoppers
| from shore to shore" SNIKTAU
|