acher which waxed
in fervor as the first generous impulse began to wane.

"Drap in yo' dollar!" he was shouting. "Drap in yo' half dollar! Drap in
yo' dime! Drap in yo' nickel. Drap in yo' nickel, I say, an' ef yer
ain't got a nickel, come up an' let's pray fur yer!

"Ef yer ain't got a nickel," he repeated, encouraged by the titter that
greeted this; "ef yer ain't got a nickel, come up an' let de whole
congergation pray fur yer! We'll teck up a collection fur any man dat 'l
stan' up an' confess he ain't wuth a nickel."

A half dozen grinning young fellows stepped up now with coins concealed
in the palms of their hands.

"Come on! Come on, all you nickel boys! Come on.

"Ev'y nickel is a wheel ter keep salvation's train a-movin'! Come on, I
say; bring yo' wheels!

"Ef you ain't got a big wheel fur de ingine fetch a little wheel fur de
freight train! We needs a-plenty o' freight kyars on dis salvation
train. 'Caze hit's loaded up heavy wid Bibles fur de heathen, an' brick
an' lumber to buil' churches, an' medicine fur de sick, an' ole clo'es
fur de po'--heap ob 'em wid de buttons cut off'n 'em, but dat ain't our
fault, we bleeged ter sen' 'em on! Fetch on yo' little wheels, I say,
fur de freight train."

There had been quite a respectable response to this appeal thus far, but
again it spent itself and there was a lull when Jordan, folding his
arms, and looking intently before him, in several directions apparently,
exclaimed in a most tragic tone:

"My Gord! Is de salvation train done stallded right in front o' Claybank
chu'ch, an' we can't raise wheels ter sen' it on?

"Lord have mussy, I say! I tell yer, my brers an' sisters, you's
a-treatin' de kyar o' glory wuss'n you'd treat a ole cotton mule wagon!
You is, fur a fac'!

"Ef air ole mule wagon ur a donkey-kyart was stallded out in de road in
front o' dis chu'ch--don' keer ef it was loaded up wid pippy chickens,
much less'n de Lord's own freight--dey ain't one o' yer but 'd raise a
wheel ter sen' it on! You know yer would! An' heah de salvation train
is stuck deep in de mud, an' yer know Arkansas mud _hit's mud_; hit
ain't b'iled custard; no, it ain't, an' hit sticks like glue! Heah de
glory kyar is stallded in dis tar-colored Arkansas glue-mud, I say, an'
I can't raise wheels enough out'n dis congergation ter sen' it on! An'
dis is de Holy Sabbath day, too, de day de Lord done special set apart
_fur_ h'istin' a oxes out'n a ditch, es much less'n salvation'