<TITLE>14. Par 165-175</TITLE>L-165   I slipped over to him. I said, "How do you do?" Brother Espinoza interpreted.

L-166 I sit my foot up beside of his, to find out. There was a little curtain across the platform about four or five times as wide as this. I thought, "If my shoes fit him, I'd give him my shoes." Oh, his feet was much larger than mine. I put my shoulders up against him, like I was going to put my arms around him, his shoulders was wider than mine. I seen then I couldn't give him my coat. I thought, "God, what can I do? Poor old fellow, probably hasn't had a decent meal in his life." And there he was, eating old rejected tortillas down there somewhere; but yet have to spend what little money he had, to get a grease candle, to burn it on a million-dollar gold altar, for his sins, live in such superstition and darkness as that! I thought, "What a time! How can fate be so evil?"

L-167 I put my arm around him, and cried, "O God, have mercy upon him!"

L-168 He hollered, "Gloria a Dios!" And about that time I looked around, he could see as good as I could, going across the platform.

L-169   And the--the next night when we come in, there was a rick of old clothes and shawls, and hats, up three or four feet high, like this, all the way across. How they ever knew who it belonged to? You think they cared? They come to church that morning at eight or nine o'clock, no seats to sit down in; right out there, and it pouring down rain, and just leaning against one another. The women with their hair all hanging down, and holding the children and things. Pouring down rain, come at nine o'clock, and I wouldn't be there till about eight-thirty or nine that night. They would be sure they was going to be there. Stood right there waiting till I come in.

L-170   They let me down on a rope ladder, on the back of the arena, where I come in like this, walked out to the platform. Billy Paul... And a man that I called Maana, which means "tomorrow," he was always so slow to come get me. And so I said, "Just come tomorrow, you done ruined tonight." So he brought me over there and he let me down, and I come in on the platform.

L-171 Brother Jack Moore, many of you know him, just across here at Shreveport, he was with me; and Brother Espinoza and several of the brethren. Then when we was standing there on the platform, Billy come. I heard there's a great rale, way out over there, there was thousands times thousands seating in there.

L-172   Billy said, "Daddy, you will have to do something. The little Spanish woman over here," said, "she has got a dead baby in her arms." Said, "That baby died this morning, they say, early. And--and Maana give out them prayer cards, and," said, "and he ain't got a prayer card, and I ain't got one." Said, "And she is determined to bring that baby in the prayer line." Said, "We've got about four hundred there, ready to be prayed for."

L-173 I said, "Well," I said, "just make her stay back. Cause, if she gets ahead, that will start every one of them doing that." And I said, "We can't do that. Tell her just get in line maybe tomorrow. We're going to be here yet tomorrow to give her a prayer card."

L-174   He said, "You come over and try it." Said, "I got three hundred ushers there that can't even hold her, and," said, "she won't weigh ninety pounds." And said, "You can't hold her." Said, "She runs between your legs, jumps over their shoulders, or anything, with this dead baby."

L-175 And I said, "Brother Jack," I said, "she don't know me. She wouldn't know me from you. Go on down and pray for the baby, and that'll settle it like that." And I said, "Baby dead?"
Said, "Yes." I said...


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