Chariton courier. (Keytesville, Chariton County, Mo.) 1878-current, 1885-07-17
NUMBER 20.

tones of tue debiI and de music of
his imps ware sweeter strains to his
fancy for he was de champion Sab
bath mutilator of the nineteenth
century.
Dis here msn frekently went out
and communed wild nautr thru the
medium of a fishing pole. When /
say frekently, 1 mean four or five
Sabsaths in ebbery munth. if dar
war so many.
One luvly Sabbath mawning
his fadder started for de Baptist
church, his mudder started for de
Methodist church, his sister for de
Piscopal church, his brudder fur de
Prespurtean church, to jine in de
glad songs which am waited to the
golden throne above. But dis nice
young man, dis wicked sinner, like
some Of those my eye rest or now
Esensation started wild his fishing
pole, his fishing line, his fishing hook
to de banks OF de Swaunee. When
he arrived dar the finny tribe was
sporting in luxuriant glee on de sur
face of dat ribber so well known on
de map and in song. 1t was not
long befo dat young man froed his
line into the water, and pretty soon
the bobber went bcbety-slop, boby-
ety. -slop-slop-slop-slop. Then he
knowed he had hooked a big fat
hrim, and gum him de line. He let
de line run out to de musick of de
real, and when de line was dun run
out he braced himself to land de
brim, but jes den his foot slipped on
the slimey bank and into the ribber
he went sloperty bob. He went
down, down, down and den he cum
up again. While he was on the sur
face he thought Of his fadder, his
mudder, his sister his brudder, sing%
in my halalugia on terrer firmer.
while he was a-bobbing up and down
on Swaunee wild no boat in sight and
no life preserver in his pocket. Den
he went down deeper. deeper deeper
until he was in the slime at the bot
tom. Den de snakes cum after him,
den de cooters cum after him, den
de alligators cum for him. Den he
thought of all ais sins. of the Sab
baths he had mutilated, and sum-
thing told him to call on the Lord
befo he died. Den dat poo miser-
able sinner way down in the bottom
Of dat ribber prayed for the fust
time, and den he bobbed up agin.
As he couldn't swim he kept on pray
ing, praying, praying and promised
he would never mutilate the Sabbath
any mo. In dat moment of terror,
in dat horrible situation when aliga-
tors and death stared him in de face
his prayer was heard Oar was q
great rumbling in the sky, de light
ming flashed, de thunder roared, de
rain poured Den dar cum a whirl-
wind, den cyclone, den volcano
out of de heabins. Desc powerful
engines OBJ de univus bore down on
de trees on de bank oh de ribber.
Da bent over, more, more, more,
more, until de limbs touched de wa
ters. Den dis young man quit pray
ing an grabbed hold of a branch Of q
big oak. De wind stopped blowing
to wunce, de trees Strengthened up
and yanked de young man out high
and dry on de banks oh de Swaunee.
Dat young man became an ornament
to society and one OBJ de fus preach
ers indie Ian.
De lord am de oak standing on de
bank; de branches am de faith
stretching ont to you all. Some OF
you sinners stand where the young
man stood when he fust went down
to de ribber. Some stand where he
stood when he went down de fust
time, some stand where he stood
whom he went down de second time
and some of you ole coons who al-
ways sets near de do, stand ready to
go down de last time. Will yo grab
hold de branches 1 am frowing at yo,
and be landed high and dry On de
banks oh de Swaunee bank of heabin
or will go down, down to dat place
where dere am no ice cream, whar
dar am no soda water, whar dar am
no watermiIl, ,ons, II yo chfse the
fust seckshun, cum up and grab my
han as de young man grabbed the
branches OF the tree Of life. If you
chuse the seckon seckshun, keep on
fishing wild de debiI, and you will
get free ticket rite fru.