Democratic Sentinel, Volume 12, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 February 1888 — ZEPHYR POINT GAMP-MEETING. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

ZEPHYR POINT GAMP-MEETING.

BY W. H. S. ATKINSON.

Es i hev got ter oan up ter bein er cittersen uv putnim keownty I warnt it deestinktly undistood thet ime no sukkir. Fak is, par sez az heow ime rite smart konsding ime only 20 ate kum thanxgiven an wazent bornd with er korl, sides wich i kin beta the rekkud plowen klay sile. Then mi ant beky she marid er sifty roostir an thay put on enuf stile fer the hull fammerly. Wei, wun summurant beky an unkel jo, wich thare perlite names is mister and mis bodger oanly we alius kals em ant beky an unkel jo, thay tuk er kotij deown ter zeffur pint on lake ery. Bern az heow i wuz alius er prime faveright with ant beky an also godsun ter unkel jo nothin ud do but i must make em er vizzit uv sivereal daze deown ter the pint. It wuz with paneful fealins thet I baid fairwel ter the varus memburs uv ower fammerly incloodin the indore an outdore porshuns. Bi indore an outdore i mean the tew katz an the kin ary wich air indores an the poletree, gobbilurs, keows, and uther annymils wich air outdores. Espechully wuz i sad at art wen biddin ar doo ter mi poney wich is sew ter speke a hairlume, hevin bin druv bi mi parients an grandparients on the peturnil side fur 8 jinerashuns. Wen i kum ter the poney, in the bewtifull langwidge uv the powit uv old, i fel on hiz nek an kist him, an ez i brusht away er manley teer mi art swelt az i notist er korrispondin simperthetik moischur in the ize uv pore ole dik. Mar, she cride sum an fild mi pokkits with donuts an cheaz sangwidges an par he gev me sum advist an a 10 doler bil ovur an abuv mi ralerode tikkit. i ad a, noo gold worterberry wich par brort me frum the putmin keownty fare an that i seakreetid in wun uv mi stripid stokens az well az the 10 dolur bil, fur, az i sed, ime no fule nor no yung kolt ter be kort with chars bi thes yere smart aliks with gold brix an 3 kard montv an sew 4th.

It wuz late Setterday eavenen wen i reecht zeffur pint an aftar a verry kindley welkim frum ant beky an unkel jo i reatired urly tew mi virchewus kowch. The neckst day wuz Sundy an in the mawnin i escaughted ant beky ter chirch, unkel jo bein undur the wethir an me alius relijusly enklind an ivUr reddy ter wate on an unpreteckted feemail as ant beky certingly wuz on this pertikler okkashing. In the arfturnune i. sot urround an chood with unkel jo an sew the day parst. Wen the kwiut shaids uv eave fel sorftly oar the weery urth, wile ovur the worters of ole lake ery the slarnten raze uv the setten sun karst a golding red shean (eckscuse mi feelens wich i kinnot kentroie at setch times) mi thorts uv hoam got the betur uv me an i wuz karrid in the sperrit ter the deerly luvd woulds an fealds uv putnim keownty. in Dede i becum sew loansum thet I feerd ter stay with mi good relashins lest mi low sperrits shud pruve infexus. Sew wen darknis sotteld ovur iverything i stroald up fords a groav noan az the park, ware I fownd a bentch an sot me deown. Oarkum bi mi melonkilly hoamsikpis an strainjely effektid bi mi noo serowndeus, espeshilly the strong air frum ors ole ery wich actid az a tonnik an a

soaper riffik combind, i becum drowsey an wuz air long travilen frum zeffur pint ter the farey land uv dremes. Sweatly lokt in the arms uv morphyus i wuz livin oar agen mi boyyuds daze in deer ole putnim keownty, wen a voyse like a steme-thratcher sowndid in my yeres and roodly woak me frum mi pesefull slumbirs. “Yung man!” it kride in klarreun toans, “yung man, i say, at this verry mowmint u air slumbrin, awl unkonshus uv yewer dredfil dainjur, uppon the brink uv the lake uv fyer an brimstun!” Up i jumps with er start, fer wen i fel asleap i noo i wuz seatid bi the armless worturs uv lake ery wich is bi no menes fyurey nor yit brimstony. i wuz jest erbowt ter kontridik the showtir in langwidge mower forsabel than eligint wen my ize restid on a site witch maid me wundir weathur i wuz not stil in the land uv nod. Rite bei me wuz a kroud uv pepul under a big ornin, the intire sho bein lit up bi mirriuds uv gass jetz. i rubd my ize with mi brorny fists an awl uv a suddint i rikkolektid thet thare wuz er kampmeatin in progris at the pint an this must be it. Sew i droo in ter the kroud an bein uv a batchfull an retiren dispersishun tuk a a bak seet. Neow a kamp-meetin in ful serwiog wuz er noo centsashun fer me an wat with the showtin and weapin an singin an allylujerin i got considrebly mickst up. Evin in thet strainje an noysy asemblij mi thorts ware milze away, but i wuz starteld outen mi revverv bi the approatch uv a larje solum-lukin man atyerd in preastly garb. This indevijual grarspt me bi the hand an rollin up hiz ize in er way thet remindid me uv er dyin duk in er thundurstorum sed, sez he: “Mi brutbir. air u treddin the node ter zyun ? ”

“Sir,” sez i, “i air treddin no rode uv no kind at the presint mowmint; i air settin verry kumfiterbiL” Then he sez: “Air n saved?” i neow bekum panefully awair thet menny pares of ize ware restin on me, but i replide: “did u say saved or shaved? if the latter, i air; if the formir, idu not undistand.” “Ar, pore sinner.” se 7 . he, “udu not compryend. Air u inlested undir the bannur uv the lord or air u not? O, mi bruthir, woant u jine the armey ter-

day—woant u kum inter ower ranx ternite ?” “Not ternite, Kernil,” sez i, “eckscuse me; sum uthir nite.” But he warnt ter be skweltched ser sune. “O, u pore lorst sheep—u stray lam frum the flok —unhappey man, rushin like the swyne uv old ter distruxun!” “Sir!” sez i, mi duch bein up an me getten riley, “deown in putnim keownty we raze sheap an lams wich air no deesgrase ter the stait fare, ownly wen yew kali me a sheap u tred on mi korns. But, yew ole skalliwag, i dror the line at swyne, an es i air hear awl alown ithout par ile lik yer es u doant git!” Mi ever wuz rouzd an I wood hev sooted mi axons ter mi wurds but the ole flabburgastir axt me ter deezist, witch I did, mower espeshully az at thet mowmint a vizun uv bewty waz makin her way threw the ordyance tord the platform. Neow, tho a batchilur an neown az a grainjur i nm bi no menes impurvyus tew feemail luvliness, an i wuz awl atenshun wen this zeffur pint farey begun ter sing. She sang sew sweatly an with sew mutch eckspreshun thet wen she sed she bed “a messij frum the lawd fer yew,” i koodent help but think she ment me—an the way she glantzd at me wood hev meltid a hart uv bereer stoan or eyetalyun marbil. Ar, i shell nevir forgit thet gyurl’s singen! neow soft an low ez the peanimisser fetches uv ey mastir hand on a eholyun harp, rizin agen ter a shril dyerpasun, an anon swellin ter the ful granjur uv a organ peel. Frum thet mowmint i wuz hoaplisly in luv, an i noo it.

Wen this picter uv luvliniss got threw with hur singen wun uv the parsing fellers gev owt thet thare wud neow be a meatin fer thoze az wist ter enkwire the way ter heving—s >rt uv a side-sho in a ajasent tent, emajin mi serprize wen i wuz aprocht bi the eyedentekel yung wummun hoo had sung sew intransenly. i kud withstan a hull trewp uv theze yere parsings an men ecksorters, but i kinfess iwuz notprufe agen the beewichin smilz an siring voyse uv this spessiment uv femmenine bewty, an wen she sed sew sweatley, “Deer frend, kin i not help yew inter the strate annarrer rode,” ikud ownley reply ruther kinfusidly, “Mideer, enny help u may kondisend ter giv me will be hyley valewd”—witch I thort a verry nete speatch fer me. Wei, nuthin’ ud dew but we must go ors tew a kwiet part uv the kamp groundz, wear we kud be alown, an’ the way thet thare gyurl forked ter me wuz serprizen. the mannir in wich she shode me mi sinfel waze an pickcherd heving ter me awl most muved me ter teers, an i nevir felt sew mutch like makin a ass uv miself an sniverlen az i did then, in awl mi life bel; an’ wen she arst me tew begin a noo life “io pleeze hur” i sez, sez i, “mi deer, i wud go threw hell on hot brix ter pleeze yew!” Wei, we torkt an’ torkt til the small howers uv mawnin, an the rissult wuz thet i felt miself kinverted. Then she sez, sez she, “deer bruther, this yere wurk uv the lawd kinnot be karrid on ithout filthey lookur; won’t u kintribewt yewer might?” “Wei,” i sez, “ive ownly got the 10 dolur bil wich par gev me an thet’s deoun in mi sok. ” “No matter,” sez she, “ile turn my hed enuther way wile you git it owt,” an then she sez, wen i spoke uv given a dolur, “yew kum up ter the mawnin prare-meatin, an i will giv u the chainge. ” With thet we partid very affeckshun81y. ***** I dror a vale ovur subsikwint ivents at the zeffur pint kamp-meatin. i travild bak ter putnim keounty a saddur an a wizer man, mynus mi worterberry an the 10 dolur bil. But, az i staited at the kummincemint uv this yere narrytiv, ime no sukkir es I wuz horned ithout er korl—an i kin beet the rikkud *plowin klay sile!