Manchester Democrat., 1910-04-27
t~cHAprEE,1R i

CHATTER L. x.,s
The revival in Paradise Valley. cons
Quoted, by the Revcrnpd sSilas Crafts.
OF South Tredegar. wast!h the middle
of It's second week, and the field-to
use Brother Crafts own word-was
white to the harvest
Little Zoar. the square. weather.
tinged wooden church at the head OF
the valley. built upon land donated 70
the denomination In times long past
by an impenitent but generous Major
gDabney, stood little way back from
the pike In grove Of young pines,
BY half past six Of the June evening
the revivalists congregation had begun
to assemble. n &
Those who came fasthest We're first
on the ground; and BY the time to-
year-old Thomas JEFFERSON. spatting
.barefooted up the dusty pike. had
reached the church house with the key.
there was goodly sprinkling OF un-
hitched teams in the grove, the horses
champing their feed noisily In the .wag-
n-boxes, and the people gathering in
little neighborhood knots to discuss
gravely the one topic uppermost IN all
sminds-the present outpouring Of grace
on Paradise Valley and the region
roundabout -
.D'ye reckon the Eldetsll make II this
time with his brother nj -law ?.''i asked "a
tall, flat-chested mountatneer from the
Pine Knob uplands. 4
Samantha Parkins, she allows that
Caleb has done sinned away his day
o. grace" said another Pine Knobber.
.'but amt goin' that far, Caleb's a
sight like the iron he makes III that
old furnace O. his'n-honest and even
grained. and just as good for plow-
points and the like as It is for soap
kittles. But hot r cold. it's Just the
same We cayn't change hit, and We
cayn't change him." 81 13s n,
That's about right" said third.
'Tt looks to me like Caleb done sot his
stakes where he's goin. to run the fur
row. II livin' dozen years and mo-
with such sancterfied woman an Mar
tina Gordon won't make out No toll Il
man up to the pearly gates. Isallow
the amt no preacher soinI to do it..'
We'll. now: maybe that's the, rea-
son." drawled Japheth Pettigrass. the
only unmarried man in the small cir
Gle of listeners; but he was promptly
put down by the tall mountaineer.
Hold on thar. Japhe Pettigrass! I
allow tn amt no dyed -in- the wool
hawss- trader like you goin' to stand
4up and say anything ag,inst Marthy
Gordon while I'm a-listenin'. I'm rec-
ollectin' right now the time when sh..
sot up day and night for more N a
week with my Malviny.''
Thomas Jefferson had opened !, this
church house doors and windows and
was out among the unhitched teams
looking for Scrap Pendry, who had
been one of score to go forward for
prayers the night before So II hap
pened that he overheard the fiat chest
ed mountaineer's tribute to his moth
er. It warmed him generously; but
there was boyish ,scowl for Japhetii
Pettigrass. What had the horse- trader
been saying to make 1t needful for. Bill
Layne to speak up as his mothers de-
fender? Thomas Jefferson recorded a
black mark against Pettigrass. name.
and went on to search for Scrap.
What you hiding for?" he demand
ed. when the newlS-made convert was
discovered skullxing In the .dusky shad- :
ows of the pines beyond the farthest
outlying wagon.
Il amt hidin'." was the halt-defianr
answer. <.
Come on out where the folks are,
urged Thomas Jefferson. "Sim Can
trell and the other fellows are allowin'
you're afeard."s
Il amt afeard." denied the convert.
mo; but you're sort o. 'shamed, and
that's about the same thing. Nreckon.
Come on out; I'll go long with Iyou.,''
Then spake the new born love in thu.
heart Of the big, rough, country boy,
Il caynit understand how you can Hold
out, Tom-Jeff. I've cobe thoo', praise
the Lord! but I Jest natchelly got TO
have stars for my crown. You say
you'll go long with me, Tom JEFF: say
It ag'in. and mean t..
It was admitted on all sides thai
Brother Crafts was a powerful preach
er, Other men had wrestled nightly
in 3zcar. but none to such heart -shak-
Ing purpose. When he expatiated 5n
the tneffable glories OF Heaven and
the Joys Of the redeemed. which was
not too often, the reflection of the ce-
lestial effulgences could be seen rip
ping like sunshine on the sea OF faces
spreading away from the shore of the
pulpit steps. When he spoke of hell
and ita terrors, which was frequently
and with thrilling descriptive, oven so
hardened a scofter as Japheth Pettf-
grass was wont to declare that you
could hear the cracking of the fam IS
and the cries OF the doomed.
The hush that remained unbroken till
he announced his text in voice that
rang like, an alarm bell pealed in the
dead of night There are voices and
voices, but only now and then ons
which ia pitched in the key OF the
sphcral hnrnofiies. When tho Rever-
end Silas hurled out the Baptists
words. Repent ye: for the kingdom Of
heaven is at hand! the responsive thrill
from the packed benches was like the
ssysnpathetic vibration Of harpstrings
answering a trumpet blast.
He passed from pleading to denun-
ciauon. The setting Of The Great