The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1896-11-07

Minis of the corn.
"Remained Over and Tarried Around"
but sometime and somehow in the
beginnin Andy Lucas was made" Ben
Chris went on-which by this time his
talkin machinery was limbered up con-
siderable.
"Aecordin to the Scripture-whicl
says that mortal man was taken from
the bosom of the earth and must conse-
quentiallyretrun back to the same thing,
or words to that extent reckon the
good Lord must of made Andy along
with the rest of human creation. Least
wise the public in general has got Him
charged up with the job. Some people
are jest naturally proneful to throw off
all the blame on the good Lord any
how, Rufus. Now as to me, 1 don't
TO say blame Him for the maxim Of
Andy Lucas. Eff He made that lost and
ruint man, which accordin to the Scrip
ture I reckon He did, it was because He
had a whole passle of odds and ends,
and rakins and scrapins, which He
didn't have no particlar use for, so He
jest flung the pile together and made a
human bein and called it Andy Lucas.
ITO be certainly 1 recollect that you
and Andy was horned and bred and
brung up together on joinin farms, and
still eat peas from the same dish and
take soup through the same quill to
some extent" says Ben Chris as he
went down after his tobacco and put
q fresh bundle in the rack. "Yet still
at the same time, Rufus, / don't wear
NO paddock on my mouth as anybody
knows of, and 1 don't mind tellin you
the naked unwashed truth though it
breaks up the plan Of salvation and
brings on another war between the
United States.
But what I put in to tell you about
was the trip which Andy made lown
into the old Panther Creek settlement
lurin the dark nights and hot days
of August, and what a tremendous wide
row he weeded around at the big pro-
tracted meetins. AS for me, I was too
monstrous busy pullin down and stack
in up my fodder right along about that
time, and / couldn't turn out to the
meetins any to speak of only on Sat
urdays and Sundays. But Andy he re-
manned over and tarried in the settle
ment somethin better than three weeks
and took in all the big meetins indurin
of that time. When he first rid into the
range he turned his horse in my lot
and made our house his general head.
quarters, though I didn't lay eyes on
HIM more than oncst or twicst a week
whilst he tarried down there amongst
us. Still at the same time I could hear
some news from Andy every day in
the week.
''The very next day after Andy showed
down in the 1anther Greek country me
and him went to a big Methodist meeti1
over at Long Creek church, where they
had three sermonts a day and dinner OF
the grounds-which, you understand
that was on a Sunday. And late tina
evenin when / got ready to start off OF
my return back home 10 and behold Their
was Andy Lucas! Finally at last
found him, and where do you reckon h,
was? He was way off down there in tn,
woods behind o big pine log with oil
Parson Raynor-which the parson hat
Andy down on his knees and was pray
in for him in a deep and fervent voice
He was pleadin in dead earnest wit
both eyes shet, and consequentially h
didn't see me. But Andy caught sigh
of me, and when he did he closed hi
left eye slow and KNOWN like and wave
his hand at me to go on back. An
then, when presently him and the oil
parson come up out of the woods, tn
great horsetrader had his pocket hanC
kerchief in one hand and a praye
book in the other, whilst his face wa
pulled out as long as your arm. The
then shook the partin hand and spoil,
a sad farewell. The good old parse
went on his way rejoicin in the hop,
and that blame fellow Lucas come to m
and said, said he:
"Ben Chris, from the way the caro-
are runnin now and the general circun
ference of the calamity, I reckon 20
will have to return back home alone b
yourself. don't see how I could 6
with you this evenin. Ifeel called to r
main over at this meetin and tar1
around amongst the brethren for a fe
DAYS longer. Whilst the lamp holds OF
to burn the durndest sinner mayl
mought return. and if I tear myse
away right now / expect the meet
would come to a student close. b
there is grounds for hope and f
great r~ejoicin and material to wol
on so long as / remain over al
tarry around the mourners' bench
regIar and so frequent. In that regar,
YOU must recollect, Ben Chris. that l a
q full blood grandson of ole Hiram L
cas-, which they tell me he was the har
est customer and the most wickede
sinner that ever drove a horse trade
spit cUss words in all these regio
round. Whereas You can see how al
why they will run this meetin sever
days longer-with three sermonts