Evening star., 1896-01-11

Hnen SATURDAY evening come, had EN- all
done, snd was plumb wore out. But laid
EN- all together, nice and fiat, and done 'em
up IN good, strong paper, and sent 'em off in
the evening mail to the Ararat Cactus Com
pany, asking 'em please to send me the SIS
right away, that was in big hurry for it,
SOS could get ready to go to general holi-
ness convention.
Sister Pen lobe come to the station to
church next day, y,and told her after preach
ing that she could count on me going to con-
Vent1on with her, that the Lord done made a
way just like 1 thought. And Sister Jobe
come and eat dinner with me, and we talked
pretty near all day about what We was go
ing to do st convention, and what big time
we'd have. It'll take IS to take me there
and back, says, and I'll have 81 over and
above, says, to buy me new dress with
and winter hat. Cause, of course, Sister
Jobe, 1 says, I don't want you or nobody
to be ashamed of me, and the Bible says to
do everything decent and in order, and if I
go to convention at ALL I says, I want to
talking about the joy and refreshment we
was going to get in our souls. And I told
Sister Jobe it wouldn't surprise me if was
TO SWING out at the convention, that I'd felt
called to preach long time, but look like
need some big outpouring to set me a-going
and expect to get it at the convention.
II was st1ll pretty near a month to con-
vention, and | says to myself, III give
them Ararat Cactus folks two weeks. The
80 ought, by rights, to get here in ten
days. l says. but Ill give 'em two weeks
It's long ways. says, clean from Texas
to Kentucky. So I waited tolable patient
1or the first ten days. Then commenced
tracking up to Bundy's after every train
and every time 1 says to Tommy T.: ANY
letters for ne" 1 expected to see him look
In the pigeon hole and hand me out a good
big tat one with the S15 in it, and my heart
beat right fast while he was looking. But
every tins he say, 'No'm,' and every day
ne drop his voice little lower and sadder
and more consoling-like, and Tommy T.
mighty romantic 7 ho
got some more suspicious. And pretty soon
all the station folks commenced to look at
me kind of sidewise and consoling, and
Mary Alice Welden she ccme over one day
to borrow some bluing, and KEEP a-talking
about 1t not being no use to put any depen-
dence In men, specially widowers, and it
wasn't worth while to expect any better
things Of 'em. She say she think one of
the best things Solomon ever said was TO
trust no man. 1 wondered what she was
driving at. and more than ever at Mary
Alice Wel6en driving at anything. She
generally hits the nail square on the head
never said nothing, but next day old Mis-
Gerton come to spend the day, and I'D and
consoled me, without making any bones,
about that widower down in Georgia, and
MIN a preacher, too. and got seven chill
dren, and done been married three times,
and ought to knew better, going back on
me and the wedding day set! Well, I was
mad enough to bust, righteous mad, of
course, and told old Mis- Gerton my opin-
ions of them that amt got nothing better
to do than to go about telling lies and
SANDERS. And she say she got it straight
from Sister Gilly Jones. that got it straight
from Tommy T. Nickirs' ma
We'll, every day thought sure that let
ter'd come. 1 just worried and worried,
and prayed and prayed, till I pretty near
got thin. I didn't wonder at folks thinking
that preacher done f1irted me. Look like
l was plumb set on going to that conven-
ton. Lord 1 says, surely you'll let them
slo come tomorrow! 1t wouldn't be right
6ICor ntnt
showing I'd get to co. 1 says. And es-
pecially when I feel like I just need this
convention to set me to preaching! l says.
"One day, just about week before con-
Ventlon, Mis- Barnes come over to see me,
and she look so hungry and down-in- the
mouth, and Nelorous Barnes such a shift
less man, I asked her to stay to dinner,
that got some nice spareribs Brother Rol-
ly Mckittrick been killing hogs and sent
me, and some nice turnips and things, and
l think maybe she'd enjoy EN-. Well, 1
reckon she did. She seemed to take heap
cf comfort, and have real nice time. At
ter dirner [ was showing her my new rag
carpet in the front room. and she run up
on that Ararat cactus sitting in the win
Cow. Law" she says, the idee of anybody
raising cactus! Why, tney jest burn it up
in Texas. When We was down there last
year we made bonfres of it. 1t finally run
US cut. Where on earth did you get the
onery thing? she says l told her how I
got it from them Ararat Cactus Company
people, for siXty-five cents, and she jest
laid hack and fairly hollered till she cried,
1 never saw Mis- Barnes laugh before, and
she taken it SO hard it made me feel plumb
queer The idee,' she says, of you being
took in that away! You're old enough to
know better, Melissy Allgood1 She just
laughed and laughed! didn't see what she
was laughing at. Them men, them Ararat
Cactus men, is smart ones,' she says.
They done made fifty-five cents clear off
of you,' she says. 1t never cost them moth
ing but the postage and the pot!'
II thought wouldn't tell her about them
letters I'd wrote, and I've always been glad
and the more 1 studied the more riled 1 got.
Still l didn't give up hopes entire. after
that showing I'd had. and kept going to the
post office once every day till Friday come,
the day before we was to start to conven-
ton. When 1 didn't get no letter or no $15
on Friday, 1 jest set down and wrote them
Ararat Cactus Company people letter.
81 told 'em reckon they done received
my letters that 1t taken me q whole week
to write, not counting the fifty cents worth
of postage 1 had to put on 'em, and the
dollars worth of paper and the new pen,
and which had to borrow the money from
ma to pay for 'em all. I told 'em / hadn't
received no answer, and 'sposed I never
would, not to speak of the SIS which by
rights they owed me for them letters, and
which I been accounting on to carry me to
holiness convention I told 'em I'd never
believed, if 1 hadn't run right up on 'em
myself, that there was such deceivers and
evildcerS in the world as they was, taking
bread out of the mouth of the widow and
orphant full of cunning craftiness, where
by they lay in wait to deceive, yea their
throat is an open sepulchre and the poison
of asps IS under their lips. 1 told 'em 1
never expected to live to see the day when
I'd lose $1.55 Of mas and whole weeks
work by the ungodliness Of men, me being
a widow woman 1 says, and sanctifled
and living righteous and godly. I've put
my trust in man. 1 says, for the last time
May you turn from your wickedness and
live is the prayer of yours, truly sanctified,
Melissy Allgood.'
Il wrote that letter, and another one to
The Narrow Path, telling what sort of
limbs them Ararat cactus people was, and
sent 'em off in the evening mail. And then
went back home and cried Look like
never was so plumb outdone. If I hadn't
had that showing I'd get to go, wouldn't
have felt so bad. But never had had one
of them showings to fail me, and I'd jest
been resting or the promise. Lord says
the very idee of your lettin the devil hold
me back from holiness convention like
thatT 1 says. The very idee of him ram
paging around deceiving the very elect!
I says. Lord says. why don't you smite
him, hip and thigh?
Next morning I got up early, to clean
up before Sister Jobe come, and look like
1t plumb mortified me to have to tell her