Jonah's Gourd Vine Part 19

I can see-eee-ee De mountains fall to their rocky knees when He cried "My G.o.d, my G.o.d! Why hast Thou forsaken me?"

The mountains fell to their rocky knees and trembled like a

beast

From the stroke of the master's axe One angel took the flinches of G.o.d's eternal power And bled the veins of the earth One angel that stood at the gate with a flaming sword Was so well pleased with his power Until he pierced the moon with his sword And she ran down in blood And de sun Batted her fiery eyes and put on her judgment robe And laid down in de cradle of eternity And rocked herself into sleep and slumber He died until the great belt in the wheel of time And de geological strata fell aloose And a thousand angels rushed to de canopy of heben With flamin' swords in their hands And placed their feet upon blue ether's bosom, and looked

back at de dazzlin' throne

And de arc angels had veiled their faces And de throne was draped in mournin'

And de orchestra had struck silence for the s.p.a.ce of half an

hour

Angels had lifted their harps to de weepin' willows And G.o.d had looked off to-wards immensity And blazin' worlds fell off His teeth And about that time Jesus groaned on de cross, and Dropped His head in the locks of His shoulder and said, "It

is finished, it is finished."

And then de chambers of h.e.l.l exploded And de d.a.m.nable spirits Come up from de Sodomistic world and rushed into de smoky

camps of eternal night,

And cried, "Woe! Woe! Woe!"

And then de Centurion cried out, "Surely this is the Son of G.o.d."

And about dat time De angel of Justice unsheathed his flamin' sword and ripped

de veil of de temple

And de High Priest vacated his office And then de sacrificial energy penetrated de mighty strata And quickened de bones of de prophets And they arose from their graves and walked about in de

streets of Jerusalem

I heard de whistle of de d.a.m.nation train Dat pulled out from Garden of Eden loaded wid cargo goin'

to h.e.l.l

Ran at break-neck speed all de way thru de law All de way thru de prophetic age All de way thru de reign of kings and judges- Plowed her way thru de Jurdan And on her way to Calvary, when she blew for de switch Jesus stood out on her track like a rough-backed mountain And she threw her cow-catcher in His side and His blood

ditched de train

He died for our sins.

Wounded in the house of His friends.

That's where I got off de d.a.m.nation train And dat's where you must get off, ha!

For in dat mor-ornin', ha!

When we shall all be delegates, ha!

To dat Judgment Convention When de two trains of Time shall meet on de trestle And wreck de burning axles of de unformed ether And de mountains shall skip like lambs When Jesus shall place one foot on de neck of de sea, ha!

One foot on dry land, ah When His chariot wheels shall be running hub-deep in fire He shall take His friends thru the open bosom of an

unclouded sky

And place in their hands de "hosanna" fan And they shall stand 'round and 'round his beatific throne And praise His name forever, Amen.

There had been a mighty response to the sermon all thru its length. The "bearing up" had been almost continuous, but as Pearson's voice sank dramatically to the final Amen, Anderson lifted a chant that kept the church on fire for several seconds more. During this frenzy John Pearson descended from the pulpit. Two deacons sprang to a.s.sist him at the Communion table, but he never stopped there. With bowed head he walked down the center aisle and out of the door-leaving stupefaction in his wake. Hoffman and Nelse Watson posted after him and stopped him as he left the grounds, but he brushed off their hands.

"No, chillun, Ah-Ah can't break-can't break de bread wid y'all no mo'," and he pa.s.sed on.

"Man, ain't you goin' on back tuh yo' pulpit lak you got some sense?" Hambo asked that night. "If you don't some of 'em is sho tuh strow it uhround dat you wuz put out."

"Naw, Hambo. Ah don't want y'all fightin' and scratchin' over me. Let 'em talk all dey wanta."

"Ain't yuh never tuh preach and pastor no mo?"

"Ah won't say never 'cause-Never is uh long time. Ah don't b'lieve Ahm fitted tuh preach de gospel-unless de world is wrong. Yuh see dey's ready fuh uh preacher tuh be uh man uhmongst men, but dey ain't ready yet fuh 'im tuh be uh man uhmongst women. Reckon Ah better stay out de pulpit and carpenter fuh mah livin'. Reckon Ah kin do dat 'thout uh whole heap uh rigmarole."

But after a while John was not so certain. Several people who formerly had felt that they would rather wait for him several weeks to do a job now discovered that they didn't even have time to get him word. Some who already had work done shot angry, resentful looks after him and resolved not to pay him. It would be lacking in virtue to pay carpenter-preachers who got into trouble with congregations. Two men who had been glad of a chance to work under him on large jobs kept some of his tools that he had loaned them and muttered that it was no more than their due. He had worked them nearly to death in the damp and cold and hadn't paid them. One man grew so indignant that he p.a.w.ned a spirit-level and two fine saws.

John was accused of killing one man by exposure and overwork. It was well known that he died of tuberculosis several months after he had worked a day or two for John, but n.o.body was going to be behind hand in accusations. Every bawdy in town wept over her gin and laid her downfall at John's door. He was the father of dozens of children by women he had never seen. Felton Cozy had stepped into his shoes at Zion Hope and made it a point to adjust his gla.s.ses carefully each time he saw John lest too much sin hit him in his virtuous eye. John came to recognize all this eventually and quit telling people his troubles or his plans. He found that they rejoiced at the former and hurried away to do what they could to balk the latter.

As one man said, "Well, since he's down, less keep 'im down."

He saw himself growing shabby. It was hard to find food in variety.

One evening he came home most dejected.

"Whuss de matter, big foots?" Hambo asked. "You look all down in de mouf."

"Look lak lightnin' done struck de po' house. Dey got me in de go-long Ah reckon. All de lies dese folks strowing 'round 'bout me done got some folks in de notion Ah can't drive uh clean nail in they lumber. Look lak dey spectin' uh house Ah build tuh git tuh fornication befo' dey could get de paint on it. Lawd Jesus!"

"Come in and eat some dese snap peas and okra Ah got cooked. It'll give you mo' guts than uh goat."

"Naw thankee, Hambo. Ahm goin' lie down."

He went into his room and shut the door. "Oh Lucy! Lucy! Come git me. You knowed all dis-whut yuh leave me back heah tuh drink dis cup? Please, Lucy, take dis curse offa me. Ah done paid and paid. Ah done wept and Ah done prayed. If you see G.o.d where you is over dere ast Him tuh have mercy! Oh Jesus, Oh Jesus, Oh-wonder-workin' G.o.d. Take dis burden offa mah sobbin' heart or else take me 'way from dis sin-sick world!"

He sought Lucy thru all struggles of sleep, mewing and crying like a lost child, but she was not there. He was really searching for a lost self and crying like the old witch with her shed skin shrunken by red pepper and salt, "Ole skin, doncher know me?" But the skin was never to fit her again. Sometimes in the dark watches of the night he reproached Lucy bitterly for leaving him. "You meant to do it," he would sob. "Ah saw yo' eyes."

By day he gave no sign of his night-thoughts. His search and his tears were hidden under bed quilts.

When Hambo woke him for breakfast next morning he didn't get up.

"Don't b'lieve Ahm goin' out tuhday, 'cause if Ah meet Cozy wid dat sham-polish smile uh his'n de way Ah feel tuhday, dey'll be tryin' me fuh murder nex' time."

His courage was broken. He lay there in bed and looked back over days that had had their trial and failure. They had all been glorious tomorrows once gilded with promise, but when they had arrived, they turned out to be just days with no more fulfillment-no more glad realities than those that had preceded-more betrayal, so why look forward? Why get up?

His divorce trial stayed with him. He saw that though it was over at the courthouse the judge and jury had moved to the street corners, the church, the houses. He was on trial everywhere, and unlike the courthouse he didn't have a chance to speak in his own behalf.

Sisters White and Carey came over around sundown with a gingerbread and melon-rind preserves.

"Always remembered you had uh sweet tooth," Sister Carey said.

They wanted to know if he was thinking of pastoring again. Certain people had crowded Cozy in, but the real folks had "chunked him out again. His s.h.i.+rttail may be long but we kin still spy his hips."

"He never could preach, nohow," Sister White complained, "and he been strainin' hisself tryin' tuh be stronger wid de women folks than you wuz. Settin' 'round de houses drinkin' and sayin' toastes 'bout, 'Luck tuh de duck dat swims de pond-' Bet if some dese men folks ketch 'im dey'll luck his duck fuh 'im. Since you won't consider, us callin' uh man from Savannah."

"Oh, he's more'n welcome to all de women folks," John rejoined.

"Where you keepin' yo'self dese days, anyhow, and whut you doin'?"

"Oh well, Sister White, since yuh ast me, Ah do any kind of uh job Ah kin git tuh make uh dollar, and Ah keeps mahself at home. Sometimes Ah reads de Bible and sometimes Ah don't feel tuh. Den Ah jus' knock uhround from pillar tuh post and sort of dream. Seem lak de dreams is true sho 'nuff sometime-iss so plain befo' me, but after while dey fades. But even while they be fadin', Ah have others. So it goes from day tuh day."