The Portland daily press., 1892-06-09
CONTINUED FROM TENTH pAeE.)

lowed when yo' and me growed up I'd
have blood for blood; and yo' knowed
hit, too, for you KEEP outer my way and
went to live down Tennessee way. Then
Father Peters kim and got right smart
Of religion, and yo' felt hit safe to come
back, and hit wuz safe, so longs the re-
igion lasted.
"But she's gone, gone a-fickerin in
that fab you uns made today. Father
Peters staid my ahm today, not on
count of religion, but coz love him
and I'm agwine to stand by him, and by
the Great Eternal! want you uns fab
and neah to know hit. Go yo'r way with
yor people and make ready. I'll stay
back har with my kin and friends, and
perpah. And bear in mind, Het Ma
goone, when we uns meet agin thar'll be
blood, and won't ak God to have marcy
on the dead. Now go, d-n yo'!'
The desperate swung into the saddle
and then his followers sent up a gasp of
relief. Not at all ashamed of their work,
but with their feelings against Father
Peters somewhat allayed, Magoone and
his gang, on foot and on horseback,
started into the hills.
Then the old clergymen assembled his
friends before the ruin and addressed
them. He counseled patience and peace.
He implored them to avoid gatherings
and not to talk, even with those they
were sure of, on the subject now excit-
ing the land. This done, he called on
all to kneel and to join with him in
prayer, and all did SO excepting the
blacksmith, who with folded arms
watched the blue smoke pillar rising
from the ruin.
Brother Bradley" said the old clergy
man when he had concluded, ''will you
lead us in prayer?"
Strong in everything he did, the black
smith during his years of grace had de-
veloped decided talent for prayer.
There was force and rude eloquence
about the man very effective with people
of impressionable natures.
Gather Peters," he replied, st can't
pray. Hit don't seem jist the thing fo'
me to pray to Jesus Christ when he
stands by and sees lot of cussed
rebels burn down the house we uns
built fo' him. He had the powah to strike
'em dead like lightnin, but did he do it?
Not much. Thar's heap of Goals and
ash whar the church was, and thars that
id Het Magoone off safe with his gang,
whin shout i smashed in his skull like
the shell of a bird egg and then flung
him into tt } fah."
Father Peters tried to reason with his
friend. |Ie repeated all the wise and
trite things about the mysterious ways
OF Provi aence, the power of prayer, the
necessity Of keeping alive the faith, and
the certainty that truth would triumph;
but while still loving and respecting the
noble old man, the blacksmith was in no
mood to be comforted by words. In eff
feet he replied in this way, and on the
men it was evident that his words had a
stronger influence than the prayers and
exhortations of Father Peters:
'.Ive got so that can spell out a few
words in the good book, but my youngest
boys got noah downright larnin, fo'
he's readin geography. Still [ can think,
and [ do think right smart, and hairs
what I've been a thinkin this blessed day,
and I say hit without meanin no disre-
spect fo' Father Peters nor his kin, fo' /
love 'em all, God bless 'em.
''But, after long months of waitin and
prayin, the wah, ez we uns tried to pray
off, hez come to the Cumberland hills,
and hit do look powahful like to me Ell
eff she'd come fo' a mighty long visit.
Wah means fghtin and fab and blood
and death! Wah and religion can't nevah
gee. Yo' can't yoke 'em. One pulls moth,
the other south. One means trustin in
God, which is all mighty nice and com
fortin in peace, the other means trustin
to yo'rse'f and yo'r rife, and that's the
only thing to do in time Of wah. I'll &C
home from har, and mold bullets in the
forge while the lead holds out, and I'll
take the, good book fo' waddin, to helI
kill thetfoes of the Ler', d-n 'em!
sGo to yo'r homes, folks, and thinl,
hit ovah. Tell yo'r wives and chillen
you uns ez ken tote rifles, that you'll be
'bleeged to leave 'em mighty soon, fol
the chicell come to be shot down like
dogs in these hills or to git together and
fight our way to the old flag. The me1
that fred the meetin house today befoaE
our eyes, tonight may burn our cabins
ovah our heads. If SO be they don't dc
hit, hit won't be coz they don't want to-
but coz they're skeert. A man with 6
rifle will have NOAH powah to keep EN-
low than fifty thousand million neetir
houses full of folks a-prayin.
$50 that's why think religions al
right in hits place, and hit may give 6
powah of comfort to the wimmin whe1
we uns hez to light out, but ez fo' me
I'm in fo' wah, and feel that I'll be
'bleeged to give my religion rest til
we decide with our rifles whether lot
of id rebels or we Union men il
agwine to hev the free run of the hills
along the Cumberland. Thar, that's all
] have to say, and hits right smart moab
than tended to say when sot OUT
Father Peters saw that it would bt
folly to attempt to change the black
smith, or to try to hold to his own peace
full views the Union mountsineers tina
heard him. And then, as his daughter
confessed in telling the story, he fully
oy,,,rooiotad tho foron of the hi ac1ys7nifh'