The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1899-03-29
VOL. xxx.

the name OF ClOud-AarOn CiOuo-
visited the section, bought the great
mountain for perhaps a pony or a
shotgun and announced that be was
going to build hotel and a great
tower on the top of the mountain
and turn the place into a summer
resort for folks of fashion.
This all transpired, and our strange
old man soon saw his family depart
ing from their backwoods simplicities
and taking on the airs Of the fashion
able people who congregated at the
mountain. It was soon plain that
the dissipation and extravaganza &c
common at resorts of fashion was
sure to enter and communicate the
simplicities upon which our old
strange man so much dotted. As for
him, he never changed, save to grow
sorrowful over change he could not
stem.
Upon a certain Sabbath morning
the old man in returning from where
he had been sailing his cattle and
''gentliug'. his hogs, chanced to pass
near the little church at the foot OF
the mountain. He had no thought
of entering the church-he had
never entered. His pants were roll
ed up to his knees, for he had been
wadipg the streams, barefooted and
in his shit sleeves with his bow
basket on his arm. He was never
expected to meet the people at church
but suddenly our old man halts-he
is listening to the loud old preacher
and surely something has caught the
attention of tho old man. What
does the preacher say 1t must be
something very remarkable, for our
old friend wishes to catch the words
and draws nearer to the church, with
his hand to his ear. What does the
preacher say?
"By prayer, my brethren and Sis
ters, we can do anything-even
yonder mountain, brethren and Sis
ters, could be moved by prayer and
faith-faith, brethren, faith and
prayer, would scatter that great
mountain like chaf before the wind!"
Nothing on earth could have pleas
ed this strange old man so much as
to scatter this mountain. Scatter
the fashionable people and move the
hotel and the tower and never hear
of Cloud again. He liked these
words of the preacher-by prayer,
by faith and he whispered them as
he walked nearer to the church, even
to the door, and then inside.
Such commotion was never seen in
a country church before. His good
old wife clapped her hands and run
to meet him, and his children shouted
for JOY as they all hung upon him,
while the whole congregation shed
tears and went wild over the scene.
Such "big meeting" as grew out OF
the incident was never seen before
and many joined the church-the old
man joined.
The story is too long to give all
the details, but the old man became
a praying member of that church and
the burden # all his prayer was for
the Lord to move this mountain. A
storm came and blew away the hotel
and scattered the tower, and Aaron
Cloud returned to Grifin and from
there went to Florida and has never
been seen again. 10 time our strange
old man moved up into Habersham,
but he occasionally returns. as old as
he is, and smiles as the trains are
loaded with granite and throws up
bis hat when the dynamite booms
and scatters the rocks to the four
winds of heaven-"like chaff before
the wind" is moved this greatest OF
mountains, and I leave it to the
reader to say whether the old man
should be cured of his delusion or
live and rejoice over Gods mysteri.
Gus ways.
But no matter what has been, the
granite fields of DeKalb are greater
than gold mines and they have open
ed up again and give the greater
promise Of growing on to a fulfill
ment of the expectations of the grand
Scotchman who was first to see their
worth, but died before the time.
Sarge Plunkett.
7 have heen afflicted with rh euma,