Part 24 (1/2)

The grove wuz a large one, acres and acres of big trees on every side, and vehicles of every description from smart canopy top buggies, and Sarah's, and automobiles, down to one horse sulkies and rickety buck-boards, and horses of every size and color wuz hitched to 'em.

And on the fallen tree trunks sot wimmen and girls, young boys, children, and pairs of lovers wuz walkin' afoot amidst the deep green aisles. Way in the green depths of the woods you could see the glimpse of a woman's dress, or see the head of a horse lookin' out peaceful.

But we advanced a little furder as the road led out amongst the trees and pretty soon we come in sight of a large round tent where the meetin' wuz held, and from which we could hear the voice of hims and oratory, along on both sides of the immense tent, so's to leave a road between, wuz rows of small tents where the campers dwelt. They stretched on like two rows of white dwellings way off into the green of the woods. Josiah and I are well thought on in Jonesville, and as fur out as Loontown and Piller Pint, and a man soon advanced and gin us an advantageous position, and Josiah hitched the mair and we advanced into the amphitheatre.

The tent riz up like a big white umbrell, or like great broodin' wings overhead, leavin' the sides free for the soft air to enter. There wuz rows of seats, boards laid on wooden supports and on one side a high wooden structure, open towards the seats, in which the preachers sot or stood. A wooden railin' run along in front of that rough pulpit.

Under foot wuz the green moss and rich mold of the onbroken forest.

And way up over the white tent the tall tree tops arched, and you could look way up into the green aisles of light with glimpses of suns.h.i.+ne between, castin' shady shadows and golden ones on the gra.s.s and moss below.

Folks wuz settin' round of all sorts, some handsome, some humbly, some dressed up slick, some in rough common attire, but most on 'em looked like good st.u.r.dy farmers and their families. The old grand-ma of ninety with bent form and earnest face, side by side with her great grand-child.

I myself with Josiah sot down by a large boneded woman with a big, calm, good-lookin' face. She had on a dress and mantilly of faded black cashmere; the mantilly wuz wadded, a pink knit woolen scarf wuz wound loose round her neck, she had a small hat of black straw trimmed with red poppies, and she wore a pair of large hoop ear-rings. Her face had the calm and suns.h.i.+ne of perfect peace on it. Her husband, a small pepper-and-salt iron gray man, with sandy hair and a mult.i.tude of wrinkles, sot by her, and they had a young child elaborately dressed in red calico between 'em.

Beyond her sot a little slender woman in a stylish dark blue dress and turban, her face alert and eager, lit with deep gray eyes, had the pa.s.sion and zeal of a Luther or Wesley. On the nigh side of me sot two young girls in pink and white muslin; a father and mother and three children wuz behind us, and on the seat in front wuz some young men and two old ones. I hearn the big calm woman say, ”I shall be dretful disappinted if he don't come to-day.”

”So shall I,” sez the pepper-and-salt man, ”I shall feel like turnin'

right round and goin' back home, but I think he is sure to be here.”

Bein' temporary neighbors I asked who it wuz that wuz expected.

”Why, the great revivalist and preacher who is expected here to-day.”

Sez I, ”Who is it?” The woman said she couldn't remember the name, but he wuz the greatest preacher sence Wesley. He jest went about doin'

good, folks would go milds and milds to hear him, and he drawed their souls and sperits right along with his fervor and eloquence. He is to a big meetin' at Burr's Mills to-day, but is expected here for sure.

Two hundred had been converted under him at Burr's Mills. He had been there a week.

I sez, ”Whyee! is that so?”

”Yes,” sez the calm woman, and she went on to say, ”I hear that he used to be a wicked man, but had some trouble that made him desperate, and finally driv him right into the Kingdom, and sence that he can't seem to work hard enough for the Master.”

”Well,” sez I, ”Saul the scoffer got turned into Paul the apostle, and that same power is here to-day.”

”Speakin' of the power,” sez the woman, ”two wimmen and a man had the power last night, one girl lay speechless for hours, and when she come to said she had been ketched right up into Heaven. She talked beautiful,” sez she.

Sez I calmly, ”That's jest what Paul said, he said he wuz caught up to the Third Heaven.”

Sez Josiah, ”That power don't come to earth to-day, Samantha.”

Sez I, ”Who told you it didn't? I hain't hearn on't. Earth hain't no furder from Heaven now than it wuz then, and the same G.o.d reigns.”

”Amen,” sez the pepper-and-salt man, I see he had zeal and religion, but I felt kinder fl.u.s.trated to be ”amened” to in public, and I looked kinder meachin' I spoze, and the calm woman see I did. And she sez:

”Sister Calvin Martin lays there now in her tent with the Power. She lay there all day yesterday and all night.”

Some of the boys before me begun to t.i.tter and snicker at anybody's havin' the power, and I sez, eyein' 'em sternly, ”Do you know what you're laughin' at, young men? You talk about it real glib, but have you any idee of the greatness and overwhelmin' might of the Force you're speakin' of? That Power wuz at Pentecost in cloven tongues of flame, and strange voices and words that no man could utter. Saul laughed at the Power but it struck him blind in the street, and ketched him up into the Seventh Heaven. When that Power comes down on earth, let sinners quail, and saints look on with or and tremblin'.”

They looked real meachin'. But jest then the Experience meetin' begun, and a old man with thin white hair and white whiskers framin' his meek wrinkled face, come forward, and layin' his hand on the railin' sez in a kinder tremblin' voice, ”Bless the Lord who has made His servant able to come to this temple in the wilderness, to witness the glory He has poured down on his people. Every camp-meetin' for years I have thought would be my last, but bless Him who has preserved me to this day.”

”Yes, bless the Lord! Amen! amen!” wuz shouted on every side, and as he stopped after a few minutes' exhortation, the other ministers and some of the old bretheren crowded round the white headed old saint to shake his hand.

Then a sweet faced little girl in a pink hat got up and said ”the Lord wuz precious to her.”