Free Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin Page A

and He had blessed her with a mighty voice with which to sing and preach, and she was going out soon into the field. For many years the Lord had pressed Sister McCandless to get up, as she said, and move; but she had been of timid disposition and feared to set herself above others. Not until He laid her low, before this very altar, had she dared to rise and preach the gospel. But now she had buckled on her traveling shoes. She would cry aloud and spare not, and lift up her voice like a trumpet in Zion.
    “Yes,” said Sister Price, with her gentle smile, “He says that he that is faithful in little things shall be made chief over many.”
    John smiled back at her, a smile that, despite the shy gratitude it was meant to convey, did not escape being ironic, or even malicious. But Sister Price did not see this, which deepened John’s hidden scorn.
    “Ain’t but you two who cleaned the church?” asked Sister McCandless with an unnerving smile—the smile of the prophet who sees the secrets hidden in the hearts of men.
    “Lord, Sister McCandless,” said Elisha, “look like it ain’t never but us two. I don’t know what the other young folks does on Saturday nights, but they don’t come nowhere near here.”
    Neither did Elisha usually come anywhere near the church on Saturday evenings; but as the pastor’s nephew he was entitled to certain freedoms; in him it was a virtue that he came at all.
    “It sure is time we had a revival among our young folks,” said Sister McCandless. “They cooling off something terrible. The Lord ain’t going to bless no church what lets its young people get so lax, no sir. He said, because you ain’t neither hot or cold I’m going to spit you outen my mouth. That’s the Word.” And she looked around sternly, and Sister Price nodded.
    “And Brother Johnny here ain’t even saved yet,” said Elisha. “Look like the saved young people would be ashamed to let him be more faithful in the house of God than they are.”
    “He said that the first shall be last and the last shall be first,” said Sister Price with a triumphant smile.
    “Indeed, He did,” agreed Sister McCandless. “This boy going to make it to the Kingdom before any of them, you wait and see.”
    “Amen,” said Brother Elisha, and he smiled at John.
    “Is Father going to come and be with us tonight?” asked Sister McCandless after a moment.
    Elisha frowned and thrust out his lower lip. “I don’t reckon so, sister,” he said. “I believe he going to try to stay home tonight and preserve his strength for the morning service. The Lord’s been speaking to him in visions and dreams and he ain’t got much sleep lately.”
    “Yes,” said Sister McCandless, “that sure is a praying man. I tell you, it ain’t every shepherd tarries before the Lord for his flock like Father James does.”
    “Indeed, that is the truth,” said Sister Price, with animation. “The Lord sure done blessed us with a good shepherd.”
    “He mighty hard sometimes,” said Sister McCandless, “but the Word is hard. The way of holiness ain’t no joke.”
    “He done made me to know that,” said Brother Elisha with a smile.
    Sister McCandless stared at him. Then she laughed. “Lord,” she cried, “I
bet
you can say so!”
    “And I loved him for that,” said Sister Price. “It ain’t every pastor going to set down his own nephew—in front of the whole church, too. And Elisha hadn’t committed no big fault.”
    “Ain’t no such thing,” said Sister McCandless, “as a little fault or a big fault. Satan get his foot in the door, he ain’t going to rest till he’s in the room. You is in the Word or you
ain’t
—ain’t no halfway with God.”
    “You reckon we ought to start?” asked Sister Price doubtfully, after a pause. “Don’t look to me like nobody else is coming.”
    “Now, don’t you sit there,” laughed Sister McCandless, “and be of little faith like that. I just believe the Lord’s going to give us a