Samantha at Coney Island, and a Thousand Other IslandsHolley, Marietta
General
Samantha at Coney Island, and a Thousand Other Islands
Holley, Marietta
Coney Island (New York, N.Y.) -- Fiction
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 God reigns."
"Amen," sez the pepper-and-salt man, I see he had zeal and religion,
but I felt kinder flustrated 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 titter 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.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account