The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1882-02-03
DAVID st'aoriarn.
The Well Known iiiDucnI Story in n
~ Form. II. iii p

Hamilton w. Pierson, ID. D., has pub
lished book OF "reminiscences of the
Southwest. The author gives this
literal report OF sermon by local
preacher: 'siFi H1.sl "a
.ol" Last week, my brethrin, as I was
asreadin' my Bible, found story OF
big f hit { Samuel, xviii. It was
powerful interestin', and / studied it
most all the week. There was two
armies campin' on two mountains right
fornenst each other; and q holler and,
/ reckon, some good bottom land and
medder lot lynn between 'em. In one
OF the armies there was big feller--a
whoppin,' great big feller-and every
day he went down into the medder-lot
and looked up the hill to fother camp
and just dared 'em. He told 'em to
pick their best man and send him
down and he'd fight him. And he jest
strutted around there in his soger close,
and waited for 'em to send on their
man, And such soger close I never
heard tell on afore. sssh .s9 tl1-f
he had brass capand brass trousers,
and coat made like mail bags where
they are all ironed and riveted together.
But the fellows in t'other camp Jest clean
aunked. They darn't fight the big fell
Ter, nary one Of 'em. They jest all
sneaked away, and the big feller, he
went back to camp. But he didn't
quit thar, the big feller didn't. He
was spilin' for fight and he was bound
to have IL. He jest went down into the
bottom land, into the medder-lot, every
day, mornin' and evenin', and dared
em and dared 'em. tell you he
pestered 'em nightly. The old feiier,
Saul, the gineral, he felt more chawed
up and meaner than the sogers, and,
when he couldn't STAN it no longer, he
told the boys that il any of 'em would
go down and lick that big feller he'd give
him his gal and right smart chance OIL
plunder. But they was all SO skeer'd
that even that didn't start one of 'em.
The big feller went down and dared
'em and pestered 'em more'n q month
forty days, the Bible says. I don't
know what they'd done If it hadn't
a-been that peart little feller had
come down to camp one day to fetch
same extra rations to his three big
brothers that their old dad sent to 'em
from home. Kind old pap he was and
sharp, too, for he sent along big
present to the boys cap'en. Well, jest
as the little feller drove up, they was all
gwine out to 6ght, and the little feller
left his traps with the driver, and
legged it after the sogers, and told his
big brothers howd'y. Right thar the
old big feller came out and dared 'en
again, and they were all so sReer'd that
they jest run like mad. The little
feller heered him and then went back
into camp and heered all the sogers
talking about him, and what the old
gineral would give to have him licked.
he asked 'em heap Of questions about
it all, and his big brother he got mad
at him, and twitted him about keeping
sheep, and gave him right smart Of
sass. He was plucky, but you see he
had to stan it, cause twas his big
brother. Big brothers are mighty
mean sometimes .
"But the little feller talked heap
with the other sogers, and they told
the old gineral about him, and he told
them to tell the little feiler to come
and see him. The little feller was
mighty plucky, and he jest up and told
the old Gineral Saul that he'd fight the
big feller The gineral looked at the
handsome little feller-he was real
handsome-and ses he, kinder softly, !
reckon, and shakin' his head: Its too
big job; you're only chunk of boy,
and he's an old fighter The little
feller spunked up and told the old
gineral that he'd one bar fight and he
had killed the bar. He said there was
an old lion and bar got among his
dads sheep, and was gwine off with
lamb. He broke for i'm, and as soon
as he met up with the old bar, he
lamm'd him till the bar turned on him
for q hug; but he got one hand into the
long ha'r, under his jaw, and he lamm'd
BIN with the othe'n till he was dead.
He'd killed the lion and the bar, and
he know'd he was enough for the old
big feller. .s.. ....
"Then the little feller talked raal
religious to the old gineral. You see
he'd got religion afore that, and he
knowed that the Lord would help q
feller, II he was all right, and got into
Q tight place. He told Gineral Saul
that the Lord had made him mighty
supple, and looked out for him when
the old lion and bar tried to get their
paws into him; and he knewd He'd
see him through the fight with the old
big feller; for he was Just DARN 'em
and pesterin' 'em to make game of re-
ligion.e When the old gineraI seed he
was so plucky and religious, too, he
knowed them's the kim that fit power
full, and he told him to 60 in and he
made little prayer for him hisself.
Then the old gineral put his own
soger close on the little feller, and
strapped his sword on to him. But they
were all heap too big and he shucked
'em off directly, and made for dry
branch down in the bottom. Then he
hunted five little rocks, smooth as q
hen egg, put 'em in little bag where
he carried his snack when he was
a-tendin' the sheep, got his sling fixed
all right, and hurried up to meet the
old big feller in the medder lot. When
be seed him coming he was powerful
mad they'd sent down such little
feller, and jawed awful. But the little
feller just talked back religious, and
kept his eyes peeled. And reckon the
big feller couldn't ben lookn.' I've
studied heap on 1t, and Just know the
big feller couldn't ben look'n; for the
little teller got out his sling and drew J
away, and SHE'D little rock at him,
and he popped him, and down he tum-
bled. Then the little feller rushed up
and mounted him. jest rs an old hunter
loves to get on q bar after he's shot
him; and he out with the big feller's
long sword and off with his head
Then IL was them Phihstine sinners
turn to be skeer'd, and they broke for
the brush; and all OF them chil'en OF
Israel 'fellers Just shouted and chased
'em clean over the mountain into val
ley, and then com'd back and got AL
their camp plunder. .r9ai' aifs.l --
My brethrin, that's the best story OF
= fight ever read after, and you can't
buy no better storybook than. this very
Bible" IN r..'