devil pass (standard:Inspirational stories, 2120 words)
Author: stanley mcqueen kentucky backwoods writer	Added: May 14 2009	Views/Reads: 2856/1919	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
mountain preacher meets old slew foot old satan

Devil pass 

Rev Bishop was certainly no ordinary man, he was a circuit riding
preacher, he had rode more trails that any man alive during his days on 
the earth, his beloved mother Mary Bishop had taught him to fear the 
lord from his youth up , living in the dense backwoods of Owsley 
county, during the days of mules and no electric or modern devices made 
being a minister very hard, 

He had been often been  chased by wild bears and wild hogs at times and
once he was tar and feathered and left for dead on a lonely mountain 
trail , riding and old slim mule that he had nicknamed old faithful 
Charlie , with just the clothes on his back and a big holy bible and 
old slim mules was all he owned in the world, but his faith in God was 
sure and strong, he aimed to tell folks about the lord God whether they 
listen or not. 

His beloved mother had raised his being a widow because he father had
fell ill of a mountain fever and died when he was only ten years old, 
he had to learn to be a man fast with no father guiding him in his 
childhood, he often recalled what his mother impressed him about faith, 
she always said Tom Bishop a man faith in God is the most important 
thing on earth , without faith she would always remind him a man is a 
goner, and this was planted deep in his heart and mind, 

it was on a lonely mountain Kentucky trail that he would learn the value
of faith , he has held a meeting deep in the ridges of Kentucky and was 
to preach at another place on the tomorrow and his sermon had lasted 
long at the little slab church that he had often held meeting at, and 
what was worse a storm was brewing and Tom knew that he has to be at 
the next settlement on the next day, folks bid him to take refuge at 
their small settlement to the storm cleared but he being a man of faith 
refused their offer, 

lighting and thunder filled the sky and rain driven by fierce winds made
the large tree tops wave to the master of the heaven, he knew that many 
a man has died on trails riding over slick mountain trails where large 
wet rocking passes often caused a mule or horse to slip and fall 
killing the rider, Charlie was sure footed mule, but that never kept 
the old saintly preacher from uttering up a prayer, Rev bishop recalled 
and old mountain saying that his mother had told him many a time, she 
said Tom ever man alive will come head to head and nose to nose with 
old Satan at least once in his life, and Tom had taken this old saying 
to heart, would this be the night that he would meet old slew foot the 
devil himself? This worried the old man of God for no man what to swap 
looks with old Satan, 

Something evil filled the air on this stormy night he felt uneasy and
troubled , was it the storm that caused him to fret he thought to 
himself, but no his mind declared it was a awful feeling he was having 
riding against the storm and the winds, sometimes feelings can deceive 
a man , was this feeling something he had come up within his mind or 
not?.. 

He was soaked to the bone and chilled , the wind driven rain beat
against his face as he rode against it, praying that old Charlie steps 
would be sure, he rode on , no man in his right mind would ride on a 
stormy night as this he thinks to himself, but the lord work must be 
done he reminded himself , lightening strikes lighten up the woods for 
moment and hard could see the lay or the wagon trail he was riding on, 
the old narrow trails were rock laden making his ride more dangerous 
especially on this wet stormy night, it must of been two o clock in the 
morning when he finely come to and over hanging bluff that was big 
enough for him and his old mule to take refuge under to the storm 
passed. 

He thanks the lord for the large overhanging bluff that he was under ,
and now he just stands in the dry place and listens to the raging of 
the storm, the lighting is frequent and it light up the night for just 
split seconds, and during one of the strikes harm eyes see something it 
was a horse and a rider and he looked to be wearing a black cape and he 
was coming toward harm and the bluff he was under, was his eyes playing 
tricks on him he thinks? Lighten flashed again and he seen that his 
eyes were not lying, who would be riding on such a night as this he 
wondered, less it was a settler with some sort of trouble or something 


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