Savannah morning news., 1885-10-09
A QUARTER DAY IN GEORGIA.
How the Pastor at Big Lick Received
Contributions from his ParishiOners.

LACK creek cOulu DOASt Haruly dOHen
houses along its borders all the way from
Cedar Rock Spring to Dodson's Fork, and
the Big Lick Church was log cabin with
clapboard roof and puncheon floor, | was
employed by a client living in Augusta,
to look after land claim lying on Broad
River, a few miles above its junction with
the Big Lick. l wss entertained at the
house of Capt. Joel Starke, one OF the
leading men OF the settlement. The day
after my arrival being sunday, / accom-
! panied the family to church.
Capt. Starke lived II miles from the
meeting house. Our departure was some-
what delayed by the preparation Of vari-
GUS hampers and bundles, which my host
! explained by saying 1t was quarter day,
and he was getting ready his "truck" for
the preacher. The full meaning OF quar-
| ter day did not occur to me, however, till
our arrival at the meeting house, where
| the Captain had his goods unloaded from
the green-painted family wagon and
| placed upon the shoulders OF two stout
! negroes, who marched up the aisle and
| deposited them amid collection of SINH
| lar offerings that lay in corner on one
side of the rude wooden pulpit. The SER
| vices had already begun, and the preach
i er, q broad shouldei ed, club-tooted man
| In his shirt sleeves, was lining out hymn
when the Captain and his men appeared.
"Here's three hams, an side o. bacon,
an bushel o. peas for you, Brother
! Ducker," cried my worthy host, adyanc-
| ing up the aisle, San Jake, thar" point
ing to the foremost darkey, 'has got the
apple butter. an the blackberry wine, an
six yards o. brown jeans what Betsy had
wove for you"
The preacher stopped short in the mid
die of a line. A celestial smile overspread
his features as the bearers deposited their
burden.
"God bless you, Brother Starke!" he
| cried with q fervOr prOpOrtioned to the
liberality of the offering. "The Lord low
eth cheerful giver, an eff you want Him
to prosper you, my brOthern, you must
give to the gOspil. Yes, brotherin, give to
| the gospil. Let us sing"
"Here's yer carcass, Brother Ducker,"
interrupted a stentOrian voice from the
doorway, before the preacher could re-
sumo his reading. Somewhat at loss to
understand how Brother Ducker's carcass
could appear at one end of the church and
his living presence at the other in the
same moment, turned toward the speak
er and saw, striding up the aisle, rustic
in his shirt sleeves, with the body of a
dressed lamb slung across his shoulders.
The preacher eyed the carcass mo-
ment, critically, and. finding il tolerably
nation with a mild cOndescensIon THAT
does toler bic we'll fur you, he Kindrick.
Put it over yonder with the balance o. the
truck, an then go to yer seat" he said,
waving the brother aside with patron
izing gesture.
He then went on with his hymn. The
singing continued for some time without
interruption, when there suddenly arose
a tremendous cackling and fluttering at
| the door that plmOef 0rOwnpd tho nnGio
and woman in brown hOmespun dress
and green calico bonnet, with figure as
fiat as paper doll, advanced toward the
preacher holding in each hand a lot OF
poultry tied together by the feet. Brother
Ducker eyed the petty Offering severely.
"Put your critters yOnder with tOthers,
Sister Hopkins,'' he said, waving her
aside without ceremony: "that is. if they
haln't got the pip nor the sore bead. Them
last chickens what yon brought here had
the sore head, and give 1t to my wife's
hens when we tuck 'em home."
The woman deposited her gift with a
deprecating air, and shrank into the near
est seat. The congregation had nearly all
assembled by this time, and the hetero-
geneOus mass in the corner received no
further contributions, except a bag OF
wool. a jug of apple brandy, and four
large pumpkins.
The singing ended, the parson launched
forth into his first prayer. CandOr COM
pels me to confess that my thoughts had
begun to wonder by this time, and was
mentally calculating Brother Duckers
probable yearly revenue in tallOw can
dies rawhides, sides of bacon, Jugs OF
cider, and the like, when my prOfane
musings were suddenly arrested by a
startling petition Tor an afflicted sister, a
sufferer from white swelling, for whom
the prayers of the church had been re-
quested.
"Oh, Lord, grant-a, ana hon grant-a
that Sister Polly JohnsOn's sore leg may
dwin'le down from the size of a mill
pOst-a to a bed pOst-a. An oh Lord,
grant-a ana h'Oh grant-a that Sister Polly
Johnson's sore leg may dwindle down
from the size of a bed post-a to a cheer
post-a. An. oh Lord, grant-a ana h'oh
grant-a that Sister Polly JohnsOn's sore
leg may dwin'le down from the size of a
cheer post-a to broom straw-a"
Without giving the Lord time to con-
slider the somewhat prOblematie question
as to how far Sister Polly JohnsOn's leg
might be benefited by change from the
min post to the broom straw state, Broth
er Ducker, who had now fairly got his
steam up, proceeded to discourse Provi-
dence upon matters Of more general in
terest. There had been a terrible hail
storm in the neighborhood few days be-
lore, QOluR great Oahhke tO bue crops,
whereupon the worthy parson descanted
TO Providence:
"An'-a h'oh Lord, the hail-a hits almost
ruined the craps-a. The taters air a'spile-
in an a-rottin' in the ground-a, an the
cotton is a-yallerin' fur want o. the sun-a.
The corn's all beat down as fiat as a Mig
gers foOt-a, an thar amt a peach let in
Brother Wilkins's orchard that's ftten
fur the still-a. Oh, Lofd, Of you don't
come an help US an send us better sea-
sons We'll all go to the dogs, like old Jim
my TOOle. what's always in the grass-a.
But thank God. my brotherin, hit amt too
late fur the Lord to set things right. Hit
amt too late fur God TO save the corn-a,
an hit amt too late fur God 10 save the
peas-a, an the taters, an the
punkins, an sech-a, an hit amt too
late for God 10 save the cot Yes, Lord,
] forgot" he added parenthetically, com
Ing TO a sudden pause and shaking bis
head. "Pm afeerd its Almost too late 70
do much with the cotton, fur it's already
begun 10 shed. But blessed be the Lord, /"
bursting forth into his former strain OF
elOquence, 'we kin git along without the
cotton. The Lord what sent the ravens
20 clOthe Elijah in the wilderness, an
rained down manner on the IserlItes, kin
give His sarvints vittles an clos some
how OF 'nuther-a, though the devil do 0it
inter the crops-a. Oh, Lord, do Thou