FullReads

“An’ now, my dear brev’ren,” said Brother Peter, “while I was a-turnin’ dis subjec’ ober in my min’, an’ wonderin’ how de women come ter hab jus’ seben debbils apiece, I done reckerleck dat bit ob Scripter wot I heerd at Kyarter’s Mills, an’ I reckon dat ‘splains how de debbils got inter woman. De sarpint he done fotch mudder Ebe seben apples, an’ ebery one she take a bite out of gib her a debbil.”

As might have been expected, this sermon produced a great sensation, and made a deep impression on the congregation. As a rule, the men were tolerably well satisfied with it; and when the services were over many of them made it the occasion of shy but very plainly pointed remarks to their female friends and relatives.

But the women did not like it at all. Some of them became angry, and talked very forcibly, and feelings of indignation soon spread among all the sisters of the church. If their minister had seen fit to stay at home and preach a sermon like this to his own wife (who, it may be remarked, was not present on this occasion), it would have been well enough, provided he had made no allusions to outsiders; but to come there and preach such things to them was entirely too much for their endurance. Each one of the women knew she had not seven devils, and only a few of them would admit of the possibility of any of the others being possessed by quite so many.

Their preacher’s explanation of the manner in which every woman came to be possessed of just so many devils appeared to them of little importance. What they objected to was the fundamental doctrine of his sermon, which was based on his assertion that the Bible declared every woman had seven devils. They were not willing to believe that the Bible said any such thing. Some of them went so far as to state it was their opinion that Uncle Pete had got this fool notion from some of the lawyers at the court-house when he was on a jury a month or so before. It was quite noticeable that, although Sunday afternoon had scarcely begun, the majority of the women of the congregation called their minister Uncle Pete. This was very strong evidence of a sudden decline in his popularity.

Some of the more vigorous-minded women, not seeing their minister among the other people in the clearing in front of the log church, went to look for him, but he was not to be found. His wife had ordered him to be home early, and soon after the congregation had been dismissed he departed by a short cut through the woods. That afternoon an irate committee, composed principally of women, but including also a few men who had expressed disbelief in the new doctrine, arrived at the cabin of their preacher, but found there only his wife, cross-grained old Aunt Rebecca. She informed them that her husband was not at home.

“He’s done ‘gaged hisse’f,” she said, “ter cut an’ haul wood fur Kunnel Martin ober on Little Mount’n fur de whole ob nex’ week. It’s fourteen or thirteen mile’ from h’yar, an’ ef he’d started ter-morrer mawnm’, he’d los’ a’mos’ a whole day. ‘Sides dat, I done tole him dat ef he git dar ter-night he’d have his supper frowed in. Wot you all want wid him? Gwine to pay him fur preachin’?”

Any such intention as this was instantaneously denied, and Aunt Rebecca was informed of the subject upon which her visitors had come to have a very plain talk with her husband.

Strange to say, the announcement of the new and startling dogma had apparently no disturbing effect upon Aunt Rebecca. On the contrary, the old woman seemed rather to enjoy the news.

“Reckin he oughter know all ’bout dat,” she said. “He’s done had three wives, an’ he ain’t got rid o’ dis one yit.”