I won't.' I didn't know den what de SOUL was,
or what a drefful ting 'twas to lose it; but I knowd it mus mean suffin
orful. So I began to consider all de time 'bout de soul. Byme-by a
Baptis' min'ster comed to de place, and massa and missus was converted.
Den dey let us hab meetin's and de clersh'-man he comed and talked to
us. I didn't comperhend much he said, 'caus I was young and foolish; but
he telled a good many times 'bout dat ef we want to save our souls we
mus be babtize and git under de Lord's table. Says I to my own sef,
'Specs now ef poor Lony could only find de table of de bressed Lord,
'twould all be well, and she'd be pertected foreber.' So I prayed and
prayed, and one night de good Lord comed hissef, and bringd his great,
splendid table, and all de fair angels dressed in white and gold and
settin roun it, and I got under, and I ate de crumbs dat fell down, and
den 'pears I begun to live. Oh, 'twas sich a peace dat came all ober
me, and I wanted to sing and shout all of de time. And dat's jess whar I
been eber sence, my friends, and I neber wants to come away till I dies;
and den de good Lord'll take me up to de great heabenly mansion, and
gib me de gold robes, and den I shall set up wid de rest and be like 'em
all. And I's willin to wait, 'caus I lubs de Lord and praises him ebery
day. He is de good Lord, and he lubs me and hearkens ebery time I speaks
to him; and I ha'n't 'bleeged to holler loud, nuther, for he's neber far
away, but he keeps close by dis poor soul so he can hear ebery word and
cry. And he'll hear all yer cries, my friends, when ye prays for yersef
or for yer chillen, or yer bredren and sisters. Le's pray, now."

Then kneeling down, this representative of a despised and untutored
race, with a faith that triumphed gloriously over her abject
surroundings, poured forth her supplications, talking with the Lord as a
man talks with his friend, as it were face to face.

"O bressed Lord, dat's in de heaben and de earf and ebery whar; you's
heerd all de tings dat we's asked for. And you knows all dat dese yer
poor chillen wants dat dey hasn't axed for; and if dere's any ob 'em
here, dat doesn't dare to speak out loud, and tell what dey does want,
you can hear it jess as well, ef it is way down deep buried up in de
heart; and oh, bressed Lord, do gib 'em de desires of de heart, 'less
it's suffin dat'll hurt 'em, and den Lord don't gib it to 'em at all."

This was enough for our little Tidy. Her