We continue our story about Ol’ Pap this week. It was on a winter day not long before Pap died that some of the local folks were sitting inside the old Derby store. The talk was about how cold it had been that year.
Ol’ Pap spoke up and said, “This here cold snap, why, it ain’t nothing compared to how cold it used to get in Avery County. Maybe you’uns ain’t going to believe this, but it’s a fact as true as the scripture. Why, back then when we had cold weather, it was a plum calamity, but folks never complained much. Why, we even had baptizin’ when it was so cold we had to chop holes in the river just to put them people under!”
As Pap cleared his throat, he said, “Back up in them hills, when I was coming along, there won’t no electricity. Why, we didn’t even have hot water bottles to warm up our beds at night.” It seems folks had a lot of smoothing irons, the kind used for ironing with. He said, “Momma, bless her soul, would heat them irons by the fireplace hearth and put ’em in the children’s beds to keep their feet warm. A smoothing iron makes a good bed warmer.
“They had big snows back up in them hills. It won’t no flour-sifting kind like nowadays. Why, back then the snowflakes would be as big as silver dollars. Snow would get five or six feet deep and cover up everything. Why, a man could get lost in his own backyard!
“Some winters it would get so cold people would be outside talking and their words would freeze in the cold air. When things started to thaw out in the spring you’uns could hear words a’coming from all over them hollers.”
Someone in the store spoke up and asked Ol’ Pap, “It being so cold in them thar’ hills, how in the world did they have baptizing?”
Ol’ Pap reached in his overall pockets, drew out his pipe, poked some Prince Albert tobacco down in it and lit it. He replied, “Why, I remember one particular cold winter baptizin’ down on the Elk River just below Elk Park. Why, there was about thirty local folks gathered alongside the river to witness such an event. Seems there had been an old-time revival meeting that winter and about ten souls had been saved. Hallelujah! Well, all ten wanted to be dipped right then and there.
“Why, the Elk River, where the baptizing was being held, was plum froze over! But mind you, that didn’t stop them! No sir, they went right ahead with it. Seems some of the menfolk had gotten hold of a couple of fence railing and broke a large hole in the ice. Why, that old preacher waded right out there and commenced to dippin’ each one of them folks. Of course, they had built up a fire there on the bank.
“Why, that preacher was putting one under as fast as he could, but when the new converts came out of the water, they were so cold, why, they couldn’t make a sound. Somebody would grab them and lead them over to the fire. Why, some of the congregation had built some sort of cover out of wood slabs and quilts where the folks could get out of their wet clothes and into some dry ones. It’s a wonder some of them folks didn’t die, but I never heard of it a’hurting any of them much. Leastwise, none of them died from it. The preacher was the one that almost froze to death, but he never gave no complaint.
“I remember another winter baptizin’ over around Boone where they had to chop holes in the ice just to get them folks under. Seems there were two brothers that had been saved and both wanted to be dipped as soon as possible. One of them boys just won’t right in the head, but he wanted to be dipped first. When he came outta the water, his brother asked him if’n it was cold and the brother said, ‘Naw, man, it felt good.’ The one awaiting to be dipped said, ‘It didn’t do no good to be baptized if’n a fellow was gonna tell a lie that quick. I ain’t even been in the water and I’m a’freezing to death.’”
Ol’ Pap just snickered and took a long draw off his pipe and said, “Reckon folks’ blood was thicker back in my day than it is today. Anyways, it don’t make no matter, I’ve always been a Methodist anyhow.”
Well, this kinda sums up this story of Ol’ Pap, but if’n you are thinking about getting baptized, I believe I’d do it before this winter comes!
J.A. Bolton is the author of “Just Passing Time,” co-author of “Just Passing Time Together,” and has written a new book called “Southern Fried: Down-Home Stories,” all of which can be purchased on Amazon. Contact him at ja@jabolton.com.
