St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-07-10
'LIJAH'S CALL TO PREACH.


devil had done hook he claws in 'Lijah
an warm goin' let 90. Fo'teen year;
'LiJah was seekin' off an on. He d.
ev'rything. He go an set on de side o.
hill. Returah, who wuZ Mistis' maiC
an mother in de gorspel, tell 'LiJal
Settln' on de side er hill would brin!
de very wuss NV sinners though
hit didn' bring 'Lijah though. Mayb,
twas cause 'Lijah wuz Marse George
body sarvint, an Marse George. h,
sutny wuz a gent'mun, but he wa:
sorter wiz, an he an Ole Scratch WI
mighty thick. He didn' have no par
an he wuz de onliest chile MiStis had
an he had q heap o. money, thou
countin' what Mistis gwi' gin him.
Sometimes 'Lijah would git mos
though, an maybe he aim laugh for
mont, an de Sperrit be walkin' al
'LiJah could shut he' eyes an see RICH
down inter hell wild de POI sinners erwin
and hollerin' an de devil baStin' 'em vic
de orm gravy, an den Marse George he
say sumpln' so comicaI an reckelsome
dat 'Lijah e 'b'leeSt ter bust out larfin
an den he have ter 'gin all over agir
an take fresh 'pentence ter de LAM
kase. eff you larfs while you is seekin'
you lose de Sperrit.
But at lars, arr a-wraslin' an a.hon
in an a-shOutin' an a-cipherin' one
day, 'Liiah wuZ meckin' a julep fel
Marse George out on de back po'cfl. we
all hear 'Liiah GIN whoop-de devil
whoops when de Sperrit drive him out
AN d'yar wuz 'Lijah, iumpin' up an
down an crackin' he heels an bawlin'
GLORY, glory, glory hallelujah, glory
to de Lam! Whoop-ee-e, bless de Lud.
1 anne got 'ligion, san' | cyan sin nc
mo-! wish Judgment day wuz heah
so could git ter glory. l aim feerd a.
nuttin' now, not if de devil wuz ter
come right heah wild he horns an he
hoofs an he forked tail, an say Lii
jah-!"
Jes' bout dat time, dey WIZ drivin' de
brindle COW though de yard, an she
alters wuz like a wiz cow-an' when
she heah de fuss, an see 'Lijah hoppin'
up an down an yellin'. she brock loose.
an come a-gallopin' roun' do corner o.
de house, SWitchln' her tail, an bellerin'
twill you could heah her I'D to de cote
house an; down to de ribber. 'Lijah, he
cotch sight O. her, an heah de rOarin',
an he STAN right still for a minnit-den
he gin to bawl louder N de cow heller,
an TUX out though de house fars' eZ he
could lay he legs ter de groun'. He run
fO' miles fo' he stop. He tho't dat ole
cow wuZ de devil. Marse George an
Mistis wuz settin' on de front po'ch,
when dey see him gallavantin' down de
road, an MarSe George larf twill he
mos bust. Mistis, she Iarf, too.
Arter while. bout dinner time. we all
seen 'Lijah comm down de road. He
wuZ black niger. but he so skeert dat
time he tu'n right gray. He never wuz
eZ black arter dat. Marse George, he
tell him. 'Twarn' nuttin' but dat devil
ish cow" but 'Lijah he say, sorter
solemn-like. ''MarseEGeorge, 'twarn no
brindle cow-'twaz de devil. He token
de shape o. ole Cherry. but | seed her
tail was forked, an de fire come outen
her mOuf, an | ain never heah no COW
heller an roar dataway. 'Twus de devil
come ter Judgment, an l got 'ligiou
now, an l got er call ter preach an save
sinners FUN Outen de pit"
Marse George, he say, You black
rascal, you got a call ter bresh my close
an keep my Shawn things in order, an
ter arnser my bell;' but 'Lijah dessted
he had er call ter preach. Mistis tell
him he could do bote. am very naix
Sunday 'LiJah was baptized, am he
L
in house, an he preach ter de niggers.
Hit wuz er powerful preachin'l You
could a'herd him er mile, rastlin' wild
the sperrit. De black folks gin to
shout an get happy, SO de had ter run
an git straw outen er straw stack close
by, an lay it down fo' de pulpit, an
some O. de toughest sinners in dat
county sprawl over dat straw an roll
an kick, gittin 'ligion. Nine on 'em
come to de mo'ners' bench an seven on
'em got Though. 'Lijah, he wuz
mighty Sot up over gittin' dem niggers
converted. He baptiZe 'em hisse'f at
de naiX baptizm, an he low de water
siZZle when de sin come out.
Well, Marse George talk heap bout
what he gwi do ter 'Lijah, but he didn'
dO nuttin' Italian MiStls, she acshilly
gin him de ole courthouse fer er meetin'
house, an meek Jim Henry, de car
penter, meek him some benches an er
pulpit. He could read some, an Mistis
gin him er greet big Bible, an 'Liiah
WuZ jes' happy. Dat niger wuz salts
fed eZ a hOppergrass in summertime.
lie ruther preach dan eat, an twarn'
'nuff fer him ter preach SUNDAYS. He
preach eV'y night ter de niggers on de
plantation. Mistis say 'twuz better
for 'em dan Sneakln' off ter de cross
roads Ter git drunk an sech doin's.
He WIZ q mighty good singer, too,
WuZ 'Lijah, and when he tune up:
"A-settin in de kingdom,
Yes, my LORD;
A-settin in de kingdom,
Fer ter seen Jordan roll.
Roll. Jordan, roll,
Roll, Jordan. roll;
I'm boun' ter go to heaven when 1 die.
Fer ter seen Jordan ROLL
all de black folks would ine in an hit
SCUM like de win in de pine trees.
'Lijah sut'ny did b'lieve in hisself. eff
nobody else didn'. He useter tell we'aIl
dat he warm nuttin' but a niger beah,
but when he get ter heaven he gwine
sot up wild de white folks. an we'all be
proud ter claim he 'quaintance. But he
low needn' none dem low-down free
niggers an cOrnfel' hans come teeterin'
up ter shake hams wild him, jeS' kase he
settin' so high, an maxim tense dey
wuz mighty thick wild him in dis heah
worl'-he WIZ high-minded when he
warm Duttin' but black 'Liiah, an he
'specked ter be more high-minded dan
ever when he were white an had err
harp an p'yar wings like chicken-doWn
an were archangel er sumpin'.
All dis time, Marse George, he keep
on gittin' wiFer an wiI'er-an' ter
make hit wuss, he wuZ stuck on Miss
Amy Scaife-de Briartiel' Scales wuZ
de fust quality, you kin be sho'. She
waz ez putty ez de peach blossoms, an
when she and Marse George STAN up
ter dance, dey sut'ny wuz de hap somes'
couple dis Niger ever see. But AFTER a
while POI Marse George got drunk at
er party at Briarfiel'-an' dat WIZ de
END. NaiX time Miss Amy see him she
pass him wild her hade up like one o.
desc heah tender-mouf fillies wid a
curb bit an snaffie, an Marse George
he look mighty black at her. He saw:
Miss Seattle, amt | worthy Nv more NV
a bow IN dat arp AM she say: NO,
sah. You are not"
'Liiah say he doan' b'lieve Miss Amy
wuZ ez mad ez she meek out he say
she wuz in love wild Marse George, an
KEEP on hopin' he WIZ gwi ter do better.
But MarSe George he tu'n white, an he
say: "Dat's all, Madam. | dissect de
situation"- an den-Lordee He got
Oh de wuss spree! He would Ter been
drownded in de ribber, but 'Liiah hole
l..