# The Lutheran Pioneer_St. Louis_1894_S11 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) ‘The Lutheran Pioneer. bl How Jake Traphagen died. walley and ’long the river is better than us.| man’s. Hark to me, neighbors! if He came I reckon He must ha’ come to save the folks| to save sinners, He’ll do it; and I’m chief on ‘*Ts the Dominie to home?”’ ‘| that’s in State Prison, for horse-stealin’ and|’em all! I’ve got my memory back, and I’ve ‘No; he has gone away to preach, and will| such like. I’m a poor, miserable, simple know- | thought on a himm they used to sing to Blitter- not be back till Monday afternoon.”’ nothin’ but I don’t believe I’m a sinner. Iwish| man’s ;’’ and he mangled it thus: ‘*Well, I do hate to go back and tell old| I knowed more about God and everythin’. I’m “My sins is great, but they can’t pass Jake Traphagen, that’s dyin’, that he can’t} sick o’ my poor life, but I’m skeart o’ death pate nbsedens Weenesanararaa! SIOCes have nobody with enfluence up thar, to get] ’cause I reckon my chance is mighty poor up Mayn’t a poor sinner trust in Thee?’ him ready fur heaven. He knowed a con-|there. And yit, arter all, I’m a ’Merican “There! Old Job Blitterman used to hoe, sid’able ’bout ’ligion when he was a boy, kase} citizen, as free and equal as anybody, and} and rake, and mow, and drive, to the tune o’ he lived ’long o’ old Job Blitterman that’s|I don’t see why I hain’t as good a right to] that, sixty years ago; and I, aside o’ him, buried close to your husband’s church, thar; | heaven as I have to the polls. Mebbe it’s for| used to wonder and amaze where he found and was a awful good old man. Old Jake|the same reason that I can’t go to church, | his sinners! I thought I’d forgot all I’d heerd keeps a-talking ’bout him and his teachin’s,|’cause I ain’t respec’able enough. I can go} there, but the words had stuck some’here into and frettin fear he won’t be let in, up thar. | to the polls, and to the store, with my elbows| me, and now they’re come up, and I’ve dared I told him he was all right, and so is all that’s} and knees out, and barefoot, if I’ve a mind| to talk to the old man’s God. ‘Then it come done the best they could.’’ ter, and nobody notices me. But, if I go} to me that he read, ‘Though your sins be scar- “But has he, and have you and I, done the| nigh to the church, even into the hoss-sheds] let and crimson, you shall be as white as wool best we could?’’ asked the lady, who stood] of a Sunday, why, I’m starred at as if I was} and snow.’ ‘Think o’ me, Abe, bein’ whiter in the porch of the parsonage. a wild tiger!”’ than snow, and goin’ in at the shinin’ gate old ‘*Wall, him and me’s been putty decent — And so the poor, ignorant, simple man con-| Job used to tell on, and lookin’ at God! He for mountain folks. We never killed nobody, | versed and argued with himself, as with the] came to save sinners. Now, I don’t see how nor never stole nothin’ 0’ consekence. And_| aid of his oaken staff he walked and stumbled | He can help savin’ me, the head one on ’em we’ve done heaps o’ good to neighbors poorer | up the rocky road-bed that led to a group of| all! Oh, neighbors, heave away your whisky than us. I’ve lugged bags o’ meal, and cod-| poor log cabins and rough board houses. jugs, quit swearin’, be kind to your wives and fish and sich like, up the mountain on my| He passed by his own door, and entered] children, and seek the Lord while He may be shoulders many a time for widders and sick] that of old Jake Traphagen. found. Good-bye.’’ men; and everybody up thar sends me for} The old man was bolstered up on his poor} The minister came to the funeral, and stand- the doctor—day or night; and I’ve dug lots| pallet, the sun lighting his wan and wasted ing beside old Jake’s open grave, he told the 0’ graves, and helped bury lots o’ folks for| features. Several neighbors were with him. poor people—‘‘who saved all their jobs for nothin’. Butit’s old Jake I’mworryin’ about.”’ “Is the Dominie coming?’’ he asked, as} him,’’ but who never paid even his horse hire Such were the claims that Abe Van Schaick| the long, awkward shadow of Abe fell across] for the rough journey—of the seed sown by put forth to a high seat in heaven. the door-way. old Job Blitterman sixty years old, that had “Tell him from me,’’ said the lady, ‘“‘that) ‘‘No, not till day arter to-morrow; but I| just borne its harvest, and reminded them of Christ Jesus came into the world to save) got all the di—rections from the lady; and|the words that lingered on their aged neigh- sinners; and that whosoever believeth on Him| she’s lived with him so long she knows all| bor’s lips while he was dying: ‘‘Christ Jesus shall not perish but have everlasting life.’’ about it, just as good as he does! She says] came into the world to save sinners.’ The man who was trying to comprehend | you’re all right—no danger o’ you; that Christ : this message belonged to a class scattered | Jesus came down here to save—folks, and that through the rough mountainous regions of| if you’ll believe it, you won’t perish but have New York. everlastin’ life. There now!’’ cried poor Abe These people pick berries in summer, and| triumphantly. cut fence-rails, and shave barrel-hoops atother| ‘‘Not to save folks—it was to save sinners!’ seasons, for a living; and a.poor living they | said the old man. have, far from public roads and schools and| ‘‘Well, but you hain’t done nothin’,: you’ll churches. They never went to church, ‘‘kase} get in all right any way.’’ , folks starred at ’em,’’ and their children did| ‘‘Stop that,’’ cried the old man, almost not go to school with other children. fiercely. ‘‘I’ve sinned all my days. If it’s This poor, ignorant, and simple man, who| sinners He’s after, wher’ll He find a wuss one expected heaven, for ‘‘luggin’ meal and diggin’ | than I be? If you’d made me a promise you graves for nothin’,’’ asked the lady if he might | wouldn’t break it now when I’m old and sick ‘say them words arter her slow, so’s to get| and poor, Abe?”’ em tight fixed into his head.’’ ; **1’d cut off my right hand fust!”’ replied “Certainly, my friend; they are worth re-| Abe. peating a thousand times,’’ was the reply. ‘tWell, then, isn’t God better, and truer, He followed her through the wondrous words| and faithfuller, and mercifuller than a poor, carefully, and then, after assuring her that ‘‘all| miserable, good-for-nothin’ like you?’’ the jobs should be kept for her husband,’’) This doubtful compliment made poor Abe walked off toward the mountain pass, mutter-| wince, and he said: ‘‘I took your part te the ing to himself: ‘‘Christ Jesus come along to/| lady, place o’ callin’ you names. I told her save sinners, and, if you believe it, He’ll give| you’d always been a good man, and no sinner you everlastin’ life. But whar’s your sinners? | at all!” ; ; The old man ain’t so very bad, and I’m sure}; “Y’ve a great mind to send you straight T ain’t, and I don’t know who’ll own up to back!’’ said the old man. ‘I am a Seat bein’ a yillyan! Still, there must be some sinner; but since you went away, Abe, I’ve sinners some’heres, or else He’d never ’a’| had mighty words come back to me that I come to save ’em. lyerybody down in the| heerd when I was living at old Job Blitter- 24 0