Where was I?  Oh, yes, I ricollect;—­about Bills a-jinin’ church.  Well, sir, ther’ wasn’t a better-actin’ feller and more religious-like in all the neighberhood.  Spoke in meetin’s, he did, and tuck a’ active part in all religious doin’s, and, in fact, was jist as square a man, appearantly, as the preacher hisse’f.  And about six er eight weeks after he’d jined, they got up another revival, and things run high.  Ther’ was a big excitement, and ever’body was a’tendin’ from far and near.  Bills and Ezry got the mill-hands to go, and didn’t talk o’ nothin’ but religion.  People thought awhile ’at old Ezry ’d turn preacher, he got so interested ’bout church matters.  He was easy excited ’bout anything; and when he went into a thing it was in dead earnest, shore!—­“jist flew off the handle,” as I heerd a comical feller git off onct.  And him and Bills was up and at it ever’ night—­prayin’ and shoutin’ at the top o’ the’r voice.  Them railly did seem like good times—­when ever’body jined together, and prayed and shouted ho-sanner, and danced around together, and hugged each other like they was so full o’ glory they jist couldn’t he’p theirse’v’s—­that’s the reason I jined; it looked so kind o’ whole-souled-like and good, you understand.  But la!  I didn’t hold out on’y far a little while, and no wunder!

Well, about them times Bills was tuck down with the agur; first got to chillin’ ever’-other-day, then ever’ day, and harder and harder, tel sometimes he ‘d be obleeged to stay away from meetin’ on account of it.  And one’t I was at meetin’ when he told about it, and how when he couldn’t be with ’em he allus prayed at home, and he said ’at he believed his prayers was answered, far onc’t he’d prayed far a new outpourin’ of the Holy Sperit, and that very night ther’ was three new jiners.  And another time he said ’at he ’d prayed ’at Wesley Morris would jine, and lo and behold you! he did jine, and the very night ’at he prayed he would.

Well, the night I’m a-speakin’ of he’d had a chill the day afore and couldn’t go that night, and was in bed when Ezry druv past far him; said he’d like to go, but had a high fever and couldn’t.  And then Ezry’s woman ast him ef he was too sick to spare Annie; and he said no, they could take her and the baby:  and told her to fix his medicine so’s he could reach it ‘thout gittin’ out o’ bed, and he’d git along ’thout her.  And so she tuck the baby and went along with Ezry and his folks.

I was at meetin’ that night and ricollect ’em comin’ in.  Annie got a seat jist behind me—­Steve give her his’n and stood up; and I ricollect a-astin’ her how Bills was a-gittin’ along with the agur; and little Annie, the baby, kep’ a-pullin’ my hair and a-crowin’ tel finally she went to sleep; and Steve ast her mother to let him hold her—­cutest little thing you ever laid eyes on, and the very pictur’ of her mother.