raying and thinking. I sho does think a
lot. ('Uncle' George's facial and scalp muscles work so when he thinks,
that his straw hat moves up and down.)

"When good man prays fer bad man, de Holy Ghost works on bad man's
consciousness, and afo' he knows it, he's a-saying 'Lawd have Mercy'
'stead of 'G'dam', like all wicked folks says every day. He--dat de Holy
Ghost dat I still is speaking of--jest penetrates de wicked man's
consciousness widout him a-knowing it. Dat penetrating make de bad man
say, 'Lawd have Mercy.' I hoes and I cuts sprouts, and den I plows. When
you plows, mules is allus so aggravating dat dey gits you all ruffled
up. Dat de devil a-working at you. Dat's all old mules is anyhow. I does
not cuss, nohow, kaise it sho am wicked and I is had de Holy Spirit in
my soul, now gone sixty-five years, since I jined Padgett Creek Church.
When my old mule gits to de row's end, and he act mulish--kaise dat's in
him and he don't know nothing else to do--I means to say either 'ha' or
'gee', and often since I jined Padgett Creek Church I finds myself
saying 'Lawd have Mercy' 'stead of 'gee' or 'ha'. So you see dat de Lawd
has command, whar-so-ever if I was wicked, Satan would.

"A child fo God allus will agree wid de Word of God. We mens dat claim
to be leaders in de Kingdom, got to step up and sho folks what dey must
do. Man learns right smart from Exodus 'bout how to lead. A male child
was born to rule de world. Moses still de strongest impression dat we
has as rulers. God gits Hisself into de heads of men dat he wants to
rule and He don't tell nobody else nothing 'bout it neither.

"Mr. Roosevelt de president and he sho looks atter de po' folks. He
ain't no ig'nant man neither, kaise he got de light. Folks ain't a-gwine
to drown him out neither wid dere wicked words 'gainst him, kaise he
strive in de Lawd's name to do His will. Mr. Roosevelt got learning like
I is from de throne of God. He may have education also, but if he is, he
sho knows how to keep dem both jined together. Folks reads to me how he
got crippled and how he washed in dem springs in Georgia, and dat keep
him a-gwine right on anyhow. It ain't dem springs by deself, but it's
God a dipping his hand down dar fer de President to git well. Oh yes,
suh, I knows dat he twan't de president when he was a-washing, but dem
de plans dat de Lawd had done already planned and you and me never
know'd nothing 'bout all dat. You and me does not know what is planned