I promise de preacher ter fetch you,
sah--An' ef we gwine ter march ter-morrow, dis here's de las' night
sho----"
The concert was adjourned to the log house which an old colored preacher
had converted into a church. It was filled to its capacity and John
stood in the doorway and heard the most remarkable sermon to which he
had ever listened.
The grey-haired old negro was tremendously in earnest. He could neither
read nor write but he opened the Bible to comply with the formalities of
the occasion and pretended to read his text. He had taken it from his
master who was a clergyman. Ephraim invariably chose the same texts but
gave his people his own interpretation. It never failed in some element
of originality.
The text his master had evidently chosen last were the words:
"And he healeth them of divers diseases."
Old Ephraim's version was a free one. From the open Bible he solemnly
read:
"An' he healed 'em of all sorts o' diseases an' even er dat wust o'
complaints called de Divers!"
He plunged straight into a fervent exhortation to sinners to flee from
the Divers.
"I'm gwine ter tell ye now, chillun," he exclaimed with uplifted arms,
"ye don't know nuttin' 'bout no terrible diseases till dat wust er all
called de Divers git ye! An' hit's a comin' I tell ye. Hit's gwine ter
git ye, too.
Pages:
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378