Jasper County Democrat, Volume 13, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 June 1910 — His Chance of Heaven. [ARTICLE]

His Chance of Heaven.

Ben T. Rice and Hymen Levy, both now dead, were two of the real old Virginia characters in a small Piedmont county seat town: Ben was the keeper of the town inn and Hymen, a genuine Jew, ran a store. Ben was noted for profanity, drinking and gambling and telling unheard of yarns. Hymen was a daily’ visitor at the inn to get his dram, and at times became thoroughly shocked at Ben’s outrageous language and manners. Ben, one evening, joined the town boys in an exciting game of foothall on Main street, became overheated, and, cooling off too quickly, went into pneumonia at night. Several physicians attended him, who soon pronounced his case hopeless. A dozen or more of Ben’s friends, among them Hvmen, were standing around the bed just before’ Ben’s spirit took its flight from earth, when Ben uttered a long groan and said, “O LrO-r-d, have mercy on me.” At this moment Hymen* turned his head slowlv and remarked, “The good Lord ought to take Ben right now, for he never will be so good no more ” —National Monthly..