Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1896-06-05
CHAPTER IL

Mnen ION, warned by the SINKING
sun, set his face homeward, he took a
course that would carry him i'll or about
the creek bottom, to which he had os-
tensibly set out His way led him by
the log church, in which neighborhood
preacher or elder held forth every Sun
day, except when the famous and &c
centric Rev Joshua Sims visited it,
which was three or four times year
AS he approached the ediice, which
stood in a pine thicket and boosted of a
bush arbor awning i'll 'front.' he heard the
voice of preacher breaking loudly upon
the afternoon calm. Never before had
Tom known of church meeting on Sat
urday afternoon. 1t was the time uni
versally claimed by the negroes for town
shopping or loafing. He knew of no one
recently dead, and besides had any one
died that late in the week the body
would have been saved until Sunday.
In open mouthed establishment Tom
approached at the side. Sure enough,
preaching" was going on. His first i'm
pulse was to enter, but still suspicious,
he placed his eye at a crevice and looked
through. There was only one person
within the church, and that was the
Rev. Joshua Sims. Standing in the pull
pit, he was preaching to an imaginary
audience the sermon evidently prepared
for the next day Tom squatted down
ON his launches, and a broad, compre-
hensive grin lighted his face as he real
lied the situation. The speaker thun-
dered over the book lying upon the pull
pit, slapping it vigorously from time
to time, and walking from side to
side. Half of the Rev. Joshua Sims
success lay in his figure, tempestuous
delivery and thrilling tones and he
knew it. The sermon was delivered in
a shout, and wherever in a sentence the
speaker sought for word he would pro-
| long the preceding tone with "er-rer. 3"
| Sometimes saliva from his mouth flew
over the pulpit into the vacant auditori-
UNI as foam is tossed from q horses
mouth.
Tom had missed the text, and indeed
most Of the sermon, but this much
reached him through the crevice.
"Shake off yo weights Shake 'em
off! Dey es good ter put on er race horse
wen dey es er trainin i'm, but W en- de
time come ter race dey must be shook
| off. Eff yer gwine ter run er race wild de
debble, shake off dem weights, an go ct
fun de drop er de hat.
"Shake off yo' weightsl Shake 'em
off! Sister, eff hits fine clo'es, shake
'em off Shake 'em off Dey amt no
fine clo'es in hebben; de angels dom
| xr-aor rutbin but do T,1ainao, ly;na Vo,.
can't run no race wild er long gown
hangin ter yer an er hustle an er hoop
| er-hoppin aroun. Yer can't run no race
wild dem sacks and high hats an fed
ders ter ketch de win, an dem high heels
shoes er-ketchin en- de grass. Shake 'em
off Shake off yo' weightsl
"Shake off yo' weightsl Shake 'em
off, brudders! Yer can't run er race wild
de debble an yer full er whisky. Err
wise man ill take er gourd er spring
water at de start an go bar'footed, like
Moses roun de bush, an trus' de Lord
when e want mo- ter run er branch
cross de road, like he does fur de mule
gwine ter town. Shake off de weights
Shake 'em off
"Shake off yo' weights? How does
po' sinner run? He runs wild de weights
on, an debble keep right long at his
heels, so close sinner hear him laugh.
Dew trabble long terRedder. an bimeby.
TO dey gifts ter de las milepos', debbls
trip up po' sinner an win de race Shake
off yo' weightSl Oh, shake 'em off
''How do de righteous run? He strips
off de weights an cuts out. Mos TO yer
know e gwine run, q done gone, an
debble come erlong an kind trail SO cole
e don't know wha' good man gone, an
'e win de race Shake off yo' weightsl
Yer all got weights, an I'm gwine tell
yer bout EN-. Deir's sump'n enside al
ready tell yer, but I'm gwine ter tell
out loud so ev'ybody know yer been
tole." He descended from the pulpit
and marched up to the amen corner,
still talking, "Here's Bre'r Danl Here's
Bre'r Danl Bre'r Dan got weights,
an e ain shake 'em off. What es dem
weights name? Too much corn en- lis crib
fur de size er lis crop! Too much cott' n
en- lis crib fur de size er lis patchl Toe
many chickens en- de pan fur two hens
an er roosterl Too many shotes erbout
Chrismus fur er no SOW man. Shake OFF
yo' weights, Bre'r Dan-shake 'em off
Oh, wat es sech er sinner hke2 He like
er one legged grasshopper, wa think e
| =