Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1895-12-27

hours. Several PROSTATE forms were
carried out, and q number were left in
the church, where they lay until next
day. When got tired and went away
that night the little preacher, utterly
worn out, had curled herself up in
splint-bottom chair, and was enjoying
the sleep Of innocent childhood. l
could hardly sleep that night for think
ing about that meeting. I tell you,
boys, was impressed"
II always thought you were above
such superstition. squire" remarked
some one, as the squire stopped to refill
his pipe.
well. anyway, went back the next
night" resumed the squire, land for
the first time got good view Of the
little preacher. She is perfect child
In looks and ways. Her complexion is
about the color Of IN old mustard
ground ginger cake, her teeth white
and even, the whites of her large,
mournful eyes prominent, and she
doesn't weigh more than sixty or seven
ty pounds. There were lot of white
people in the congregation, but she
took no notice Of them. Curiosity
prompted me to go to listen to her, but
interest held me there She spoke
right out in the most earnest way, as
II her only thought was preaching the
Gospel Her delivery and gestures
were easy, and, in fact, what she SAID
and the way she said it beat nine
tenths of the preachers-especially
these evangelists-white or black.
ha cArv;.,a =
prayer, and read, or rather recited, a
chapter from the Bible, which did not
bear on the sermon in the least Her
ono thought seems to be to prepare for
the Great Beyond, which she desig.
mates as way over yonder.' She talks
about the hereafter In a most pathetic
way, and l remember Oh that particu.
lar night her text was: business in
Heaven
"'I'll meet you there, sinner she
said, for got business with Capt.
Jesus. l must tend to it. must go
where partin' is no mo-. l got to put
on long white robc, starry crown,
silver slippers, md sit at my Masters
feet. I'll meet you over yonder, way
over yondcr, for we all got to cross
Jordan stream dry shod and go over
yonder. Ill meet you there, sad
hearted mothers. I'll meet you there,
wicked fathers, I'm going to get in
side those pearly gates. Arc you? Are
you? Sinner, you must get right.
Learn it now. Now is the time. Way
over yonder may be too late for you,'
and SO on. Night after night l went,
and each time she had a new sermon,
each ono containing sad strain.
She made pathetic figure, always
clad in deepest black without the
slightest touch of color, that children
love SO we'll, or the faintest suggestion
of an ornament. When occasion de.
manded she rebuked thoughtless per-
sons for bad behavior in few clear
cut, kind sentences, and went right on
with her sermon. If the Gospel grind
ers would only learn that it isn't these
staggering truths, which cannot be
grasped by the average mind but a
doctrine Of simple. earnest faith that
aFouses people to better living. But
they never will, Now it was the sim
certify Of the little niger, and the
earnestness of her followers, that i'm
pressed me, and, while can't say that
she converted me, she certainly set mo
to thinking, and concluded to leave
off doing certain things.
u wanted to give her something, and
couldn't make up my mind what to
buy her. She reads poorly, and can
scarcely write at all, but somehow
she didn't seem like child that would
care for toys. Finally, in a sort of
desperation, settled on large wax
doll with highly colored cheeks and a
mass of yellow hair. IL you could
have seen her antics OF delight when
she found that it was all her own. She
clasped 1t to her as if she would never
let it go, and then she told me that She
used always to preach sermons to her
dolls. and that the people who over
heard her persuaded her to preach to
people, which was the very thing she
had always longed to do.
"Everyb agrees that she is won
der, and tell you she is. Many white
people think her inspired, and the
blacks believe that she is sent directly
from God as a warming, and that the
judgment day is coming soon. don't
hAO"s HSSAuoC AVG uCFcE IlOuGnG
great denl about such things But |
do think she is entirely different from
any little child that I've ever seen, and
! shall never, never forget her, with
her solemn ways and her unceasing
warnings about what we must do and
must not do If we want to meet each
other when we get homo, way over
yonder.'
There was great shutting of feet,
coughing and clearing of throats
among the squirrels visitors as he con-
Guided, and the clustering gentleman
from Kentucky began to denounce the
excise law in loud tones. But the
squire looked at the rings of smoke as
he blew them upward from his corn
cob pipe, and had little to say the rest
OF the evening.
Condemn no man for not thinking
rs you think. Let everyone enjoy the
full and free liberty of thinking for
himself. Let every man use his own
judgment, since every man must give
an account of himself to God. If You
cannot persuade man into the truth,
never attempt to force him into it. If
love will not compel him to come, leave
u Il