The Kentucky Ranger | Page 6

over he tilted him. The whole congregation laughed outright
and I joined in with them."
The preachers laughed at the story as heartily as those who saw the
occurrence. One stout parson remarked: "The tipsy man surely was the
butt of that joke." A clergyman from down Cumberland River way said:
"I hope the sheep knocked drunkenness out of him and common sense
and decency into him."
Larkin, his face wreathed in smiles, turned to a great strapping
Kentuckian, and said: "Now Brother Harvey, let us hear from you."
The man addressed was well known by the company. Naturally strong

he grew up on a farm, where his out-of-doors life added to temperate
habits gave him a finely developed body. He lived with his wife and
five grown up children on a splendid quarter section of land bordering
on the Cumberland River. He was a lay preacher, cultivating his farm
week days and preaching on Sunday.
"Well, brethren," began David Harvey, "I could tell you stories of wild
Indians, panthers and wild cats that I saw in my youth, and some
tolerably trying experiences I have been through since becoming a
preacher, but today I am going to repeat a tale I heard not long ago
concerning Jasper Very. He seems comfortable there sitting on one
bench with his feet on another, and if my story lacks anything he can
supply the missing links.
"Brother Very was attending a camp meeting in the edge of Tennessee
when an incident of thrilling interest occurred. Two young men,
distantly related, sons of respectable and wealthy parents, lived in the
settlement. They were both paying attention to a very wealthy young
lady. Soon a rivalship for her hand sprang up between them, which
created a bitter jealousy in the heart of each. After quarreling and
fighting they both armed themselves, and each bound himself by a
solemn oath to kill the other. Armed with pistols and dirks they
attended the camp meeting. Brother Very was acquainted with the
young men, and had been told of the unfortunate affair. On Sunday he
was preaching to a large congregation on the terrors of the law. Many
fell under the preaching of the word. He called for mourners to come to
the altar and the two young men, deeply convicted of sin, came and
knelt before God. One entered on the right and the other on the left,
each being ignorant of the act of the other. The preacher went
deliberately to each of them, took their deadly weapons from their
bosoms, and carried them into the preachers' room. Returning he
labored faithfully with them and others nearly all the afternoon and
night. These young men cried hard for mercy, and while he was
kneeling by the side of one of them, just before the break of day, the
Lord spake peace to his soul. He arose, and gave some thrilling shouts.
Jasper then hurried to the other young man, at the other side of the altar,
and he was saved in less than fifteen minutes and, standing upright,

shouted victory. As these young men faced about they saw each other,
and starting simultaneously, met about midway of the altar, and
instantly clasped each other in their arms. What a shout went up to
heaven that night from these young men, and from almost all the
number present."
This narrative strongly affected the group of ministers, and some more
emotional than others shouted: "Praise the Lord! Hallelujah!"
"Brother Very, did I tell the story right?" said Harvey.
"You told it about as it was," responded Very, "only there is this sequel
to add: one of these young men made an able and successful preacher.
After traveling a few years his health failed, and he died triumphantly."
A sallow-faced parson from the river-bottoms remarked: "Jasper Very
has been through many trying experiences, and I am going to ask him
to tell us how he conquered that cantankerous woman by tact and
muscles."
Thus appealed to, Very told the following anecdote: "Some time ago I
crossed the Ohio River into the State of Illinois where I had some
preaching engagements. On one of my tours I met a local preacher who
was a small, good natured, pious and withal a useful preacher. He had a
wife who was a noted virago. She was high tempered, overbearing and
quarrelsome. She opposed her husband's preaching, and was unwilling
he should ask a blessing at the table or conduct family prayers. If he
persisted in his effort to pray she would run noisily about the rooms
and overturn the chairs. If unable to stop him any other way she would
catch a cat and throw it in his face while he was kneeling and trying to
pray. The little man had invited several