The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-03-08

air good company fer yo, son. They'll steady yo' many time when yo' can't steady yoself eff yo' jest look at 'em right" The inebriate young preacher felt tn e sympathy in the old mans council so poignantly that he cou not restrain a sob.
 "Now don't yo' go ter u,ttin' moved!" exclaimed Pappy anxiousiy. T know all erbout ev'rything. I were a drink in man onst merself. Bet arfter tn war, I wandered off up here an hit seemed ter me like I'd found tn very mind of God. Everything were so natcheral an fearless an quiet, hit rested me. I don't know ez I kin ex plain, bet I got ter feelin' kin ter them hills. Mer heart took on tn greenness of tn valley an mer speret have got so free hit jest natchelly de- fies damnation. I haint never been so ez I could quit cussin', bet I kin tell right from wrong afur off. An no man ner doctrine kin come betwixt me an mer sight erlong them lines."
 Cleghorn listened with deep emotion, and rightly interpreting his melan- choly silence. Pappy continued:
 "Yo' don't hev ter say nothin', ner promise anything, ner even hope yit. All yo' gotter do is ter trust me an Marthy IermOrrer, ne went on, cHdnSlnS tne subject adroitly, q am ter cut tn wheat yo' see lollin' so waller down thar in tn moonlight, an yo' can foller tn cradle ter bind Hit won't come handy at fust, bet yo'll git use ter hit, an afore tn surc- mer' 8 over hope ter prove thet whatever preachers say work air tn main part of tn plan of salvation, 'cordm ter mater. An while mater hain't much of CT theolo- gian, ain't never knowd her ter slip yot .ie,tI1 ar HDr diappint CT man by growth tares whar he sowed wheat! What yet gotter keep in mind is thet mater air dead game erbout bein' logical. She hain't no ermagination an no sentiment, bet she always does tn squar thing, whether hits accordin' ter Scripter CT not!'
 This was really the beginning of an ex- pertinent which Pappy Corn made at re- claiming sinners, and which sheds much light upon the difficult business.
 Claighorn never forgot the first day of the redemptive process in the wheat field Before he had followed the cradle binding sheaves two hours he craved stimulant more than he did the restoration of any virtue. His arms ached, his shirt chung to his shoulders, drenched With persplra- tion and from time to time he regarded Pappy with sullen rage. The latter stepped brislxly down the wide swarth, swinging his cradle rhythmically and looking like an ancient beetle doing minuet on It's hind legs Claghorn hated him for his cheerfulness, but at the moment when he felt he could endure this strain no longer the old man paused, whetted his scythe, and remarked interpretatively:
 "Yo' air feelin' cantankerous, reckon, by now, an wantin' CT drink. Yoll be thet way off an on, bet when tn cravin comes yo jest go down thar to tn spring branch at tn bottom of tn field an help yo'rself Thet kind of liquor don't harm nobody Yo' can drink till yo' mighty nigh bust yo' bser an hitll jest make yo' sweat more, which air good fer yo l told them Pharisees at Blue Ridge thet | aimed ter sweat tn devilmint outen yo', an tn more water yo' drinks tn faster we'll get erlong."
 During the summer which followed Cleghorn often availed himself Of this in- vitation to the spring branch. lie plis- tered, hardened, toughened, but there was no day when he did not do the requisite amount of what Pappy called moral sweatin'." Once in fodder pulling" time, he had fainted between the corn rows, only to find his mentor bending over him when he returned to consciousness With this inhumane comment;
 "Yo' hain't sweatin' enough, young man! Thets how come yo'r liver ter fling yo,. Jest lay thar under yor hat till yor head quits swimmn' an then light inter work CT leetle harder
 Again, when he had his first day cutting trees in the mountain forest. Pappy, ob- serving his exhaustion, remarked
 .'Yor tired. son, bet one thing CT men hey gotter learn in this blamed world Is thet he can't quit when he's tired on- less he hey finished tn job. Hits i'm moral ter shirk. Thet's what them church ninnies done when they trapped yo'. They didn't hey tn speret ter do ther plain duty by yo'.
 And what was their plain duty?" de- manded Cleghorn, who was by nature