Sez Josiah, “I didn’t know that Religion had to set down.”
“Sinners have to set,” sez the man.
Sez Josiah, “We hain’t sinners.” But I hunched him and sez, “Pay your fee and go on.” So after a deep sithe he produced his old leather wallet and fished up ten cents out of its depths, and we proceeded on.
The grove wuz a large one, acres and acres of big trees on every side, and vehicles of every description from smart canopy top buggies, and Sarah’s, and automobiles, down to one horse sulkies and rickety buck-boards, and horses of every size and color wuz hitched to ’em. And on the fallen tree trunks sot wimmen and girls, young boys, children, and pairs of lovers wuz walkin’ afoot amidst the deep green aisles. Way in the green depths of the woods you could see the glimpse of a woman’s dress, or see the head of a horse lookin’ out peaceful. 333
But we advanced a little furder as the road led out amongst the trees and pretty soon we come in sight of a large round tent where the meetin’ wuz held, and from which we could hear the voice of hims and oratory, along on both sides of the immense tent, so’s to leave a road between, wuz rows of small tents where the campers dwelt. They stretched on like two rows of white dwellings way off into the green of the woods. Josiah and I are well thought on in Jonesville, and as fur out as Loontown and Piller Pint, and a man soon advanced and gin us an advantageous position, and Josiah hitched the mair and we advanced into the amphitheatre.
The tent riz up like a big white umbrell, or like great broodin’ wings overhead, leavin’ the sides free for the soft air to enter. There wuz rows of seats, boards laid on wooden supports and on one side a high wooden structure, open towards the seats, in which the preachers sot or stood. A wooden railin’ run along in front of that rough pulpit. Under foot wuz the green moss and rich mold of the onbroken forest. And way up over the white tent the tall tree tops arched, and you could look way up into the green aisles of light with glimpses of sunshine between, 334 castin’ shady shadows and golden ones on the grass and moss below.
Folks wuz settin’ round of all sorts, some handsome, some humbly, some dressed up slick, some in rough common attire, but most on ’em looked like good sturdy farmers and their families. The old grand-ma of ninety with bent form and earnest face, side by side with her great grand-child.
I myself with Josiah sot down by a large boneded woman with a big, calm, good-lookin’ face. She had on a dress and mantilly of faded black cashmere; the mantilly wuz wadded, a pink knit woolen scarf wuz wound loose round her neck, she had a small hat of black straw trimmed with red poppies, and she wore a pair of large hoop ear-rings. Her face had the calm and sunshine of perfect peace on it. Her husband, a small pepper-and-salt iron gray man, with sandy hair and a multitude of wrinkles, sot by her, and they had a young child elaborately dressed in red calico between ’em.
Beyond her sot a little slender woman in a stylish dark blue dress and turban, her face alert and eager, lit with deep gray eyes, had the passion and zeal of a Luther or Wesley. On the nigh side of me sot two young girls in pink 335 and white muslin; a father and mother and three children wuz behind us, and on the seat in front wuz some young men and two old ones. I hearn the big calm woman say, “I shall be dretful disappinted if he don’t come to-day.”
“So shall I,” sez the pepper-and-salt man, “I shall feel like turnin’ right round and goin’ back home, but I think he is sure to be here.” Bein’ temporary neighbors I asked who it wuz that wuz expected.