on the silky couch, nothing electric happened as had happened that one and only time when Buddy moved in behind the magnet of his chocolate shadow. About that, no one said a thing to Essie—not Laura, Buddy, or Marietta. Now Marietta avoided Buddy.
The Tambourine Choir filled the new church with music, andMarietta became a part of the singing. When her mother introduced her to the congregation she had, all alone, begun a chorus of “Rise and Shine and Give God the Glory.” All the instruments and voices had supported her and the whole church sang too, along with the singing in Essie’s heart that her daughter had come to her at last. That night, taking advantage of the wave of wonder in the church, Laura chose to introduce the Lucky Texts of which Essie had no inkling. As Marietta took her seat in the banked choir loft and the singing died down and Essie sat fanning in her big red chair, Laura stepped forward and thanked God for Essie, Marietta, and the Tambourine Chorus.
“And now,” she said, “I’ve got something new for you, church. After this fine chorus that you are going to hear on the air waves of the nation soon, and before I introduce our up-and-coming TV quartet, the Gloriettas, I got a surprise for everybody, right out of the Book—the Bible. And not one, but four surprises. I am going to give you four texts for the week—Lucky Texts, picked out with prayer and meditation on my part from the Holy Book. For each Lucky Text, members and friends, I want you to drop a quarter—or a dollar for all four—in the tambourines as they pass. Girls of the Offeratory, circulate amongst the congregation for their free-will gifts.”
Essie leaned forward. “Laura, you gonna stop the services to take up a collection now?”
“I am,” whispered Laura. “This is a special collection, so just hold your horses, Essie.”
She turned again to the people, opened the big Bible on the rostrum and fingered its gilt-edged pages.
“Friends, I want you-all to write down the numbers of theseLucky Texts, and study these texts all during the week—until I give out some more next Sunday. Get your quarters ready, your dollar bills, and your pencils. Now write.”
Laura pretended to look at the Bible, wetting her thumb to turn its pages, but what she really looked at was a slip of paper she had lying on the rostrum.
“Psalms 9 and 20,” she said. “Got that? 9 and 20. Now drop a quarter in the tambourines. For each text a quarter. Give God His, folks, and you’ll get yours! … Next text: Leviticus 2-16, Chapter 2, verse 16. Take down all three numbers: 2-1-6. Twenty-five cents. You’ll have no luck if you don’t give God His’n. 2-16, yes! Aw, let ’em clink! Let the holy coins clink! … Now, again, ready? Revelations 12-3. Got it? 12-3. Let me read that text to you. Listen: ‘And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.’ What a text! What a mighty text! Revelations 12-3! Yes, one-two-three! And in the text itself,
seven
heads and
ten
horns—the number
seven
and the number ten. Look up this text yourself—Revelations 12-3. … And now the last one. Oh, what a great text, too—Sister Essie’s favorite! But I ain’t gonna tell you what this one is. Just write the number on your pads, then look it up yourself. Read it and see for yourself. So take the numbers down—Job 11-7. Carefully, now! Write it right—Job 11-7. I said 7, 7-11, or 11-7 either way. Yes, bless God, children! 11-7, that’s right. Job 11-7.”
The rhythm of Laura’s phrases and the magic of the numbers, the 3, the 11, and the 7 to top them all, caused many among the crowd to cry aloud “Thank you, Sister Laura! Thank you!Thanks, thanks! Thank you!” The tambourines were filled with money when the ushers returned to the rostrum. Laura estimated two, maybe three hundred dollars.
“There’ll be some numbers played tomorrow,” Buddy could
The Tambourine Choir filled the new church with music, andMarietta became a part of the singing. When her mother introduced her to the congregation she had, all alone, begun a chorus of “Rise and Shine and Give God the Glory.” All the instruments and voices had supported her and the whole church sang too, along with the singing in Essie’s heart that her daughter had come to her at last. That night, taking advantage of the wave of wonder in the church, Laura chose to introduce the Lucky Texts of which Essie had no inkling. As Marietta took her seat in the banked choir loft and the singing died down and Essie sat fanning in her big red chair, Laura stepped forward and thanked God for Essie, Marietta, and the Tambourine Chorus.
“And now,” she said, “I’ve got something new for you, church. After this fine chorus that you are going to hear on the air waves of the nation soon, and before I introduce our up-and-coming TV quartet, the Gloriettas, I got a surprise for everybody, right out of the Book—the Bible. And not one, but four surprises. I am going to give you four texts for the week—Lucky Texts, picked out with prayer and meditation on my part from the Holy Book. For each Lucky Text, members and friends, I want you to drop a quarter—or a dollar for all four—in the tambourines as they pass. Girls of the Offeratory, circulate amongst the congregation for their free-will gifts.”
Essie leaned forward. “Laura, you gonna stop the services to take up a collection now?”
“I am,” whispered Laura. “This is a special collection, so just hold your horses, Essie.”
She turned again to the people, opened the big Bible on the rostrum and fingered its gilt-edged pages.
“Friends, I want you-all to write down the numbers of theseLucky Texts, and study these texts all during the week—until I give out some more next Sunday. Get your quarters ready, your dollar bills, and your pencils. Now write.”
Laura pretended to look at the Bible, wetting her thumb to turn its pages, but what she really looked at was a slip of paper she had lying on the rostrum.
“Psalms 9 and 20,” she said. “Got that? 9 and 20. Now drop a quarter in the tambourines. For each text a quarter. Give God His, folks, and you’ll get yours! … Next text: Leviticus 2-16, Chapter 2, verse 16. Take down all three numbers: 2-1-6. Twenty-five cents. You’ll have no luck if you don’t give God His’n. 2-16, yes! Aw, let ’em clink! Let the holy coins clink! … Now, again, ready? Revelations 12-3. Got it? 12-3. Let me read that text to you. Listen: ‘And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.’ What a text! What a mighty text! Revelations 12-3! Yes, one-two-three! And in the text itself,
seven
heads and
ten
horns—the number
seven
and the number ten. Look up this text yourself—Revelations 12-3. … And now the last one. Oh, what a great text, too—Sister Essie’s favorite! But I ain’t gonna tell you what this one is. Just write the number on your pads, then look it up yourself. Read it and see for yourself. So take the numbers down—Job 11-7. Carefully, now! Write it right—Job 11-7. I said 7, 7-11, or 11-7 either way. Yes, bless God, children! 11-7, that’s right. Job 11-7.”
The rhythm of Laura’s phrases and the magic of the numbers, the 3, the 11, and the 7 to top them all, caused many among the crowd to cry aloud “Thank you, Sister Laura! Thank you!Thanks, thanks! Thank you!” The tambourines were filled with money when the ushers returned to the rostrum. Laura estimated two, maybe three hundred dollars.
“There’ll be some numbers played tomorrow,” Buddy could
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