The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-07-24
aboyeboard. But every now and then

they wasn't noticing. but they was.
Along toward dusk we takes walk.
They was a good sized crick at the
edge Of that little place and on it an
old fashioned worter mill. Above the
mill a little piece was bridge. We
crossed 1t and walked along road that
followed the crick bank fur quite
spell.
They was considerable woods stand
ing along the crick, and around turn
in the road we come onto Sam all Of
sudden talking with another niger.
Sam was jest a-laying it off to that
niger, but he kind of hushed as we
little piece was a good sized wooden
building that never had been painted
and looked like it was a big barn.
Without knowing it the doctor and me
had been printing ourselves right to-
ward Big Bethel.
The niger with Sam he yels out
when he sees us:
GLORY be! Hyah dey comes! Hyah
dey comes now"
And he throwed up his arms and
started on lope up the road toward
the church, singing out every ten or
fifteen yards. A little knot Of niggers
come out in front Of the church when
they hearn him coming.
Sam. he stood his ground and waited
fur us to come up to him kind Of apol
ogetic and sneaking looking about
something or other.
"What kind Of lies have you been
telling these niggers, Sam?" says the
doctor. very sharp and short and mad
like.
II dunno how come dey get all dem
niger notions in dey fool haid." Sam
says. "but dey all waitin' dar inside de
de mos pra'rful ones O de Big Bethel
cong'gation been dar TO- de las houah
a-waitin' an a-watchin'. spite O de
fac dat reg'lah meetin' amt gwine
ter be called twell arter supper. De
bishop he dar too"
We seen little knot of them down
the road there in front of the church
gathering around the niger that had
been with Sam. They all starts to-
ward US. But one man steps out in
front of them all and turns toward
them and holds his hands up and
waves them back. They all stops In
their tracks.
Then he turns his face toward us
and comes slow and sollum down the
road in our direction. walking with
cane and moving very dignified. He
was couple Of hundred yards away.
But as he come closeter we gradual
" seen him palmer and palmer He
was big man and stout and dressed
very neat in the same kind of rig as
white bishops wear, with one Of these
white collars that buttons in the back.
He stops, the bishop does, about ten
yards from us and looks us over.
"Ah yo' de gentleman known ter dis
hyah sinful genehation by de style an
de entitemint o. Docto' Hahtley Kir-
by?" he asts the doctor, very ceremoni-
Gus and grand.
The doctor give him a look that
wasn't very encouraging. but he nod
ded to him.
"Will yo' dismiss 20 sehvant in or
deb dat we kin hol' convehse an CON-
munion in de midst er privacy"
The doctor be mods to Sam, and Sam
moseys along toward the church.
Now, then" says the doctor. sud
den and sharp, take of your hat and
tell me what you want
The bishops hand goes up to his
head with a jerk before he thought
Then it stops there, while him and the
doctor looks at each other. The bish-
ops mouth opens like he was wonder
ing, but he slowly pulls his hat of and
stands there bareheaded in the road.
But he wasn't really humble. that
bishop.
"Now," says the doctor. tell me in
as straight talk as you've got what all
this ID foolishness among you mig
gers means"
A queer kind Of look passed over
the bishops face. He hadn't expected
to be met jest that way, mebby.
Whether be himself had really believed
in the coming of that there new Mes
siah he had been predicting l never
could settle in my mind.
DE wohd has gone foth among he
fai'ful an de puah in heaht.' he says.
dat err man has come accredited wi
signs an wi mahvels an de poweh o
de sperrit TO- to lay his ham on de sons
O. Ham an ter make 'em des de same
in colluh as de yuther sons Of ca thu
"Then that word is lie," says the
doctor. II did come here to try out
some stuff to change the color Of negro
skins. That's all. Is that all you want
to know"
The bishop hens and haws and I'D
dies with his stick, and then he says:
"Suh. will dish yeah prepa shun sho'ly
do de wohk?"
DR.. Kirby tells him it will do the
work all right.
And then the bishop, after beating
around the bush some more, comes out
with his idea. Whether he expected
there would be any Messiah come or