Weekly Chillicothe crisis., 1885-07-23
THE BEST SHOW.


How an Arkansaw nan Snpneu lnlO sam
Jones Gospel Tent
Martin Griggs, known in eastern
Arkansaw as Bad Martin, was in Little
Rock the other day. He did not,
through evil deeds, gain this unenvi-
able name, but won it by his paroxysms
of rage and by his almost ceaseless
habit Of swearing.
"Martin," said friend, "they tell
me that you have professed religion. "
"Yas, Abe, it's fact. amt cuss-
ed none fur more than two months.
Wv, sab, luther day when the old
spike-tail hoss bit mouthful O. hair
outon my head, gritted my teeth,
but didn't cuss. Ny wife expected to
hear me cuss a sulphurous streak, but
smiled after awhile an quietly took
the hair out of old Spike Tails mouth.
Here, mother says |, handin the
hair to my wife, you can stuff your
pin cushin with this.
"What was the cause of this great
change"
Sam Jones and tho Lord
you heard Sam, did you?'
ooh, vas. / went up to Nashville
to make arrangements for sollin' lot
of Arkansaw whisky for Robertson
county, | hadn't hearn a sermon
sense | was boy. My wife, she
couldn't git mo TO 60 to church. Wall,
the first night artcr l got to Nash
vile, was walkin' round and seed a
big tent. Hello thinks |, here is q
show. I'll jcs' 80 in for | ain I seed Il
peart hoss in long time. My, |
never did see such crowd. Folks
iammcd agin one another like they
wuz afecrcd thar wasn't goin' to be
seats enough. scrougcd my way
along, but couldn't find the ticket
wagon. seed sich Il crowd pourin
in that thought ! mout slip in an
done 1t rs slick as Il WHSLE. | looked
round for the animals but couldn't
see none, so tuck 4 seat an waited
fur the fun to commence. Putty soon
n smallish sort of iellcr hoped up.
'Thar's the ringmaster, thinksl. He's
gOn' to tell us about the concert
thnt'll tako place airter the show is
over, but, bless you, he commenced
to give out a hymn. As wicked aS
was couldn't help but think that he
was carryin' the burlesque II icetie too
fur, but what was my 'stonishment
when the folks took up the hymn an
commenced to sing it. leaned over to
an old fellcr that sot close to me an
whispered. 4 live out in Arkansaw
whar a man that has the cramp be-
cause ho wants to fight so bad
can always find 'commodatiop. but
they don't jump up and fall down on
the gospel this way The old felIcr
looked mighty hard at mo, but he
didn't say nothn' Airter the singin',
some feller put up a putty good sort
o pra'r. whispered to the old
manan' said that it was blamed
shame. The old fcllcr looked hard at
me, and said that if | didn't hush no
would have me put out. This rilcd
me. | told him that thar mout be
men enough in the show to put mo
out, but agin they got through some.
body would ruhter 20 home than to
stay an laugh at the clown. Then
he pcrltely told me that it want no
show, that Mr.. Sam Jones, the great
revivalist, was going to preach
thanked him for his information, tuck
a chaw tcrbacker an lent back. con-
cludin' that it didn't cost me nothin'
an that | could stand it till they pass
oil IIn hnt nrnnnI Who,, Can, nn,,
menccd to preach, chawed my ter
backer an didn't pay no attention to
him, but putty soon it appeared like
he wus playn' on banjcr. IStopped
chawin an looked at him. Then he
tuck up the puttiest flute ever hearn.
flung out my torbacker an listened
The fust thing ! knowed he had put
down the flute an tuck up liddel.
Laws masSy, never heard sich
music in my life. commenced to
git sorry that | had ever snapped
hosscs on Sunday, an it twan't long
till | would have give a putty ef
hadn't p'izencd Wellcr's dog. |
thought o. things that stole when |
wuz boy-thought o. tho thousand
o. lies that | had tole an the tears
commenced to run outcn my.eyes. |
thought o. my wife, how true an pa
tient she had always been, an how of
ten had hurt her fcelin's; thought o.
my children-an', oh, Lord, the face
o. my little boy-the little boy that
whipped few days before he died
come up before me. | couldn't stand
it any longer. drapped on my knees
an cried 'Oh, Lord, have mercy on
me. sinner. | didn' care who was
lookin' at me. wouldn' have cared
if the whole world had been thar.
l humbled myself in the dust, an deep
IN my heart | vowed that never again
would ever do anything wrong, A
flash of warm light entered my soul
A great gladness spread over my
heart, got up. Thar, stapdin' close
to me was Sam Jones. lie retched
out his hand an said:
"'Brother, the Lord has been kind
you
"l don't know how got outen that
tent, but | know that while was
walkin' along the street, everybody
seemed to want to shake hands with
me. | went straightway to the depot
an tuck the fust train for home.
When my wife seed me comm, she
walked slowly to meet me, but, sir,
the blessed woman, seein' something
in my face uttered shout and rushed
into my arms. Right thar atoned
for every time | had hurt her feelin's.
That was the best show ever went to
Albeit was show whar every man
had chance. ain't done nothin,
wrong sence, an as ! told you, didn't
cuss when old Spike Tail bit han'ful
O. hair often the top o. my head. -
ArkdnsdtO Traveller.
Origin Of Mosquitoes.