as a hen an' dhreamt iv
organizin' a Mickrobe Campaign club, that'd sweep th' prim'ries an'
maybe go acrost an' free Ireland. Whin I woke up me legs was as weak as
a day-old babby's an' me poor head impty as a cobbler's purse. I want no
more iv thim. Give me anny bug fr'm a cockroach to an aygle save an'
excipt thim wist iv Ireland fenians--th' Mickrobes."

A DOCTRINAL DISCUSSION

HARRY STILLWELL EDWARDS

Looking wearily over the far-stretching fields of corn, the leaves
twisting in the heat, and contemplating the discouraging cotton
prospect, old Uncle Henry, the plantation carpenter, said, half
jestingly to a negro passing, "Uncle Ben, why don't you pray for rain?"

"Ef I had faith enough, I could fetch er rain, for don't de Book say, ef
you have faith as er mustard seed you can move mountains? I say you done
parted from de faith, Unc' Henry. Ef you was still en de faith, an' ask
anythin', you goin' ter git it."

"Why don't you ask fer er million dollars; what you hoein' out dah en de
sun fer, when all you got ter do is ter ask de Lord fer money?"

"Dat ain't de question, dat ain't hit. You dodgin' now!"

"No, I ain't dodgin'--"

"Yes, you is. De Lord don't sen' ter people what dey axes fer deyse'ves.
He only sen' blessin's. Ef I ax fer er million er money, hit 'u'd be
'cause I'd natch'ly want ter quit work, an' dat's erg'in' his law. By de
sweat er de brow de Book says, dat's how hit's got ter come ef hit come
lawful."

"Well, why don't you git rain, then? Hyah's Mr. Ed'ards waitin' an'
waitin' fer rain, payin' you ter hoe, an' one good rain 'd do more fer
him 'n all the hoein' in the worl'."

"I didn't say I could fetch rain, Unc' Henry, I didn't say hit!"

"What did you say then?"

"I said, ef I had faith."

"You b'lieve ef you had faith you could fetch er rain?"

"Yes, I do!"

"Well, ain't dat faith? Ef you b'lieve hit, hit's faith. Trouble is, you
don't b'lieve hit yo'se'f."

"Yes I do. You done parted from de faith, Unc' Henry, dat's what ails
you."

"No, I ain't parted from no faith, but I got too much sense ter b'lieve
any man can git rain by asking fer hit."

"Don't de Book say, 'Ask, an' you shall receive'?"

"Not rain. Hit mean grace. When hit comes ter rain, de Lord don't let
nobody fool wid him; he look atter de rain, 'specially hisse'f. Why,
man, look at hit right! S'pose two men side by side pray diffunt--an'
wid faith--what happen? Yonder's Mr. Ed'ards's oats ter be cut