The times., 1897-08-15
ODD TRUE STORIES.
The Country of the Gadarenes.

was about to preach his first missionary
sermon. For scventy-fiye years the val
ley of the Cumberland had been lying in
a RipTan Winkle sleep,and the long-!inbed,
slow spoken. nn-facedmountaineers had
raised hog and huniny, and smoked AMI
| summed themselves In and about their log
cabins, and fought and married and died
with very little variation from year to
from the theological seminary, felt that
/ they needed to be awakened.
He was a slim, fair-haired, enthusiastic
| gentleman in speetacles and as he looked
| about him ON that warm June day n felt
@ pardonabe pride a the size OF his gath
ering congregation. The people came FROM
| distances q. several miles to hear him. and
| although more of them We're barefoot than
| he had expected, their unshod feet PAT
| tered over the puncheon floor with u soft
| reverence, and their derneanor was digni-
| fled and appropriate. The building, a
| huge, half-finished concern, raised or
| pillars from the ground, had once been some
sort OF a tobacco curing establishments,
| and was nearly filled by the time MI.
| Coolbrith rose to announce his text
| The mountaineers Were nearly Us tall
sitting down as lie was standing.
| Owing to this fact he coaiu not at once
| see what caused slight disturbance
| near the door. There was a squeaI and a
| grunt, and the thud of body falling to
the ground. and then the tall, lank youth
| who had risen to the occasion, sank into
| his seat.
| rf-..
then heard around the building, and under
| the windows, and during the Scripture
| reading, other squeals, other grnnts, and
other thuds, made themselves heard, and
repeatedly did the tail, lank youth sit
| down with an expressionless face. The
| door could not be shut, because there was
no door there. While the congregation, in
] passionIess drawI, were singing the first
| hymn Mr.. COolbrith managed To steal u
| glance out OF the window, and beheld three
or four unregenerate-looking razor back
| hogs, evidently holding a council OF war
Hogs. in hot weather like nothing better
| than puncheon floor. This pancheon floor
had been their especial perquisite all through
the season. They could not understand why
they should have been oIIsted, and especially
| why they should be elected so summarily
| at the point OF a boot 1t happened that
| the Young mountaineer who served the writ
on them was not barefoot. Under the cir
| curastances. however, it was clearly impOs-
| siile to obtain their rights, and they con-
| Guided to go under the building, which they
| did, with gandry snufflng and grumbling
and scutfing of feet, very much as bad
| bows file into the school-house when called
| from recess.
| The Rev Mr.. Coolbrith heard the noises,
| and guessed what they meant. He was
| prepared for difficulties in his missionary
| work, and bad determined to meet them
| in a cool and courageous manner. III the
| ungodly should threaten him with a pis-
| tol he would carry on his meetings, all the
| same, and If he got shot his life insurance
would pay for his education. But he had
not reckoned on hogs Hogs, in the coun-
| try where he came from, staid in their
| pens and grunted contentedly until turned
| into hams and shoulders and long, lus-
| cious strings OF sausages. They Were
| plump ana white and lazy, averse to ex-
| ercise and emotion. But Tennessee razor
| back can climb fences, If necessary, or out
| run dog, and his disposition is not good
! Mr.. Coolbrith did not feel acquainted with
| him or quite understa what to do with
him. He was kind 10 all dumb animals, on
| principle, but he did not want hogs in his
| meeting house, no matter how much they
| wanted to come in; and when, in the course
| OF half an hour, two of them remembered
| that there was a family feud in their
| history and went to work at it under the
| church, and bumped their backs up against
! the floor. squealng and swearing, Mr.
! Coolbrith became convinced that something
must be done So he and young Sam
Blakely, the mountaineer in boots, went out
| TO see what could be done
| Sam, at the suggestion of Mr.. Coolbrith,
| cut long, sharp stick and prodded the
| congregation under the meetin g house,
while the congregation in the meeting
| house listened TO the racket 1t did not
! take long to clear the lower regions and
| then Mr.. Coolbrith, congratulating himself
! on having met his first trial with becoming
| dignity, Went hack and began to preach
| But razor-back hogs are not like the
| Berkshire variety. They do not mind
| rev pokes with stick and little exer-
else. 1t was not half an hour before the
! whole family connection of them was hack
again, trottiag up TO the door and glanciug
IN with a knowing air, and then diving
| under the floor into the welcome cool or
the interior. They snuggled dnwn costly,
! with a few sniffy remarks about the new
| condition of things. and the minister.
though aware OF their proximity. went On
| preaching.
''Yir' yipl ugh, e-ee-e-i wow! wowu' A
sudden awakening of interest, above and
below One by one, half a dozen small
bad boys had sneaked out, crawling be-
tween the seats, while the minister was
explaining the difference between free
VIII and predestination. The small bows,
two dogs and the hogs We're having the
fup CT their lives. One Of the hogs y
h'lge gray veteran, with stilt-like legs.
had fam Blakely's pet terrier b. the ear.
me baying OF a mongrel dog currently
supposed to have some hound blood In
him, together with the yelps of the ter
fief and the sfIieks of maternal hogs.
made preaching perfectly impossible for
half an hour. Then the minister, with a
iiasty prayer and benediction disu,iss.1
the human congregation and went home
The hog congregation held services ON
tic punchaon floor that afternoon.
An Original Sin.
"iniired and Augustus sat ON the fruni
piazza, in clean white pinafores, fIut ed like.
I L