Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-03-14
AN HUMBLE PROPHET.
Our Poor old Faithfui Samuel and HI
 Calling,

=  Our Poor old Faithful Samuel and His
 Calling.
 He used to wrinkle up his old face and shake his stooping shoulders with mirth. whenever anyone asked him how he came to be called Samuel
 Dunno, 'cept de ole missus read bout dat Ter chap in de good book wot talk to de Lawd. I reckon she nebber done tell nobody what for she gwine gib name ter her lili niggah."
 But who taught you about the real Samuel?" Dat" said the old man with sigh of satisfaction, "wuz my pore ole mud der way off in Virginny. She sez, sez she, Samuel, yo' iz an Sammel. 'yo be, an Ise wanter hev yer anser ter dat nam sem as de rely trooly Sammel, wat lib in de good book Yo' lissen now, youze good-for-nothin' raskel, an eff ye doan min ole missus an de Lawd, wen He call, I skin yo' fom head ter heels, suah.' An I dun try; Lawd, I dun try" Poor, faithful old soul, who had come to us thirty years before, and had been homesick ever since for his '.ole missus," long dead and gone, and for his dear
 
 faithful servant, whom we could trust with untold riches, and whose quaint speeches had made us laugh im- moderately many a time Once, when we had a very dignified lady visiting us. he had waited on table for he was rung in as temporary but Ter when our table girl was inefficient He was helping the after-dinner coffee, nd nfcin hn | friends cup and bringing his sable face within har range of vision, he asked:
 'How menny permiscous lumps?" '"Three," answered the visitor, frigid- ly.
 q Iacquiesk," said the old darky with dignity; free ez my numbah."
 We never could tell where he picked up his big words, but he had whole vocabulary of them, and it made no diff ference whether they were in season or out of season, they were in constant use.
 ''Did you have good sermon, Sam uel?" he was asked once. | ''Possumly peart," he answered, de elder obscoriated powerful heap on de sinnahs. De agony bench wuz full an spillin' ober."
 l No matter how often we explained to him that it was anxious bench" he would respond:
 II knows, rse been dar-it am agony bench, suah."
 l One of our old friends peculiarities was an objection to having his name shortened into Sam.
 'I ain't in it." he said, with an adopt ed northern idiom, ''wot you spect, dat | de Lawd wen he want mo call, 'Saml Sam! whar yo' be, yo' lazy niggah?' and l sez, Yeah, Lawd.' 1 doan anser to no Sam. no time t all"
 But his reply to Samuel was very distinct He always responded with a fervent ''Heah, Lawdr' if he did not in stantly recognize the voice that called him. When asked why he did so he said:
 ''Spose, honey, de Lawd done call me an l vent gwine heah him, wot yo reckon holp me den eff I doan sey, 'wot yo want, Lawd? rse here'"
 We tried in vain to teach him the Bible version of the story. He persist ed in keeping to the way his old mann my had taught him, and as he read his Bible upside down-for he didn't know one letter from another-it didn't make much difference. And a more earnest, lconstant Christian did not live. In the Simplicity of his childlike old heart. he never doubted, after his graduation from the agony bench," that he was one of the saved and elect of the king dom to come.
 But one morning when he did not Iappear as usual, we sent to his lodging to call him, and there was no answer. He was i'll, and speechless.
 The end soon came It was clear with a noontide clearness that revealed to us the very bordcr-land of Heaven. None of us knew who it was called him. possibly some member of the family who had not heard of his sickness. bu, in answer to that call he lifted himself up, reached out his arms, and ''lo! he ) whose heart was that of little child had answered to his name and stood in the presence of the Master. ."-Dctroit |