OBLIGING A PREACHER.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3603, 29 January 1883, Page 4

OBLIGING A PREACHER.

Just back of Missionary Ridge, Chattanooga, while following the highway to reach Tunnel Hill, I came across a little church half hidden in the woods. The building" was primitive, and the old darky who sat on ;i Jog by the door was more so. After I had made enquiries about the route, and was ready to go on, ho said : " Bettor conic down, boss, an , come in U> meet in." "Yes, sah. We a.m. gwine to open in about Jive minutes, an' 1 'speets de sermon will be a powerful one." It didn't seem right to be riding around the country on Sunday, and so I got down and took a seat beside the old man. After a few minutes spent in general talk, he said it was time to go in. t followed after him, and found myself the sole audience. 1 next found that he was the preacher who was to deliver the powerful sermon. He opened services in regular form, and with all due solemnity, and then announced his text and commenced preaching. I stood it for fifty-five minutes, and then, as he had only reached " second G," 1 waited until lie had closed his eyes, and then made a dive for the door. It was no go. I hadn't gone six feet before he stopped his sermon and asked : " Stranger, must yon bo gwine ''" "Yes, I feel that! must." "An' you can't stop and heah de rest ob the discord r" "No." " Den I'll chop oil' right whar I is." " Oh, don't do that. You can go on with your sermon just the same." "But you see dar inns' be a colleckshun tooken up after de sermon," he said in anxious tones. "If you will oblige me by takin' a seat, I'll simr a hymn an , pass de hat," I sat down, and when he had read and sung a hymn he passed his hat, transferred the quarter to his vest pocket, and said : " I didn't get down to de most powerful part of de sermon, but if you happen 'long tli.s "way liex' Sunday I'll yiv' you do odder half. Dat quarter comes jist in time to encourage me to keep dc good work biliu'."— Detroit Free Press.