The Van Buren press., 1896-10-10

! the hill in orderment to mix little
pure spring water with the early run
nins 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
tall<in machinery was limbered up con-
! siderable.
"Aceordin to The Scripture-whiell
says that mortal man was taken from
the bosom of the earth and must conse-
quentially retrun 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 oil
all the blame on the good Lord any
how, Rufus. Now as to me, I don I
to say blame Him for the maxim Of
Andy Lucas IF lie made that lost AMI
ruint man, which accordn to the Scrip
ture l reckon He did, it was because He
had whole passle of odds and ends,
/ and rakins and serapins, which He
didn't have no partielar use for, SO He
jest flung the pile together and made a
human bein and called it Andy Lucas.
TO be certainly recollect that you
and Andy was horned and bred md
brung up together on ioinin 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 I 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 Town
into the old Panther Creek settlement
durin the dark nights and hot days
of August, and what tremendous wide
row he weeded around at the big pro-
tracted meetins. As for me, | WAS too
monstrous busy pullin down and stack
in up my fodder right along about thai
time and | couldn't turn out tc the
meetins any to speak of only on Sat
urdays and Sundays. But Andy he re-
NAMED 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 ] didn't lay eyes on
HIM more than oncst or twicst week
whilst he tarried down there amongst
us. Still at the same time I could hear
some news from Andy every day
"The very next day after Andy showed
down in the Panther Creek country me
and him went to big.Methodist meetin
over at Long Greek church, where they
had three sermonts day and dinner on
the grounds-which you understand,
that was ON a Sunday. And late that
evenin when l got ready TO start off on
my return back home 10 and behold there
was Andy Lucas! Finally at last /
found him, and where do you reckon he
was? He was way off down there in the
woods behind a big pine log with old
Parson Raynor-which the parson had
Andy down on his knees and was pray
in for him in a deep and fervent voice.
He was pleadin in dead earnest with
both eyes shet, and consequentially he
didn't see me. But Andy caught sight
of me, and when he did he closed his
left eye slow and KNOWN like and waved
his hand at me to go on back. And
then, when presently him and the old
parson come up out of the woods, the
great horsetrader had his pocket hand
llerchief in one hand and a prayer
book in the other, whilst his face was
pulled out as long as your arm. They
then shook the partin hand and spoke
sad farewell. The good old parson
went on his way reioicin in the hope,
and that blame fellow Lucas come to me
and said, said he:
''Ben Chris, from the way the cards
are runnin now and the general circum-
ference of the calamity, reckon you
will have to return back home alone by
yourself. | don't see how | could go
with you this evenin. feel called to re-
main over at this meetin and tarry
around amongst the brethren for a few
days longer Whilst the lamp holds out
to burn the durndest sinner maybe
mought return, and If l tear myself
away right now l expect the meetin
would come TO a student close. But
there is grounds for hope and room for
great reioicin and material TO work
on so long as | remain over and
tarry around the mourners' bench 50
reglar and D frequent. In that regards
you must recollect, Ben Chris, that | am
full blood grandson of ole Hiram Lu-
cas-, which they tell me he was the hard
est customer and the most wickedesi
sinner that ever drove a horse trade or
spit cuss words in all these regions
round. Whereas you can see how and
why they will run this mcctin several
days lcnger-with three sermonts q
day and dinner on the grouBds-if they
have any hopes of pullin your humble
servant, the grandson of old Hiram
Lucas--which he was a whole team and
a holy terror in his day and generation
on board of the Old Ship, with her
PROV set for the promised land. u
"a wouldn't be right. Ben Chris. with tho
cards runnin the way they are now, foi
me 10 lay down my hand and quit the
game. l win remain over for n few DAYS
and tarry yet little while around
AMONGST the brethren and the church AZ