Read Online Some Sweet Day by Bryan Woolley - Free Book Online

anyway.”
    â€œAnd Noah’s face isn’t black. It’s white, too. He wasn’t a nigger.”
    â€œI told you once, I haven’t got white!”
    â€œYou can’t even stay inside the lines!”
    â€œLeave me alone!” I was getting pretty riled, and Mrs. Arnett got off of her inner tube to come over and shush me, but the bell rang, and she had to go stand by the door and hand us a picture when we went out. Mine showed Jesus talking to a man up in a tree.
    â€œIt’s got a story on the back, Gatewood,” Mrs. Arnett said. “Get your grandmother to read it to you.”
    â€œI’ll read it my own self.”
    â€œMy, you must be a smart boy.” Mrs. Arnett smiled and patted my head, then shoved me out of the door.
    I found Gran in the auditorium and sat down by her. Brother Haskell came in, and we had some songs and some prayers, then they took up another collection. This time, Gran gave me a nickel to drop into the plate. Then Mr. and Mrs. Tyler came in and sat down by me. They always came in after the collection. Mr. Tyler was big and round and wore a wide belt with curlicues on it and a big shiny buckle. The belt squeaked like a saddle when he breathed, and I watched the buckle move up and down while Brother Haskell talked. Gran nudged me. She pointed at Brother Haskell. He was red in the face, and he was yelling about a collie dog he used to have that got caught in a house fire, and how that dog yelped and hollered, and how his hair and flesh smelled while he was burning up, and how that was just what hell was going to be like for those who were going. And I started thinking about Nero, and how I’d feel if she got caught in a fire like that and I couldn’t get her out.
    Finally, he slowed down enough to tell us we were going to sing a song, and he came down and stood in front of the pulpit, and everybody sang.
    â€œAl-most per-suad-ed,” now to be-lieve;
    â€œAl-most per-suad-ed,” Christ to re-ceive;
    Seems now some soul to say ,
    â€œGo, Spir-it, go Thy way ,
    Some more con-ven-ient day
    On Thee I’ll call.”
    A couple of high school girls came down the aisle crying. Brother Haskell whispered in their ears, shook their hands, and waved them toward the front pew. Then he started shouting again, shaking his fist, his oily black curls dancing over his eyes.
    â€œHow do you know the sun’s going to come up tomorrow?” he yelled above the music. “How do you know you won’t depart this world tonight while you’re asleep and go to your grave with your sins still strangling your soul? Do you want to burn like my collie dog forever and ever?”
    Gran was crying. Tears were dripping off her chin. She took off her glasses and wiped her eyes with her handkerchief.
    â€œAl-most per-suad-ed,” harvest is past!
    â€œAl-most per-suad-ed,” doom comes at last!
    â€œAl-most” can-not a-vail;
    â€œAl-most” is but to fail!
    Sad, sad, that bit-ter wail ,
    â€œAl-most,” but lost .
    That was the end of the song, but Brother Haskell wasn’t through yet.
    â€œAll right, brothers and sisters,” he said. “All right! I know the Spirit is working in some of your hearts today. There’s still time! There’s still a chance to get through the gates of heaven before they slam shut! I want every head bowed! Every eye closed! If your husband, your son, your mother is lost, pray for God to send the light! If you’re a sinking sinner, throw your life into the Everlasting Arms right now!”
    We bowed our heads, and I gnawed on a corner of my Jesus picture.
    â€œAlmighty God, who canst read our evil hearts like an open book, we know the day is coming soon when we will stand before thy judgment bar…”
    Brother Haskell prayed a long time, but nobody else was saved, so he finally told everybody to come down and shake hands with the two high school girls. People started moving into