In the meantime he was working himself up to another mighty climax of
exhortation to move sinners to come forward.
“Come on ter glory you po, po sinners, en flee ter de Lamb er God befo
de flames er hell swaller you whole! At de last great day de Sperit
’ll flash de light er his shinin’ face on dis ole parch up sinful
worl’, en hit ’ll ketch er fire in er minute, an de yearth ’ll melt
wid furvient heat! Whar ’ll you be den po tremblin’ sinner? Whar ’ll
you be when de flame er de Sperit smites de moon and de stars wid
fire, en dey gin ter drap outen de sky en knock big holes in de burnin’
yearth? Whar ’ll you be when de rocks melt wid dat heat, en de sun
hide his face in de black smoke dat rise fum de pit?”
Moans and groans and shrieks, louder and louder filled the air. Uncle
Josh paused a moment and looked for his deacons with the straw. They
were just coming up the steps with a great armful over their heads.
“What’s de matter wid you breddern! Fetch on dat wheat straw! Here’s
dese tremblin’ souls gwine down inter de flames er hell des fur de lak
er wheat straw!”
The brethren hurried forward with the wheat straw, and just as they
reached Uncle Josh standing perspiring in the midst of his groaning
mourners, Dick flashed from the gallery a stream of dazzling light on
the old man’s face and held it steadily on his bald head. Josh was too
astonished to move at first. He was simply paralysed with fear. It was
all right to talk about the flame of the Spirit, but he wasn’t exactly
ready to run into it. Suddenly he clapped his hands on the top of his
head and sprang straight up in the air yelling in a plain everyday
profane voice, “God-der-mighty! What’s dat?”
The brethren holding the straw saw it and stood dumb with terror. The
light disappeared from Uncle Josh’s head and lit the straw in splendour
on one of the deacon’s shoulders. Aunt Mary’s voice was heard above the
mourners’ din, clear, shrill and soul piercing.
“G-l-o-r-y! G-l-o-r-y ter God! De flame er de Sperit! De judgment day!
Yas Lawd, I’se here! Glory! Halleluyah!”
Suddenly the straw on the deacon’s back burst into flames! And
pandemonium broke loose. A weak-minded sinner screamed, “De flames er
Hell!”
The mourners smelled the smoke and sprang from the floor with white
staring eyes. When they saw the fire and got their bearings they made
for the open,--they jumped on each others’ back and made for the door
like madmen. Those nearest the windows sprang through, and when the
lower part of the window was jammed, big buck negroes jumped on the
backs of the lower crowd and plunged through the two upper sashes with a
crash that added new terror to the panic.
In two minutes the church was empty, and the yard full of crazy,
shouting negroes.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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