The Washington times., 1915-09-01
Always Be
Sure That
You Start
Even If You Never Arrive at
/. Your Destination It's Al
ways We'll to Begin
(: Journey.
By w1N1FRED BLACK.


(copyr,sht,. 1915. Newspaper Feature service).
H, sinner, does you hear dat
Oh, sinner, does you listen?
The wild chant rose in mel
Ancholy minor as savage and primitive
Is the beat Of a tom-tom.
!. The summer cottagers sat on their
verandas and listened-most Of them
svith laughter. some with sneers. ana
one or two with a certain uneasiness
OF body that betokened mental d!stur-
: The darkies were holding camp meet
ing out in the grove. The moon rose
belated from clump OF dark trees on
the melancholy horizon--the frogs IN the
swamp sang dolefully and the night
wind rose and fell.
. "Oh. sinner, does you hear dat call;
-~"Oh, sinner. does you hearken?'
There was a sudden slamming Of doors
"a rustling of starched petticoats,
ecuffle Of slow feet, and around the cor
ner of the house came Melindy. tne te
cook-all in her best go-to-meeting
.starched and stiff and snowy clean,
the clothes. Black. and shining ana
weighing two hundred pounds.Mel,ndy, N IN GSe
To her. saunter.ng up the path came
the Brown Girl, Slim Sally as they
called her In the kitchen.
He Saw Her Start.
The Brown Girl was in white. too
slimpy. sleezy. shthery white-with
big yellow sash. and hat with yellow
roses on her kinky head.
La Aunt Melindy" said Slim' Sally,
"you all amt gwine to git to no preach
in tonight; de meetin' bout over"
Melindy drew herself to her full
tSnt.,. , ho r,.o-r,,;,. 'hou+ mo and
my doin's, Slim Sally" said MelindN i
may be late to de meein'. but de Lawd
done see me start"
t"Hiyah." laughed Slim Sally. hicking
With the yellow roses on It from her
head and bowed in mock humility.
''step aside and let de friend of de big
folks pass" ,os
"oh, sinner, does you hear dat call;
"Oh. sinner. does you listen?"-the
melancholy minor rose and fell, some
feet. the doors of the rude church flung
open and they trooped out into the
nlght-"Oh. sinner. does you listen!
Melindy was too late to the meeting.
but as she said; believe 1t was true'
the Lord saw her start.
Il wonder II that didn't do little
something toward making 1t all right
for Melindy-somewhere?
TOO late 1OT the fIleelliiS' ilo" i.'ohS
OF us there are, who are apt to be?
! know little woman who's always
too late for every meeting.
Those Who Are Late.
They criticise her for 1t some OF the
officers of the meeting.
They say It 'Gisturbs them to have
her come rustling in just at the wrong
time and they're annoyed about her
hatr and they don't like the looks OF
her frock Oh, yes. they like her; she
means we'll. they all say. but really
! Still somehow. when I think of all tho
things the little woman does before she
iStarts to the .meeting.. / wonder that
she gets there at all.
, know a man who hasn't arrived In
time for the, nlceting-the great meet
ing where the successful men gather
md tell one another how they did It,.
He tried to he a successful man. lie
worked hard and he worked LONG, but
somehow he never got started quite in
fime. Poor brother. l wonder If tn.
Lord saw him. start, and remembered
It Of him. -
time to sing or In time TO to as listen st,r, OF
Sim Sally was there all the time.
and never there at all. really.
She sat in the back Of the church
and beat time to the wild chant with
a dip and swing of her 81 i'm young
body. but all the time her. heart was
nolia trees and her mind was on the
yellow roses in her new hat. and her
soul-I don't believe Slim Sally has ever
really found her soul yet.
:, Don't yor worry. Melindy.. the Lord
certainly did sec you start"