to be followed by the choir and congregation, and
had to try again. A second attempt ended, like the first, in failure.
"Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing, my blest--" came the opening words
for the third time, followed by a squeak from the organ, and a relapse
into painful silence. Will could contain himself no longer, and blurted
out: "Start it at five hundred, and mebbe some of the rest of us can get
in."

Another church episode occurred during the visit of the "Wild West"
to the Atlanta Exposition. A locally celebrated colored preacher had
announced that he would deliver a sermon on the subject of Abraham
Lincoln. A party of white people, including my brother, was made up, and
repaired to the church to listen to the eloquent address. Not wishing
to make themselves conspicuous, the white visitors took a pew in the
extreme rear, but one of the ushers, wishing to honor them, insisted
on conducting them to a front seat. When the contribution platter came
around, our hero scooped a lot of silver dollars from his pocket and
deposited them upon the plate with such force that the receptacle was
tilted and its contents poured in a jingling shower upon the floor.
The preacher left his pulpit to assist in gathering up the scattered
treasure, requesting the congregation to sing a hymn of thanksgiving
while the task was being performed. At the conclusion of the hymn the
sable divine returned to the pulpit and supplemented his sermon with the
following remarks:

"Brudderen an' sisters: I obsahve dat Co'nel and Gen'l Buflo Bill am
present. [A roar of 'Amens' and 'Bless God's' arose from the audience.]
You will wifhold yuh Amens till I git froo. You all owes yuh freedom to
Abraham's bosom, but he couldn't hab went an' gone an' done it widout
Buflo Bill, who he'ped him wid de sinnoose ob wah! Abraham Lincum was de
brack man's fren'--Buflo Bill am de fren' ob us all. ['Amen!' screamed
a sister.] Yes, sistah, he am yo' fren', moreova, an' de fren' ob every
daughtah ob Jakup likewise. De chu'ch debt am a cross to us, an' to dat
cross he bends his back as was prefigu'd in de scriptu's ob ol', De
sun may move, aw de sun mought stan' still, but Buflo Bill nebba stan's
still--he's ma'ching froo Geo'gia wid his Christian cowboys to sto'm
de Lookout Mountain ob Zion. Deacon Green Henry Turner will lead us in
prayah fo' Buflo Bill."

The following is one of Will's own stories: During the first years of
his career as an actor Will h