The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-02-23
THE LEOP ARDS SPOTS
Continued from Page Fourteen)


de sun. I kin set dat pile err straw CIR fire
wild it,'
You mustn't set the church afre!"
warned Charlie.
Nav, chile, but / git up in de gallery
en- when ole Uncle Josh gins ter hoiler
en- bawl en- r'ar en- charge, ] fling DAT
blaze err light right on his bal haid en-
/ set him aire sho's YOU bawn"
Dick, wouldn't do it, said Charlie,
laughing in spite Of himself.
Charlie refused to accompany MN.
But Dicks mind was set on the necessity
OF this work Of reform So in the arser-
noon he slipped off without leave and
quietly made his way into the gallery
Of the Negro Baptist church.
The excitement was running nigh.
Uncle Josh had preached one sermon an
hour in length and had called up tho
niourners. At least fifty had come for
ward. The benches had been cleared for
FIVE rows back from the pulpit to give
plenty Of room for the mourners TO
crawl over the floor, walk back and
forth and shout when they came
through" and for their friends to fan
them.
This open place was covered with wheat
straw 10 Keep the ulUuAAOAS o1A SAC Pe'i y
floor, and afford some sort OF comfort
for those far advanced in mourning, who
vent into frances and sometimes lay mo-
tfonless for hours on their backs or fiat
on their faces.
The mourners had kicked and shuffled
this straw out to the edges and the floor
was bare. Uncle Josh had sent two
deacons out for more straw.
Tn Ha t,aaa irna re- yvac rs0rkfno him.
self up to another mighty climax OF ex-
hortation to move sinners to come for
ward.
Come on ter glory you pc, po sinners
en- flee ter de Lamb er God befo de flames
of hell swaller you whole At de last
great day de Sperit IL flash de light cr
his shinin' face on dis ole parch up sin-
full worr en- hit II ketch err fire In er
minute. an de yearth IL melt wild fur
Went heat Whar IL you be den pc
tremblin' sinner? Whar II you be when
de flame er de Sperit smites de moon and
de stars wild fire, en- dey gin ter drap
outen de sky en- knock big holes In de
burnin' yearth? Whar IL you be when
de rocks melt wild dat heat en- de sun
hide his face in de black smoke dat rise
fun de pitt"
Means and groans and sbrieks louder
and louder filled the air. Uncle Josh
paused moment and looked for his
deacons with the straw. They were Just
colsing up the steps with great armfu
oys their heads.
"Nhat's de matter wild you breddern:
Fetch on dat wheat straw! Here's desc
tremblin' souls gwine down inter de
flames err hell des fur de lax er wheat
straw"
The brethren hurried forward with the
wheat straw. and just as they reached
Uncle Josh, standing perspiring In the
midst of his grooming mourners, DICK
flashed from the gallery stream Oh
dazzling light on the old mans face and
held it steadily on his bald head. Josh
was too astonished to move at first. He
was simply paralysed with fear. 1t was
all right to talk about the flame OF the
Spirit. but he wasn't exactly ready to
run into 1t. Suddenly he clapped his
hama, on the top OF his head and sprang
stra. hit up in the nar yelling In a plain
ever lay profane voice.
Odd der mighty What's dat?
Tho brethren holding the straw saw 1t
and stood dumb with terror. The light
disappeared from Uncle Josh's head and
lit the straw In splendor on one of the
deacon's shoulders. Aunt Mary's voice
was heard above the mourners' din clear
shrill and soul piercing.
GLORY. Glory ter God! De flame err
de spirit! De Judgment day Vas Lawd,
Use here. Glory! Halleluyah!"
Suddenly the straw on the deacon's
back burst into flames and pandemonium
broke loose. A weak-mnded sinner
screamed:
r 2
de flames er He'll"
The mourners smelled the smoke ard
sprang from the floor with white staring
eyes. When they saw the fire and got
their bearings they made for the open
they Jumped on each others backs and
made for the door like madmen. Those
nearest the windows sprang through,
and when the lower part of the window
was damned, big buck negroes jumped
on the backs of the lower crowd and
plunged through the two upper sashes
with crash that added new terror to the
panic.
In two minutes the church was empty,
and the yard full of crazy. shouting ne
groes.
Dick stepped from the gallery into the
crowd as the last ones emerged, ran up
to the pulpit and stamped out the fire
III tue SLTdW Will his pare I6SL ne
locked around to see If they had left
anything valuable behind in the stampede,
and sauntered leisurely out OF the church.
Now dog gone 'em let 'em yell!' he
muttered to himself
When Uncle Josh sufficiently recovered
his senses to think. and saw the church
still standing with not even a Whit of
smoke to be seen, instead of the roaring
furnace he had expected, he was amazed.
He called his scattered deacons together
and they went cautiously back to investi-
gate
Hits no use in talkin' Bre'r Josh
dey sho wuz er fire." cried one OF the
deacons.
'Shos de Lawd's in heaben. l feel II
gittin' on my fingers 70 drap dat straw
said another.
"IIit smite me fust right on top Ell
my haid!' whispered Uncle Josh in awe
They cautiously approached the pulpit
and there in front of 1t lay the charret
fragments of the burned straw pile.
They gathered around it in awe-strucl
wonder One of them touched il with hi