Jasper County Democrat, Volume 9, Number 19, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 August 1906 — “WHAR’S MOSBY?" [ARTICLE]

“WHAR’S MOSBY?"

When Rev. Leu Penrod arose to preach, all whispering stopped. Every eye was bent upon him, and every ear was polsed to catch the words that fell from his lips. ** The sermon was just the kind of an address to stir the emotions, especially those of a trusting, unlettered people. He discussed no doctrinal points. He used no circumlocution. He struck out In short, crisp sentences that went direct to the understanding of the simplest intellect. • It soon became evident he was reaching the simple hearts of this emotional people. In fact, the most cultured audience could not have sat unmoved by his thrilling appeals. A number of rough men I noticed were smashing tears with the balls of their thumbs. Scores of women had their faces In their aprons and wereweeping audibly. Soon a young woman about eighteen, of beautiful face and figure, sprang out into the center of the floor and, setting her large, dark eyes on the roof, gave a startling scream. The people all turned their faces toward her and encouraged her with shouts of “Amen!” and ‘Bles* God!” / She ffiet moved about in a slow, graceful circle. Then faster and faster she went until directly she leaped high from the floor, smote her beautiful hands together and shouted, “Gloryglory, glory!” Then around and around she whirled, almost as fast as a top, clapping her bands all the while and shouting, “Glory, glory, glory!" Them was a rapt expression on her beautiful countenance as if she viewed through: the veil of sense a face in paradise. Finally she halted and stood still for a moment, her arms elevated and outstretched and the seraphic expression still fixed on her face. Then with a wild shriek she started for the door. “Whar’s Mosby?” was chorused aloud by many throats. At that instant the crowd toward the door parted, and in stepped a tall, handsome, fine built man of about forty years, with iron gray hair and mustache. He stepped toward the half frenzied girl, took Jjer in his arms and eased her down to a bench. He sat down by her Bide, and her head fell over on her shoulder. In that position she lay, seemingly unconscious, until the sermon was through. There was no more notice taken of her by the congregation. When the meeting was over the man stroked her forehead several times with a tender palm and spoke to her In a low voice for a moment, when she aroused herself and fixed for starting home. As soon as we were a short distance away I inquired of my old friend I had accompanied the meaning of this novel proceeding and the cry of “Whar’s Mosby?” “That has been a cry familiar in churcb here for twenty-five years," he Bald. “It was a cry long afore the girl was born. Her mother many years age waa Just like her—a pirty, fine lookin' gal, mighty religious an’ fond of shoutin'. She, the mother, was in love with Mosby; never cared for no one else. “When she. would take them shoutin' tanterims like the gal took today an' was about to take what we call the jerks It was found that Mosby was the only person thet could stop her and keep the jerks off. Every meetln' she’d take a spell, an’ the shout would go up as it did today, 'Whar’s Mosby V “The mother, of course, wanted tomarry Mosby, but her father put In a big objection, sayin’ that no man who never owned a coon dog or a still could have a gal of his. Mosby an’ the gal persisted, an’ finally the ole man shot at him an’ drove him outen the country. “Soon arter that the ole man, arter forcin’ the gal to marry Lon Peterson, his partner in the moonshine business, turned up his ole trotters, gaped a time or two an’ died. “In the course of time Mosby come back. His ole sweetheart he’d saved from the jerks so often was married an* had a little gal baby—the one that shouted today. “Waal, soon arter he come home he went to church one day, an’ his ole flame wuz thar an’ would, of course, shout. People wuz all eager to know what would be the outcome. “Soon arter the preacher begun Mrs. Peterson got in. She kep’ on an' on an’ on, an’ folks got uneasy. Her husband worked with her, but he didn’t' have no inflooence at all with her. Her eyes got glassy and skearry lookin’ at last, an’ then all the people shouted: “ ‘Whar’s “Mosby come forward, mighty timid, an’ took hqlt. She jiat melted down in his arms, an’ he eased her to the bench. Her head fisll over on his shoulder an’ then rolled off like a ball. It kep’ rollin’ off an’ rollin’ off till finally we got uneasy. Waal, some one placed her poor head back again an’ looked in her eyes. She wuz dead! “The gal is Jist like her mother in everything. As soon as wuz old enough to git religion she begun to shout like her poor mother, an’ it wuz soon found, like her poor mother. It took Mosby to save her from the Jerks. “Her an’ Mosby will be married next Sunday, an’, mark nsr words, when the preacher starts up,-arter the ceremony, an’ goes to preachin’, you’ll see the same capers as you did outen her to- ~ day, an’ the same ole cry will swell up: “'Whar’s Mosbyr“-Louisville Cou-rier-Journal.