Crestlands: A Centennial Story of Cane Ridge

by Mary Addams Bayne

  CHAPTER XII.

  COMMENT AND CRITICISM

  On Friday the campers returned to their homes, and Cane Ridgeneighborhood settled down to its usual routine.

  "It's high time thet fo'ks should come to ther senses," said Mrs.Rogers, as she and her husband and young Dudley sat in the yard aftersupper that evening. "I don't see how you all stood it stiddy fur twoweeks et a stretch up et the 'campment. Ev'ry time I sent the niggahsup thah with the fresh vittuls, they'd come back with ther eyes fa'rlybulgin' out o' ther haids, an' whut little wits they hed knocked skywest an' crooked. They brung me sich 'counts uv the goin's-on thet atlast, thinks I, I'll go an' see fur myse'f. I knowed you an' Henrycould tek keer uv yo'se'ves; but I wuz consarned 'bout Cissy, an' feltit high time to be lookin' artah her. I soon found her, an' when I seedshe still hed her haid on her shouldahs, I wuz easier in my mind; butI'll nevah fergit thet fust visit. The meetin' hed been goin' on sixdays, an' things hed got in a good weavin' way. Thah wuz no less thanfive preachahs holdin' forth to oncet in diffrunt parts uv the grounds;so I tells Cissy thet ez thah wuz no tellin' when I'd git thah ag'inwe'd meandeh 'roun' permiscous lak an' tek in all we could. Fust, wewent to the arboh whah thah wuz a big geth'rin'--hardly evenstandin'-room in the aisles--but we manidged to squedge in on a seatclose up in front. The platform wuz crammed with preachahs, an' oleBrothah Ranson wuz holdin' fo'th et a gran' rate. His subjec' wuz'Fleein' frum the wrath to come,' an' he wuz pow'rful. The pictures hedrawed uv the tormints uv the lost, writhin' in the midst uv the firean' brimstone in the bottomless pit, wuz 'nough to set a snowbankafire. I felt ez hot ez ef I wuz danglin' ovah thet pit myse'f; an' efone o' the angels hed happened to peep ovah the battermints o' heavenet thet minit, he'd been scorched hisse'f by the billers o' flame whutriz mountain high frum thet sea o' tormint. But somehow, the fo'ksdidn't git ez much rousement on 'em ez I'd looked fur--reckon they'ddone hed so much preachment thet they wuz kindah tuckahed out. Oh, yes,thah wuz considahble groanin' an' wailin' an' sich like, an' a wholepassel o' sinnahs come furwa'd to be prayed fur; but I could see thetBrothah Ranson wuz disapp'inted et the lack o' 'citement, an' thet hewuz fixin' to mek a big jump uv some sort. Fust, he prayed aha'r-liftin' pertition; then, soon's thet wuz ovah, he swung hisse'fout to the aidge o' the platfo'm, stomped his foot, waved his arms, an'hollahed out, 'Ev'rybody whut wants to 'scape the wrath to come, an' tomeet me in heaven, clap yer hands an' shout "Glory!" altogethah.' Thetfotched us shore 'nough."

  "Yes," said Mr. Rogers, "I hearn o' thet meetin', but I wuzn't thah. Iwuz list'nin' to Brothah Rice et t'othah eend o' the camp."

  "Did you shout with the rest, Mrs. Rogers?" Dudley asked.

  "I should say so!" she answered. "Ev'rybody did, an' sich a hullabalooez it wuz--'nough to raise the dead. I thought fur a minit thetjudgment-day hed come, an' wouldn't been s'prised to heah the toot o'Gabr'el's horn then an' thah. No wondeh fo'ks hed jerks an' fits an'swoondin' spaills et the camp! My ha'r wuz all creepy, thah wuz gooseflesh all ovah my arms, an' hot an' cold chills a-chasin' one 'nothahup an' down the spines o' my back."

  "How'd Cissy behave in all thet rumpus?" asked Rogers.

  "I got Cissy outen thah none too soon," Mrs. Rogers acknowledged with awise shake of her head. "Her face wuz ashy, an' she wuz all o' a shakean' a quake. I took her ovah to some trees whah a watah barr'l stood,an' made her tek a good swill, an' wet her hankchief an' mop her face.Then I walked her off to a quiet place an' says to her, 'Cissy, theLawd knows I want to see you become a child o' grace, but I don'tintend to hev religion jerked an' shouted an' skeered intah you.'Tain't fittin', to my notion, to see a modest young gal a-mekin' ashow uv herse'f, an' the Lawd nevah intended it, nuthah. Ef you're'lected to salvation--an' I believe you air, fur he's a marciful an'gracious God, an' you're a nice, innercent, well-behaved gal--you kinbe called in a quiet way; an' when he does call, whut you got to do isto heah an' obey. Thet's all thah is to convarsion, anyway. So I reckonyou'd bettah come 'long home with me this evenin', outen all thisfuss.' But she begged so hard to stay, an' promised so faithful not togit wrought up ag'in, thet I let her stay."

  After a short pause, Mrs. Rogers continued: "But I stick to it thet theLawd nevah intended his people to go stark, starin' crazy ovahreligion, no more'n ovah anything else. All them ravin's an' jerkin'san' holy-laughin's an' holy-dancin's air onseemly in any fo'ks, sinnahor saint. The Almighty don't want to be pestered with no sichtekin'-on. When he calls, listen; whut he says do, you jes' git up an'do. Thet's religion, an' nuthin' else."

  "You're 'bout right, Cynthy Ann," Rogers assented, as he lay at fulllength on the grass. "To my mind, the main p'int is to love God, an' doyer duty by yer neighbor an' fambly."

  "An' do it quiet, too," added his wife. "You nevah heah uv a womantekin' spasms an' jerks ovah lovin' her husban' or childurn, or a galovah lovin' her sweetheart. Then, why must fo'ks raise sich acavortment 'bout lovin' God--hollahin' an' whoopin' an' sprawlin''roun' on the ground lak Sal Fox did thet las' time I wuz et the camp?She'd been a-jerkin' an' a-rollin' an' a-foamin' et the mouth wussen amad dog, tell she wuz clean tuckahed out, an' thah she lay in the straw'roun' the altah, her pink caliker dusty an' tore lak she'd beena-chasin' through a briah patch, straws stickin' out all ovah her haid.Thah stood ole Brothah Stratton prayin' ovah her, her sister Jane an'Poll Tribble snifflin' an' snufflin' an' fannin' her, an' sayin' theyfeared she'd nevah come outen her trance. Thinks I, 'I'll fotch herout.' I walks up, an', pokin' her with my foot, I says, 'Git up, Sal!Hain't you 'shamed yo'se'f, layin' heah with yer haid lookin' lak arat's nest, an' yer laigs a-showin'?' Daddy Stratton he prayed loudah,Poll she fanned fastah, an' Jane she sniffled an' snuffled harder'nevah, while Sal she jes' lay thah lak a dead corp. I knowed she heardme, though, fur she kindah flickahed her eyeleds, an' then laystiffer'n evah. So I says, pokin' her ag'in, 'Ef I hed sich pipestemsez them laigs o' yourn, I'd keep 'em hid--an' heah comes Jed White,too!' With thet she sets up, smoothes down her dress, an' winds up herha'r, spry ez a ant; fur Jed's her beau."

  "Oh, well, Sal nevah 'sperienced religion befoh," said Rogers, "so itwent hard with her, 'cause, befoh this, she's allus resisted theSperet. But whut I can't stand is them Methodis' folks whut fall in an'out uv religion so of'en--'speri'ncin' a change o' heart ev'ry day inthe week, an' mekin' the Lawd out a reg'lar Injin givah, bestowin'grace at ev'ry revival, an' tekin' it away soon's meetin's ovah. Whilethe rousement lasts, the road to glory stretches out befoh 'em, an'they're ready, ez the hymn says, 'to bid far'well to ev'ry fear an'face a frownin' world.' Then by the nex' week they can't mustah up'nough strength to hoe a row o' cawn. Oh, yes, they're mighty happywhile the meetin' lasts. They're on the way to the land o' promise,singin' ez they journey on, ez how they'll 'b'ar the toil, endure thepain, supported by His grace.' Soon's the revival's ovah, they're readyfur anothah kind o' journey, an' lak ez not, they will jine in adrinkin' spree, an' end up in a free fight an' a gen'ral fisticuff.Now, thahs Jake Simmons, a lazy, no-'count skunk whut won't even totein a back log to keep his fambly frum freezin'. He's got religion ha'fa dozen times, an' teks on a leetle crazier ev'ry time. When I seed hima-rollin' an' stompin' an' cavortin' an' axin' the brethren to pray ferhim, thinks I, 'Whut you need, Jake, wossen the prayers uv the saints,is a big blacksnake whip larruped ovah yer back.' The Lawd does the jobup right when he really convarts a man. It's 'onc't in grace, allus ingrace,' ez the catechism teaches."

  "But," said Dudley, who until now had listened silently to thisdiscussion, "the Bible speaks of wanderers from the fold. No doubt Jakeis a wandering sheep."

  "Maybe he is," Mrs. Rogers agreed; "but, ef so, he looks an' acts solak a goat thet the angel Gabr'el hisse'f don't know the diffruns."

  "An' ef he is a sheep," added Mason, "he's so hidebound an' sofleece-growed, an' hez been herdin' with the goats in the devil'spastur' so long, thet he hain't wuth fotchin' home to the fold."

  As soon as the fall wheat-sowing was finished, Abner Dudley resumed hisschool, but under such changed conditions that he
could not feel thesame enthusiastic interest as during the previous term. John Calvin wasnow the only advanced pupil; Henry had entered Transylvania University,and neither Betsy nor Susan were in school.

  "Cissy's goin' on sixteen, an' hez eddication 'nough," said her mother."It don't do gals no good to be too book-l'arned--jes' meks 'em uppishan' no-'count."

  Mr. Rogers submitted to his wife's decree. "I boss the boys," he said,"but I reckon Cynthy Ann knows whut's best fur the gals; though, ez furez I'm consarned, I'd like Cissy to be ez eddicated ez any uv themhigh-flyers 'roun' Lexin'ton."

  Susan was ambitious and loved study, and, although she did not openlyrebel against her mother's ruling, went about her household tasks in adejected way which greatly tried bustling Mrs. Rogers.

  "Now, Cissy," she said, coming to the girl's room one night and findingher sobbing over disappointed hopes, "don't you s'pose yer own mammy'lldo whut's best fur her dautah? You mustn't think 'cause I'm sharp an'stirrin' with you thet I don't love you." She seated herself on theside of the bed and began to stroke Susan's hair. "'Tain't no use furyou to tek on so. You must jes' trust yer mammy, an' by an' by you'llsee I'm right. I can't spar' you frum home this wintah, but you kinstudy o' nights, an' Abner'll holp you with yer books. So cheer up, laka good gal; an' nex' time the packman comes 'long--an' I'm lookin' ferhim 'most any day--I'll buy you some ribbon fur yer hair an' a stringuv beads. Soon's we git the heft o' the fall wuck did up, you'n' mewill mek you one o' them fine quilted silk petticoats, lak Betsy's, tow'ar under yer red calaminco dress. Thah now!"--and she kissed thegirl--"say yer prayers, an' go to sleep." Then she murmured as she leftthe room, "Pore gal! 'Tis hard on her; but I jes' can't spar' her thiswintah. I know she's ez purty an' ez good a gal ez kin be foundanywhahs!"

  As the weeks went by, Betsy Gilcrest did not sing over her work in herold light-hearted way. Mrs. Gilcrest was not an observant woman; butAunt Dilsey, the old "black mammy," noticed the change in her idolizedyoung mistress. "The keer ob dis place an' all de man'gin' o' dem noisyboys an' lazy niggahs am too much 'sponsibility fur sich youngshouldahs ez hern. Ole Dilsey does whut she kin to spar' de preciouschile frum worry an' care; but one ole niggah lak me carn't doebbrythin'; an' 'tain't no wondah Miss Betsy's gittin' pale an' peekyan' low-spereted."