The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1904-02-26

nan, nSr Dem n lSnunt Oae ElBRer WnaS
amt never had no book larnin'-but
many and many's de time when I was
a-bendin' over de cook stove or de wash
tub, I'd say '.1ll dss was dis like I'd wash
my Lawd's robe If he was on earth
again." or "Ill cook dis like I'd cook it eff
my Lawd was to come to ole Hannah, po'
an friendless an ask her for somethin'
to eat"
Oats de way my mind run on, an all
de time de peace come a-stealin' on my
soul. and 1 heard de wash Of de dark riv-
er an de cold waves reach almost up to
my feet. Den all of a sudden 1t seem
like a star begin to tremble in de sky, an
de wash Of de river get far off, stead Of
near, and a voice cry out, Hannah an
l answer, Yes, Lawd,' for 1 know who
was calm me, an de voice say: mas
much as thou hast done It unto the least
of these, thou hast done 1t unto me- an
den / knowed I lone got my call at last"
and the old woman put her thin, hard old
hands before her face while the happy
tears ran down her furrowed, black
cheeks.
When Sis Hannah was admitted into
the church 1t was an event of most I'M
usual solemnity and Importance. Brer
jenkins fairly "wrastled with the sper-
rit," as he declared, and Sis Hannah gave
In her experience to a hushed and breath
less audience. The main event of the day,
Ho"eFel, Was tue DdplISm WnlCn was to
take place in a n~eighboring river, for no
matter 10 what particular creed they be-
longed, immersion is almost universally
| practiced by the negroes.
NOW Sis Hannah was q woman OF i'm
monse stature and weight, while Brer
Jenkins was an exceedingly small and
withered old man. and when Mrs. Ora
ham, who was Sis Hannah's white
folks and bound to her by a thousand
ties of love and association, thought Of
the bapttZing she was filled with apprc-
hension, for just beyond the ford where
the immersion was to take place, the bot
tom Of the river shelved sharply and
there was a dangerous eddy. 1t was in
vain, though. that she sent for Brer Jen-
kins and argued with him concerning. the
significance of spiritual baptism, and sug-
gested sprlnlkling as a substitute.
"Yassum, I knows dat de white Metho-
dists sprlnkles," he replied, IAN 1 specks
hits jest as good for dem. but you see we
cullud folks amt, like white folks. We
can't read much, an we can't argify, an
we can't prove nothing from de original
Greek, kase we don't know no original
Greek, so we jest has to go by what do
bible says, an OATS de reason we i'm
merse."
Mrs. Graham was not satisfied, but she
knew herself to be helpless in the matter.
Nevertheless, she determined to prevent
the catastrophe of SIS Hannah drowning
If she could. Packed away. in an old
trunk waa a life preserver tina some
timid member of the family had bought
as a necessary adjunct Of an ocean voy-
age. To have explained its use would
have been worse thar useless, but when
Sis Hannah dressed for the ceremonial,
Mrs. Graham induced her to put 1t on. I'M
der her dress, where it scarcely served to
accentuate her ample proportions.
tl -I-uI A. $500 :,
already formed when Sis hannah arrived
and was placed at its head. It was an IN
spring and picturesque sight. Two and
two, the congregation walked through the
green fields, the men clad in decent
black, the women a bizarre mingling Of
reds and blues and green's. On and on
they marched until they came to the river
bank, where the preacher and a deacon
waded out into the stream, carefully
sounding the depth of the shelving rock
bottom. The crowd darkened the steep
bank, the converts, standing in a thin
line along the edge Of the water. Present.
ly a deep voice broke the stiffness:
| promised the Lord I'd be baptized,
I promised the Lord Id be baptized,
I'd be baptized, I'd be baptized,
I promised the Lord I'd be baptized,
Religion Is SO sweet.
The chorus sWelled, and sWelled. ana
died away on the sweet summer air. The
deacon led into the, water the first candi-
date for baptism, and the infinitely SOL
emn ceremonial OF burying in water was
performed in silence that broke into
prayers and shouts as the converts
friends received him into their arms.
AT last came Sis Hannah. With rev.
erent, bowed head she stood waist deep in
the water. Brer Jenkins raised his hand
to heaven and pronounced the invoca-
ton. when suddenly Sis Hannar swayed
a little backward. and a terrible accident
ensued. Unconsciously they had gotten
too near to the edge Of the shelf Of rock,
n were swept by the current into the
eddy below. In an instant the scene was
one Of wild confusion. The preacher and
the deacon were struggling in the water,
fighting for dear life, as they were sucked
down into the yellow vortex, sometimes
almost within reach of those on the bank,
again swept round and round in the whirl-
pool.
But Sis Hannah, serene and calm, was
floating like q feather on the waves, and
when at last a rope was flung to her and
she was pulled ashore she had not sufa
fered the slightest injury.
Hit was nothin' on earth out faith that
kept Sis Hannah, an she weighing nigh
onto $50. from drownin' in dat eddy, for
she can't swim a lick" cried a beholder.
"Hit was a merracle," declared another,
and that way 1t has passed into history.
Mrs. Graham says nothing. She has
never even told Sis Hannah.