Revival meeting

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"I guess, Madeline, you'd better go to the revival meeting tonight along with Ma and me," said Miss Malvina to her young neighbor.

"I asked your pa to go, and he says he don't want to be revived till after the war.

And unless the Germans give him back Alsace, he ain't never a-going to be.

Nor am I sure but what a truly cultivated musical taste would have experienced an unwanted charm in those fresh, quaint tunes and hymns.

at an advanced hour of the night when all parties were pretty well exhausted such a revival meeting as i have above described broke up and the congregation poured forth on their way homeward the revival meeting i have described was as i remember them when tom peterson and myself boys of fifteen and sixteen years used to go of a sunday evening and sometimes during the week to these assemblages they are pretty much the same to this day since we were grown up however both tom and i were more delicate about going for tom had a very natural idea that his father did not make any great accessions to his dignity by his conduct at these revivals it was on his return from such a meeting i having been out pretty late myself in a different scene that i met wigglesworth the old man was in a high state of excitement i attributed it to the religious fever which had now altogether penetrated him

jack

said he taking my hand and speaking in a very earnest hurried manner i want to have a serious talk with you my dear old fellow i answered it will all prove useless i fear i shall prove a sinner for some years yet no no he cried in a still more impassioned manner it is nothing of that sort it is about sin to be sure for it is about covert oh jack i shall unravel the most rascally tricks of that man to you the most but wigglesworth i am not covert's keeper these things do not concern me ah there you are wrong again cried the old man they do deeply concern you they concern an innocent and much wronged orphan whom that scoundrel has in his house in a position little better than a servant they concern your birth and fortunes oh they concern many things old man i said a little excited now myself you are certainly out of your wits i do not blame you for thinking so he answered for i confess it is wondrous strange but only hear me promise to come to my boarding-house and have a talk with me let me see the night after to-morrow and you will change your mind to pacify him and start him homeward as much as with any hope of learning what would interest me i gave the required promise wigglesworth made me repeat it and then went his way without another word chapter chapter thirteen and fourteen of life and adventures of jack angle an autobiography by walt whitman the sun another character from life in company with a friend i visit madame tom peterson was about the cleverest finest manliest fellow i ever knew and i think as true a friend at heart as young men often meet with tom had all the best qualities of the hero of my childish admiration mentioned aforetime as bill jiggs added to which he possessed the cultivation which results from going to school mixing a good deal with fellows seeing life as it is to be seen in a great city like new york and most of all from a warm generous heart and a disposition to the enjoyment of life his temper was happy and cheerful his laugh when he opened his mouth and showed those great white teeth was real music that you couldn't get from fiddles or pianos and when he laughed heartily it was impossible not to think of the sunshine or something of that sort tom was a handsome dog withal and used to take the feather out of my cap a little too often for my equanimity in our acquaintance among the girls but then he was always so good-natured about it and not a bit vain or greedy that one couldn't remain angry long All my boyish confidences and troubles and revenges and speculations were known to Tom Peterson.

This LibriVox recording is in the public domain.

"I guess, Madeleine, you'd better go to the revival meeting tonight along with Ma and me," said Miss Malvina to her young neighbor.

"I asked your pa to go, and he says he don't want to be revived till after the war.

And unless the Germans give him back Alsace, he ain't never a-going to be.