her, but he couldn’t spare her more than a moment of thought. The congregation was in the palms of his hands and he had no intention of giving up his glory. This feeling was as strong as a stiff drink and he began to wonder if it was possible to substitute one for the other.
And all of a sudden, a pair of hounds that had been tied to a nearby wagon suddenly broke loose. They came running down the center of the aisle, baying and howling as they went. The momentary disturbance sent a round of giggles skittering across the assembly. Some young boys bolted, dashing after the dogs in a flurry of skinny arms and legs. Men on the aisle seats began doing their part by grabbing at the trailing ropes as the dogs ran past. But they missed, and the dogs continued toward a destination only they knew.
Eulis grinned. Nothing like a little action to liven up the place. While he was waiting for someone to curtail the animals, he happened to look up into the brushy arbor above his head. Within seconds, his heart skipped a beat. Two black, beady eyes were looking back. He stiffened with fear.
Dear Lord, it’s the devil!
He looked closer, and then relaxed. To the best of his knowledge, the devil did not have a small, pointed nose or black, mask-like markings on his face. The urge to giggle with relief was overwhelming as he realized it was only a half-grown raccoon that had taken refuge in the brush arbor roof. That explained why the dogs had come running. They’d probably picked up the animal’s scent.
But it would seem that the raccoon had enough of arbors and dogs. While everyone was involved in corralling the hounds, the raccoon leapt down from the roof, bouncing once at Eulis’s feet and then running for the closest shelter, which happened to be underneath the skirts of Letty Murphy’s store-bought dress.
“HELLSFIRE!”
Eulis didn’t mean to shout. But he was so startled by the raccoon’s sudden descent that he jumped back in fright. It was only after he saw the varmint disappear that he realized he was the only one who’d seen him fall.
The congregation may have missed the animal’s leap, but they hadn’t missed hearing the preacher curse. All eyes turned away from the dogs to the front of the arbor in time to see Letty Murphy jump from her seat. With a shriek of pure terror, she commenced to tearing at her skirts, screaming and clawing in wild abandon.
Eulis stared in disbelief as her eyes rolled back in her head. It was then he realized that the raccoon had gone up her dress!
Letty beat at her clothes and commenced to tearing at her hair. “I’m possessed! Help me, Jesus! I’m possessed. The Devil is clawing at my legs, so help me God! Save me, Jesus, save me!”
Several people jumped to their feet as the hounds bolted past. But they couldn’t catch them. They were after the raccoon that had, once again, escaped unseen.
Eulis was stunned by Letty’s behavior, as well as her sudden attack of conscience. And right before his eyes, she suddenly fell to the floor, twitching and jerking like a woman in a fit.
Someone jumped up in back and shouted, “Hallelujah!”
The congregation was impressed that the preacher’s words had been strong enough to sway a strumpet from the White Dove Saloon. And it was obvious she was swayed. She’d dropped to the floor before their eyes and now was crying and talking all crazy. Not a one of them understood a word that she said.
They began to mutter among themselves. This was powerful preaching indeed. The preacher hadn’t been in the pulpit five minutes and already the town’s worst sinner had gotten The Holy Ghost and was lying in the dirt and talking in tongues.
The raccoon was gone, but the spirit that it had delivered unto them was not.
“Praise the Lord and Reverend Howe,” someone shouted.
It was followed by a chorus of “amens” that stirred Eulis’s very soul. For a moment, he was speechless, but he knew it was imperative to continue now that he had them firm in his grasp.
Letty was still writhing in the floor at his feet as he leaned forward. Piercing each and every one of them with a watery stare, he pointed a finger slowly across the benches and shouted.
“REPENT, YE OF LITTLE FAITH!”
Someone moaned. He turned to look. It was Letty.
In fascinated horror, he watched as the straining buttons