The Penn's Grove record., 1923-10-12


religion when eye got old.
Then he asked me if eye thaught that
ide be emma nearer reddy then than eye
was now an told me not to be deceivd
for feller had to reap just what he
sowed. Then eye sed as how He had
sum members in His church what
cheated and lied an eye was just as
good as they were an better an If they
went to the better land eye didn't want
to as eye couldn't stand their miserable
cheating ways.
Then the teecher sed as how He was
sorry an hated to admit they had emma
such fellers as members but they
couldn't help it very well as they wernt
to Judge god an evil in others.
Then He asked me if eye hadn't just
as sune spend a few days in the same
church with them here as to spend
eternity with them in Hades as eye
surely wood if eye didn't repent of my
sins. Eye told him as how eye pade
my honest debts an used my neighbors
square an he told me that just made
god moral man out of me an that eye
was ded in trespases an sin for all had
sind an come short of the glory of God.
Well eye didn't have emma more to
say so eye didn't say emma thing but
just set an stared at the verses on the
wall. In little while Sunda skule
was over an the preecher took charge
an sed as how weed sing number one
hundred and forty. Afterdeafin the
song book for a spell eye found the
rite number an it was the ninety and
nine" The hui congregashun sung it
thru.
Then the preecher red his text which
wus somethn about a feller havin an
hundred sheep an one didn't come home
with the rest.
Eye seed as the text an the song
were about the same sheep which had
gone astra an the shepherd went out
an found it an fetched it back safe.
Well eve didn't get much of what the
preecher sed but the words of the song
KEEP rungin in my ears till eye could
most see the anxious look on the shep-
herds face as he counted the sheep over
and over agin.
He couldn't count only ninety nine
teher then he looked more anxious
than ever as he looked at the steep
mountain pass all covered with thorns
an briars an strewd with rocks an eye
could most see the tired keeper shake
His he'd as He looked at the flashes of
lightnn an herd the rore of the storm.
Then a look of determinashun came
into the shepherds face as he begun to
try the steep pas an send out longin
call into thee face of the storm tost
bushes around Him.
Eye could most see the poor sheep Is
it run nhere an there blinded by light
min an tryin in vane to find a hidein
place from the wolf pack that was
getin closer an closer an just as they
were about to devour the poor lost
sheep out of the storm an the briars
with his hands all tron and bleedin
rushed the shepherd an grabbed it up
in his arms an carried it back safe to
the fold.
,Ixy,,,
about the song some thin inside me
kept sain your the one, your the one,
your the one that's lost out there in the
mite
Then another voice came to me from
some where outside which showed the
gay crowd an all the pleasures they
were havin an sed as how eye was
tired an headed rest an pleasure an to
come on an git my share of it while
eye was young.
Eye most started to go an then there
flashed across my mind a pictur ide
seed some place of three crosses an on
the middle one hung a man with His
hands and feet nailed fast an the
pictur an one of the verses seemed to
blend in one most like He was a sayin
to me, Come unto me all we that labor
and I will give you rest.
This is your place ime in. Eye did
u.
but eye hated to be tied down to re-
1igion. Eye wanted to have good
time an besides eye had plenty of
time to get religion some other time
any how. Then one other verse came
to my mind. 1t sed, Seek ye the Lord
while He may be found call ye up on
him while he is near.
Then the other voice was a sayin you
kant do it Bill you kant do it. Folks
will
crowd on the out side, come on you
wont hold out weak If you try it.
Besides just think of all the mean
things you have dun.
Then He made me see all my past
misdoins an it most spast me an then
the blood staind man on the cross
seemed to say, I come not to call the
righteousness but sinners to repent.
An then to my whirlin brain came
another verse what red, Though your
sins be as scarlet they shall be as white
as snow though they be red like
crimson they shall be as woil.
Still another what sed When my
father and mother forsake me then
will the Lord take me up.
Eye seemed to see that if I got so
low down that my Father and Mother
went away and left me yet eye wasn't
so low down but what Heed come an
Thus it went on just most like an
auction sale just like eye was
standin in on block and the two
voices a bidin on me an one or the
other bound to get me.
Then the folks begun to sing just as
eye am without one plea. When they
got to the place where it sed, Just as
eye am poor wretched blind it sudden
ly came to me that it was me out there
lost in the mite.
1t was me instead of the sheep that
was out there a lokin for shelter
from the storm and a refuge from the
wolves 1t was me out there clingin
to the bushes at the very ageof the
bottomless gulf with the sanda slipen
from under my feet an eye most cried
cried out like the jailor did, What must
| do to be saved.
Instead of misin all the fun an joy
of life i've just found the startin place
of it so eye say hurrah for the institu-
shun what spends it time hunting the
hiways an hedges an scrap piles of life
for jewels.
Well Mr. Editor. lie haft to close an
Supda sI<ule an hope this