Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-08-08
A BACKSLIDER.

"Deakin" Smith, his wife and his sevei
children were on their way to the CAM
meeting at Mount Gilead. The Georgi;
SUN beat ~1ercely down upon the red ella.
road, and in its brilliant glare the smooth
black faces and bare limbs of the deacon
children shone like polished ebony.
The deacon's better half, seated besid,
him on the seat of the creaking old wagon
was attired in a ravishing toilet Of blacl
alpaca, her woolly head was surmounted
| by a gorgeous turban, and her splay feel
were incased in painfully new shoes o.
ample width and adorned with yellow cat
skin strings. Above the deacon's veneer
able head she held a cotton umbrella, once
black, but which the sun had bleached tc
| a dingy brown. "Miss Sniff" observed
the deacon, blinking at the sun, sis yuh
TEX noticement o. de time O. day? Dat
mewel he gottah hump hisse'f, else we
gwine be late fob de preachin. Cum up
dab, yuh Sam!'
"Miss Sniff" at this moment, however,
made a wild clutch at one Of her children.
"Yuh, Tawm," she cackled ~nervously,
"don't yuh hang yuh feet outen de back O.
de heritage, heah me? Yuh's a-fxin fob
tub fall out an git dem new clozo spilet!"
"Tawm" submissiyely drew his offend
ing feet in and crouched painfully in the
wagon bed with his restless brothers and
sisters.
"Sam," being a wise mule and realizing
that it does not pay to hurry through life,
decreased his gait to a slouching walk, to
the deacon's great disgust.
ktNouy ia-) lab of dat ,,,nry,J ~ H. ov
claimed. "Yuh, Sam, whuffo yuh ack
dat away? Ain yuh go no 'ligion. Yuh's
a-gwine tub de house O. de Lawdp'
"Lemme gin dat newell uh cut wifi de
whup," suggested "Miss Smif," reaching
for the hickory switch.
The deacon regarded her reprovingly
over his "specs."
"Miss Sniff" he observed, chit 'peah
lax yuh dun disremembeh dat weeze
a-gwine tub de house O. de Lawd on de
Lawd's day"
miss Sniff" meekly subsidized, and her
husband again turned his attention to the
mule.
"Cum up heah!" he exclaimed, slapping
the animals prominent backbone with the
rope lines.
Sam promptly stopped short and appar-
emily became absorbed in deep thought.
The deacon clambered heavily from the
vehicle and seized the bit. He pulled to
the right and to the left, but Sans elastic
neck was the only portiorof his anatomy
which yielded to the deacon's efforts. The
deacon removed his hat and coat, which he
placed carefully in the wagon and began
again, but with no better result.
Miss Sniff he observed, hopping his
damp forehead with his red bandanna, 81
reckon de Lawd gwine fohgib dis heah Mig
guh eff he jes lamm dat mewel wunst.
Gimme dat whup!"
The deacon planted himself before Sam
and shook the whip under his nose.
"Yuh see dis heah whup?" he demanded.
Sam spread his hoofs wider apart, drop
ped his head and calmly awaited the blow.
"Git along dahl" exclaimed the deacon.
Swish! Down anne the whip and down
came Sam also-to an easy position In the
dust, where he prepared to endure what
might come with resignation beftting his
age.
just at this interesting juncture ap-
peared "Pawson'' Tolbert, the religious
leader of the community.
Dismounting from his lame sorrel horse,
he approached the scene of his parishion-
er's labors.
"Whuffo yuh w~aitinP" he inquired.
"Hit's mos time fob preachin. Remem-
This was the last straw.
go long an ten tub yuh bizness, mig.
guh!" exclaimed the deacon angrily.
The 'pawson" was somewhat surprised.
"Br'er Sniff" he responded solemnly,
"yuh's a-tawkin tub de 'sciple o. de
Lawd''-
"Hit Ion mex no diffunce who I'm
a-tawkin tuh!" snorted the deacon. "Jes'
yuh git on yuh ole bag O. bones an ten tub
de sabin O. souls an don yuh mix up en-
whit ain yuh bizness!"
The children giggled and scrubbed their
bare feet ecstatically across the splinters
Of the wagon bottom.
The ''pawson" was justly indignant.
Huh, nigguh!" he retorted, "dat boss
ez wuff mon uh duzzen O. dat lopsided,
no count, rambunkshus newell O. yuh'nV'
"Look uh heah, nigguh!' exclaimed
the deacon hotly, "ef yuh keep on annex
kin dem p~ussanaleous remawks yuh's
a-gwine git de hide wo' often yuh back wit
dis heah whup!'
This was more than the minister could
stand. He threw himself upon the deacon,
and together they rolled into the dust Of
the road.
Sam, startled out of his reverie by the
growls, grunts and dust of the conflict,
arose and wendell his way leisurely toward
the camp grounds, the fearful bowls from
the wagon serving to keep him awake.
The struggle was short, savage and
dusty, and in a few seconds the combat
ants rolled out Of the cloud of red dust,
over the edge of the embankment and
plunged into the shallow waters Of the
creek at it's foot.
"Who-o-oshl' gasped the deacon, blow
ing out a mouthful Of muddy creek water.
Dawson, hit 'peah tub me lax de debbel
dun riz outen de mewel an 'scended pom
de suhvants O. de Lawd!"
''Hit sho' do, Br'er Smif," agreed the
''pawson" shamefacedly, wringing the
water from his coattails. 'Jes' yuh git up
Anime me on NAH boss, an we'll go tub de
meetin an praise de Lawd fob libberin he
suhvants outen de han O. saten!'
"A-menP' said the deacon devoutly.-
H. s. Mariner in Louisville Courier
Journal.
Old Time Illuminations.
Lightning of every description, " said