The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1928, Page 14

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14

THE LUTHERAN PIONEER.

chaff from the pan of peas she was preparing to
boil for dinner. “You knows ver’ well that nobody
has sich long schools but white folks, an’ ver’ few
o’ them.”

“Well, hit’s so, ol? ?oman, crazy ’r no crazy,”
Grandpa Dan replied, hanging his saddle up by the
door. “I done seed th’ teacher an’ talked with ’im,
an’ he tol’ me all *bout it. I—”

“Grandpa Dan, Grandma Nancy,” cried Eunice,
who had been listening intently to the conversation,
“can I go t? school? I’m in Second Reader now,

President of Alabama Luther College.

an’ —, an’? —, can I go t’ school t’-day? I wants —”

“Wunice, we ain’t got no dollar now, an’ you'll
haffa wait till —’

‘Who ain’t got no dollar?” Grandma Nancy
interrupted her husband. “Who ain’t got no dol-
lar?” she repeated. “I has two dollars what I sol’
watermelons fo’, an’ been savin’ t? buy me some
Sunday shoes with. J’ll give th’ gal one o’ ’em,
an’ th’ good Lord’ll *vide another’n. An’, Dan,” she
warned as she poured the winnowed peas into the
big iron pot, “you bettah not f’git t’ pay me back
that dollar, nuther !” ,

Five months later Eunice returned from school
one day in a rather solemn mood. Her evening
chores were done without the accompaniment of her

accustomed lilting songs. After supper she sat in
the corner with her chin resting in her hands and
her big black eyes staring into the flickering fire.
She finally came out of her reverie and said,
“Grandma, I wants t? be baptized.”

“You wants t? what?” answered both grand-
parents in chorus.

“T wants t? be . baptized,” Eunice repeated,
cause teacher said ever’body oughta be baptized,
an’ I wants t? be baptized.”

The two grandparents stared at each other in
amazement. The grandmother finally spoke and
said, “Eunice, chile, you don’t know what you
talkin’ *bout. What for you wanter be baptized?”

“T wants t’ be baptized ’cause I needs it,”
Eunice answered.

“You needs it?” repeated the grandmother;
“an’ what for you needs it?”

“T needs it t? wash ’way my sins,” answered
the girl.

“Your sins; chile, you ain’t got no sins,” said
Grandpa Dan as he leaned forward and filled his
pipe with live coals.

“Yes, I is got sins, too,” said Eunice, “’cause
teacher said so, an’ he said th’ Bible said so.”

“Chile, chilluns ain’t got no sins,” said Grandma
Nancy, “’cause all th’ preachers says so, an’ they
oughta know.”

“Well,” answered Eunice, “teacher read in th’
Bible where Jesus blessed 1i’l chilluns an’ said let
?em come t? Him; an’ I wants t’ be baptized, ’cause
teacher said tha’s th’ way for li’l chilluns t? come
to Jesus.”

“But, chile, you is too young t’ be baptized,”
said the grandfather. “Wait till you gits older,
an’ you c’n have Parson Jackson t’ baptize you.”

“Teacher said li’l chilluns has sins, an’ I wants
t? be baptized for my sins,” persisted the girl.

“Bunice,” said her grandmother, “hit’s time
you was in bed. G’ “long now an’ git them crazy
foolishments outa yo’ head ’*bout bein’ baptized.”

“All right, Grandma,” said the girl, rising and
preparing for bed; “but I wants t’ be baptized
when th’ other chilluns is.”

Long after Eunice had gone to sleep her grand-
parents sat by the fireside and discussed the strange
idea the girl had concerning Baptism and her sins.
It was finally agreed that Grandpa Dan should visit
the teacher at the school and ask him to stop putting
such peculiar notions into his grandchild’s head.

The next day, however, Grandpa Dan could not
visit the school because he had to go for a load of
fertilizer. The following Sunday morning Eunice

ee,