The Opelousas courier., 1895-10-26
Giving Out the News.

SslVlnH Ous LtG Nc"b
"Cne of two things has got to como
to pass, Rufe''-s says Dave in givin out
the news &c mel have got to go on
home and change my higgins, or the
Lords work will have to suffer. That
want none of my meetin over there at
Flat Rock; you understand. and neither
was it my fault that the thing got bus
ted wide open on the second day.
"You see I had been away up in the
hill country toa little railroad town rum
min of big meetin up there, and we had
such tremendous big outpourin till re-
manned over and stayed in the fight
for about two weeks hand runnin. In
the mainline the weather it vas SO
scandlous hot and ! had to sweat such
terrible drops Of persperation to keep
the pot a bilin, you understand, till
bless gracious all the clothes / had
along with me was wet aud dirty. So
in that wsy it naturally come to pass
that some of the sisters called n meeti2
of the society and sen out a committee
to git me some new higgins. They lit
out they did and got me a three-story
begun hat, n ruf11e-bosom shirt fried
IN starch and a brown linen duster as
long as the moral laws. Man sir, I
could lay back and hang the tail OF
that buster out over the back of my
buggy and it would all but sweep the
earth as l 4 drove along the big road,
whilst my shirt had ruffies and frills
and fancy fxments on it from Dan to
Habersham.
"Whereas, OF my return back home
l got wind OF the big meetin of days
goin on over O. Fiat Rock, and
I thought l mought as we'll to
swing around by there about dinner
time. and take out and feed,
and rest wei till along in the shank
and cool of the evenin. But l was
drivin old Ball, You understand, and /
don't think he felt plum lazy about the
general experiments of my new turn
out. At any rates, he had got a reglar
waterbury movement on him and we
pulled up at Flat Rock before they
opened up on the first sernont. There
was three or four good preachers on
hand-which that was a gracious plen-
ty for one. big meetin and some to
%spare-but when I dri't up they all
como out and lit in with one voice to
make me preach.
mo brethren" says I, "this amt the
time nor the place for me to preach. l
amt fifteen right now 10 preach to these
good people Of Flat Rock, I would ruth
er not try to preach and I amt goin to
try it If there is any Way to back out.
"But you recollect! RUFF, I use to
swap horses and plsg the fiddle and
gamble with the pasteboard documents
and the like of that, and some people
have took mp q notion. that Dave Hau-
son can cover all the ground and travel
all the gaits till yet. l told them that
I had but only drove by to let them
know that I was with them in the
flesh as well as the spirit, and to rest
over durin the heat and burden of the
day. And still nothin would do them
but l must go forth and stand up and
preach to the world.
Look at me brethren" says I, land
take a good look at the buds and rig
gins / have got on, and then remember
what I tell you. 1t Amt the Lords will
for me to speak forth the words of
truth and soberness here today. and if
you pitch in and make me preach I will
bust the meetin wide open. 1 can feel
1t COMM on, and know it.. I
know these good people around
Flat Rock as well as any man on the
grounds and a whole lot better than
some OF you. and l tell you, brethren.
If you trot me out today, with all these
fancy trimmins on you will quench the
fires as with a wet blanket and break
up t. meetin into the bargain. give
You tie truth as it has been given unto
me to see it an feel it, and when the
worst comes to worst shake not your
hoary heads at me.
.,But it want no kinder sorter use of
talkin. / recken maybe they had
already come to the conclusion that
they hat forgot more about runnin of a
big meetin than I would ever learn, and
al that / could do was to cut the pack
and then let the game 60 their way"