Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-09-15
A MOUNTAIN REVIVALIST.

and could look down into some Of the
prettiest coves and valleys in all the
state. when heard voice singing on the
/ trail ahead AS came nearer discov
! cred man seated on rock with book
in his hand He was a hard looking Gus
toner. ragged. unshaved and unwashed.
and he sung with such energy and in
such harsh tones that suspected he was
crazy. However. as soon as he heard and
saw me he called out:
| BE not afraid, stranger; am here to
| do the Lords work. Two months ago
was the most shuckless critter in all Ten
nessee, and wicked to boot. Light has
busted in upon me, and am tryin' to
make my Teller critters see and mend the
error of their ways Let US sing"
He had Moody and Sankey hymn book,
but he could only read with difficulty.
and his enthusiasm was too great for him
to stick to the text. He burst Into song
When he had finished his song he an
nounced that he was Q revivalist on his
tour to stir up the sinners of the noun
taius, and that he was to hold services
that afternoon at Wharton's Valley, about
five miles away. AS was bound for the
same place we went On in company.
soon discovered that the man was rough,
ignorant and given to plug tobacco, but
he seemed earnest in his mission. and so |
found many excuses for him. He could
chew more tobacco in a given time and
spit further through his front teeth than
any man | ever saw. Icarried few plugs
IN my knapsack for the benefit of the ma
tives at large, and lie soon discovered this
and now and then would observe:
Eyes, stranger, although you hay hev
bin pirate, there's hope ahead fur you,
and III take another bite O that plug"
By the time we had arrived at Whar-
toms, he had wasted half my stock, and
had spat upon every rock on the yside.
There were two cabins here, with three
others within the mile, and about fifteen
people had gathered to hear the revivaliss
talk. He introduced me as "a Teller crit
ter" he had picked up on the way, and
added that l evidently needed praying for
the worst way. The people received him
rather coldly, l thought, and 1 soon
learned the reason. When we had had a
bite to eat the people arranged themselves
about the open door of the cabin, and the
reVivalist began by saying:
'"Thar's sin and wickedness yere-heaps
of it. You'un is nuthin' but shuckless
pac. of sinners on yer way to a fiery fur
mace fed with sulphur and brimstun. The
devil is clus behind the hull of We, an he's
bound to git ye."
"Look-a-yere, Joe Williams inter
rupted tall and serious looking noun
taineer as he rose up, lets start this
yere circumstance at the beginnin'. In
the fust place, who was ye?"
Don't interrupt sarvent of the Lordl'
warned Joe.
Eyes, who was ye?" inquired woman
% she laid aside her snuff stick to stand
up. Eye was pore an shuckless an low
down, Joe Williams, only few weeks
ago. Yer hull family was barfut, an the
best ye had to eat was bar meat an
pones. Ye drank mo- whisky than all
the men put together, an ye never had q
second shirt to ger back!"
This wasn't corker for Joseph. He
heard the woman through with smile,
end then said:
GA sarvent of the Lord must take the
abuse of shuckless sinners and turn the
ether cheek. hev cum up yere to warn
70 that the seventh signals has bin sot in
the heavens as a warnin! Wool Woe!
Wool Them IS gin heed will pass down
the trail clothed in silks an satirs an
pearls. Them as scott an revile an cuss
around will be Token by the heels an
flung into the fiery furnace, which is 100
feet deep an full of twistin' sarpints."
Two children were overcome and began
to cry at this, but the father of one Of
them gave him box on the ear and rose
up and said:
''Who was you an what is you? We
all know you to be shiff'less, onery,
IL ,,+
up skunk lie fur ten long vars. Then
you went over to Knoxville, jined the
Salvation Army. an hev cum back yere to
call us pore and wuthless sinners"
LET us sing" said the revivalist, as
him down, and the other continued:
We've bin feedin' yer pore heart
broken wife and children, an you hev bin
gallivantin around an purtendin' you had
q call from the Lord to whoop 'er up I
kin tell ye to yer face, ice Williams, that
this settlement wants none O your kind
of religun, an it wants mighty sight
less of youl Git right down an shet"
"Haint got religun?" demanded Joe.
HAS bar got Wings" answered one
of the women. THE Lord wouldn't hev
ye, Joe, an you know it. You's too onery
all through. You's too lazy to hold to
religion if you got it..
Hes list got to shet" shouted another
woman.
'Haint got no call to spread the Cos
pel?' asked Joe.
Mary call, !" answered one of the men
who had spoken before. You has jst
got call to be meaner pizcn, and that's
all thar is to it."
can I've mistook, hev r. queried the
alleged revivalist.
You hevl Now, then. you pint fur
homel Marian is thar a-waitin' an tho
three children ar thar a-waitin' an you
jist GIT up an arm some pork an corn an
let the Lord alone. If ye don't do it thar's
gwine to be some tar an feathers around
yerel'
'"Nayburs, said Joe after painful
pause, eff I've mistook then I've ulistook.
| reckon you know better. nor me- an I'm
willin to take advice Beats all creation
how mistook, but l shan't go agin yer
words"
With that he stepped down and out and
ceased to be revivaiist and soon disap-
peared. Then the big man with the seri-
GUS face got up, turned his eyes to
heaven and said: .-Oh, Lord, we is emery
an mean and low down. Weis shucklesS
en- shifless. We hev made whisky agin'
the law, an we hev bin liars an profaners.
Thar's nothin' pizen mean that we hewitt
done at some tine or other. but we reck-
ons on thy goodness to forgive. We is
pore an ignorant Some OF fas can't read
nor write, an we is allus ailin' with bod
ily pains. FIgger on these things, Oh
Lord, an let the notcbes on the stick show
up in our favor"