The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-08-28


come to them. And this is the way
he did it. He said:
"Once | had a little lamb sheep
that did't have any mother. for the
dogs killed every sheep L had but that
little lamb--ah. SO me and my wife
and Jane, that's my darter, and the
only child I've got, We took that little
lamb into the house-ah, as one of
the family, as it were, and we fed it
and nursed it; and it wasn't long be-
fore it begun to show its keeping, and
frisk about the house just the same
as our little Jane did; and it wasn't
long before it got to be nifty mis-
cheeve-ous, cutting up all sorts of
pranks and doing funny things, just
like it was q sho-nuff little child-ah.
| One day, when it had got to be q great
| big sheep, my wife had company
| Brother Zachariah Wilkins and his
whole family, which was ten in all
| Che and his wife and eight children) :;
and that day my wife put the big pot
| in the little one, as the saying is, and
got a nifty fine dinner. And as there
| were thirteen to eat at one time, we
| heightened out the table by taking
the barn door and propping it up on
forks driv in the ground, for, as it
was warm weather we set the table
| out in the yard-ah; for my text says:
l
"All the time my wife ana Sister
| Wilkins were fixin' the dinner, me and
| Brother Wilkins were talking about
! things in ginral and the elect in per-
/ ticler, and the nine children and the
/ little Mamie sheep was a playing, a
( hopping, and a skipping and run
| ming and jumping, ali around the
! yard-the children a laughing and a
screaming and the little lamb bleat-
| ing-ah. Me and Brother Wilkins
was getting nifty hongry and we was
! watching the women as they went
and come, hoping they'd soon call us.
L seed my wife bring out the dish of
cabbage and the Irish potatoes, and
Sister Wilkins come rite after her
| with the big chicken pie and some
thing else: and here thew went back
ards and ards bringing out and
fixing. and purity soon my wife called
the children and they come a run
ming like chickens to the coop when
they are called to be fed--ah. Here
they come, nine children and the
lamb-ah, and me and Brother Will
kins was a'coming from the other
way-ah for my text says, my sheep
know my voice-ah. And my brethren
what do you think? That lamb. which
had got to be a great big lamb. come
running with the children and jumped
up on the table and turned it over,
and broke nifty nigh ev-ry dish, and
ev-ry plate, and messed up one of
the best dinners that was ever cook
ed on the banks of the Nantahala
river before or since the fiood-ah.
My wife ris RICH up and said:
/ "Micajah, that sleeps got to go out
| of this ward-and it's got to stay out
: l knowed she meant it; so me and
Brother Wilkins and the children
driv it out, just like the angel driv
Adam and Eve outn the Garden of
Eden, and by that time my Wife and
Sister Wilkins had sorter righted up
the table and we all sot down and
Brother Wilkins asked the blessing,
4 but it was a nifty poor dinner to say
have been-ah.
1 After Brother Wilkins and Sister
| Wilkins and their eight children left,
and there was nobody there but little
Jane. it looked nifty lonesome, and
we begun to miss the lamb that was
! always SO frisky, and my wife began to
be nifty sorry for the little thing, and
wanted it brung back, for, she said
il wasn't the lambs fault no how, but
it all happened just because she had
thirteen people to eat and had put
thirteen plates on the table, which
she says, will Always bring bad luck -
ali. So, my brethren she went to the
gate for half an hour she cried, Man
ME- o Mamie ?" but Mamie didn't
answer Then she came back to the
house and sent Jane to the gate to
call, as Jane was Nannie'S playmate.
So she went out there and climbed
on top of the gate post and cried:
Mamie @ Nannie!" until she got
rite hoarse, but Mamie didn't answer
Then, my beloved brethren, | being
/ the shepherd of the flock. l Went OFT
l. ~
voice, l cried out: Mamie, Q Nan
mel" and Mamie said b-a-a-h!' for
my text says, my sheep know my
Voice-ahi
The point was made: Brother Haw-
kins had proved by his parable that
the fraternal messenger was wolf
in sleeps clothing and that he was
the true shepherd. That was sixty
years ago.
A Methodist preacher came on the
Raleigh circuit away back in those
days, who had good religion, l sup
pose, and was virtually a very smart
man; but, he was badly deficient in
education. / heard him tell his au-
dience that "John Wesley was edi-
Gated" at oxford, and that was in
Granville county. He learned better
after awhile and became a very &C
ceptable preacher.
Another preacher of another de-
nomination, thus enlightened his au-
dience on one occasion
! MY brethren said he, there's
some people who call themselves
preachers who amt got sense enough
to bell a goose, much less preach the
gospel They go round telling folks
they must be converted, when it's as
plain as daylight there amt no such
thing. l tell you how it is, my
brethren. Every mans got a load OF
MS to git clear of, for he can't go
to heaven with a pack on his back.
But this is the way it's done: Our sins
are like a bag of sand on our backs.
But we can't get clear of the bag. The
gospel punches hole in that bag and
as we walk along. the sins, like sand,
leak out, and leak out and leak out
twill bime-by it's all leaked out and
then the sinner goes down into the
water and he and the bag are both
washed and then my beloved brethren
the old bag gets to be a white gar
ment, and he's ready for the king
/ DOM.
I hope, that as the wears go by, we
will go on in the getting and using of
common sense and in the better
understanding of the Sermon on the
Mount until the world shall have fully
learned that the gospel of Jesus is