Short Stories

Snuffy Smith Sings a Hymn

by Thomas Kirkpatrick
11/28/18
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"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)

This past Friday was a busy day at Lively’s Feed store. Not to say that I don’t work hard but today I had to work harder on Friday. That in itself is okay with me as the day pass quickly which Fridays tend to do but Friday last was even quicker. I suppose the business was a result of the colder weather blowing down from the mountain pass into the valley of the Greenbrier here in the Almost Heaven. Tom is his preparations for the coming winter months bought some extra hay last week and it is now already gone. The farm folks with livestock to feed came and bought all that we had. I spent most of the day carrying hay from the store loft to the pickup trucks in the parking lot.

Saturday was a day that I could not escape the saved chores that the little woman had to gather up for me to complete. So I spent most of my Saturday mending the fence around the garden and then a little hoeing around the Pea Meteors. Then off to the wood pile to chop some wood for the iron stove and the fireplace. Shortly I found myself sitting in the old rocker and soon went into the living room to lay on the floor. I think I may have over exercised the small of my back with the ax.

Sunday is always a good day and started with a brisk walk to the Church on the Knoll. It was an amazing service that we had there with our Church family in the leadership of Brother Simms. Brother Simms gave his usual insightful message from God’s Word but suffered difficulties towards the end of the service. Right after the offering the door of the Church opened and in came Barney Smith who everyone calls Snuffy Smith after the funnies in the Ballengee Record.

I hadn’t seen Snuffy in a while or should I better say that I hadn’t spoken to him. The last time we spoke is when Amos and I stopped to give him aid when he had a flat tire at Pence Springs. We ended up driving Snuffy home as he had a few too many Falstaff’s.

I have been knowing Sunffy ever since High School and back then he was an okay chum. He and two other friends and I would take up a collection during the week and on the weekend one of them would go to Caleb Hodges and get a quart of his homemade shine. Friday nights we all would go to the war memorial park and sip shine and listen to Hank Williams songs played by the older boys. They called themselves the “Trotters of Twilight.” Sometimes they would break into some Flatt and Scruggs which was good but I like Hank, as he was the bluest of the blue. Once my older brother got to go and see Hank and the Drifting Cowboys.

One evening I came home from a shining night and was met by my father. It was a quick trip to the woodshed and the willow branch raised some serious welts on my backside. I slept on my stomach that night only to be woken up at 5 in the morning. Dad said we had hay to bail and to get up. I rolled over to sit up but my backside couldn’t take it so I stood up and my head couldn’t take that either. That was the last time I drank moonshine with the boys. They asked but I refused and made new friends I could hang out with.

I lost track of old Snuffy for some years until I saw him one morning sleeping at the War Memorial. I didn’t at first know it was Snuffy but when I got close I knew it was him. My how he had changed over the years. My High School pal was in dirty smelly clothes and look like I felt the last time I had the taste of the shine. Every town has one and now I knew that Ballengee had one too. A town drunk. All I could think was what a waste of a life Snuffy had become. Every now and then I see him from time to time and I shamefully try to avoid contact. Snuffy was always a mess and always had his hand out.

Here, we have now Snuffy Smith weaving into the Church on the Knoll and falling into the front pew beside Brother John. Brother Simms looked at Snuffy and I suspect he felt that Snuffy was a lost tormented soul. I was sure that was a proper perspective. Martha who was sitting behind me whispered to Flo that she thought Brother Simms should ask Sunffy to leave. Flo replied that some of the men should carry him out. I know Johnny Crawford and I would but Brother Simms or John would have to make that decision first.

Every time Brother Simms started to speak Snuffy would fall forward from his seat and say he wanted to sing. Brother John would pull Snuffy back upright and place his finger on his lips to signal Snuffy to be quiet. This went on several times and then Brother Simms finally asked what song Snuffy wanted to sin. Snuffy slurred out “Jesus Died for Me” I had never heard of that hymn and wondered how Snuffy did. But Brother Simms had and asked where Snuffy had heard the song. From Hank, Hank sings that song.

Okay, Snuffy you sing that for us it’s okay. Snuffy near fell out of the pew to reach the podium but he stumbled up there. Reba Maxwell went to the piano and flipped a few pages and began to play the music. Then I remembered that Hank wrote that song and sang it with the Drifting Cowboys. By now Reba had played a bit and Snuffy hadn’t sung a word and we all held our silence and Reba continued to play.

When Reba began to start over Snuffy leaned on the podium and started to sing. I remembered the words as he sang them. “When everything goes wrong and it seems all hope is gone I remember how my Savior died, He died there on the cross so, this world would not be lost, Jesus died for me long ago.” As Snuffy sang the first praise he began to stand on his own and by the last, he was walking up and down the aisle singing to us individually. “Jesus died for me long ago on a hillside far away He was tortured and slain, God bless His Holy name Jesus died for me long ago.” When Snuffy finished he sat down and bowed his head and prayed.

Brother John moved over and sat next to Snuffy and prayed with him. Sister Mary brought over a handkerchief and Snuffy took it. Brother Simms gave a benediction and we all sang a final hymn. “Rock of Ages.” We all then filed out of the Church as Brother Simms said thank you, Barney. I felt like that was Brother Simms way of welcoming Snuffy back to life by calling him by his name.

I am now standing by the fireplace in my little cabin. Twisting around warming the coldness off my clothes and pausing to give heat to my aching back. As I slowly turn round and round I smell the buttermilk biscuits baking in the iron stove. The snapping of the fired chicken basking in the oil. And mother Mary humming Thank You, Lord. Yes, it was an amazing service at the Church on the Knoll. I could not help but wonder how many of us proud souls didn’t feel a conviction from the events of our service. Certainly, Martha and Flo did, maybe others but none worse than me.

All those years from High School till now that I spent my energies to avoid being anywhere near to Snuffy. All those years of stewing his brain with alcohol, living in the hidden places, not one friend to lend a hand up, and not I who knew and should have offered him an offer of God’s truth. How often we offer only condemnation, pitiful pity, a buck or two to keep him quite in his pain. Should we not be as the Samaritan and get down in the dirt with one and try to clean him up? Especially if we know them, know from where they have come, see where they are going, and have the key that might bring a change in their life.

Hank Williams was an alcoholic himself and wrote the words to a song that helped set another alcoholic’s life straight. “When everything goes wrong and it seems all hope is gone I remember how my Savior died, He died there on the cross so, this world would not be lost, Jesus died for me long ago.” Jesus went to the cross and died that Sunffy could be found and free. I wouldn’t even cross the street to give him that truth. Sunffy suffered until he had nowhere else to turn but to the Lord. I am humbled from my arrogance that kept me from sharing that truth.

Thomas N Kirkpatrick

Ballengee, November 21, 2018