Go tell it on the mountain - James Baldwin [30]
‘Lord, Sister McCandless,’ said Elisha, ‘look like it ain’t never but us two. I don’t know what the other young folks does on Saturday nights, but they don’t come nowhere near here.’
Neither did Elisha usually come anywhere near the Church on Saturday evenings; but as the pastor’s nephew he was entitled to certain freedoms; in him it was a virtue that he came at all.
‘It sure is time we had a revival among our young folks,’ said Sister McCandless. ‘They cooling off something terrible. The Lord ain’t going to bless no church what lets its young people get so lax, no sir. He said, because you ain’t neither hot or cold I’m going to spit you outen my mouth. That’s the Word.’ And she looked around sternly, and Sister Price nodded.
‘And Brother Johnny here ain’t even saved yet,’ said Elisha. ‘Look like the saved young people would be ashamed to let him be more faithful in the house of God than they are.
‘He said that the first shall be last and the last shall be first,’ said Sister Price with a triumphant smile.
‘Indeed, He did,’ agreed Sister McCandless. ‘This boy going to make it to the Kingdom before any of them, you wait and see.’
‘Amen,’ said Brother Elisha, and he smiled at John.
‘Is Father going to come and be with us to-night? asked Sister McCandless after a moment.
Elisha frowned and thrust out his lower lip. ‘I don’t reckon so, Sister,’ he said. ‘I believe he going to try to stay home to-night and preserve his strength for the morning service. The Lord’s been speaking to him in visions and dreams and he ain’t got much sleep lately.’
‘Yes,’ said Sister McCandless, ‘that sure is a praying man. I tell you, it ain’t every shepherd tarries before the Lord for his flock like Father James does.’
‘Indeed, that is the truth,’ said Sister Price, with animation. ‘The Lord sure done blessed us with a good shepherd.’
‘He mighty hard sometimes,’ said Sister McCandless, ‘but the Word is hard. The way of holiness ain’t no joke.’
‘He done made me to know that,’ said Brother Elisha with a smile.
Sister McCandless stared at him. Then she laughed. ‘Lord,’ she cried, ‘I bet you can say so!’
‘And I loved him for that,’ said Sister Price. ‘It ain’t every pastor going to set down his own nephew—in front of the whole church, too. And Elisha hadn’t committed no big fault.’
‘Ain’t no such thing,’ said Sister McCandless, ‘as a little fault or a big fault. Satan gets his foot in the door, he ain’t going to rest till he’s in the room. You is in the Word or you ain’t—ain’t no half-way with God.’
‘You reckon we ought to start?’ asked Sister Price doubtfully, after a pause. ‘Don’t look to me like nobody else is coming.’
‘Now, don’t you sit there,’ laughed Sister McCandless, ‘and be of little faith like that. I just believe the Lord’s going to give us a great service to-night.’ She turned to John. ‘Ain’t your daddy coming out to-night?’
‘Yes’m,’ John replied, ‘he said he was coming.’
‘There!’ said Sister McCandless. ‘And you mama—is she coming out, too?’
‘I don’t know,’ John said. ‘She mighty tired.’
‘She ain’t so tired she can’t come out and pray a little while,’ said Sister McCandless.
For a moment John hated her, and he stared at her fat, black profile in anger. Sister Price said:
‘But I declare, it’s a wonder how that woman works like she does, and keeps those children looking so neat and clean and all, and gets out to the house of God almost every night. Can’t be nothing but the Lord that bears her up.’
‘I reckon we might have a little song,’ said Sister McCandless, ‘just to warm things up. I sure hate to walk in a church where folks is just sitting and talking. Look like it takes all my spirit away.’
‘Amen,’ said Sister Price.
Elisha began a song: ‘This may be my last time,’ and they began to sing:
‘This may be the last time I pray with you,
This may be my last time, I don’t know.’
As they sang, they clapped their hands, and John saw Sister McCandless looked about her for a tambourine. He rose and mounted the pulpit steps, and took from the small opening