Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1843-12-07
THE SUCCESSFUL GOING ON OF MAJOR
JONES COURTSHIP.
PAINEvILLE, Dec. 81, 1912.

! WI. AHoiDpSoH-Dtar Sr.-CfIsTnuS
is over, and the things dead. You know
| told you in my last letter | was gwne
to bring Miss Mary up to the chalk Girls
mus. Well, done il, as slick as whis-
tie, tho it cone mighty nigh bein a seri.
Gus undertaken. But IN tell you all abon,
the whole circumstance. The fact is, I'd
made my mind up more'n twenty times 10
j-s. 60 and come rite out with the whole
business, but whenever got where she
was, aad whenever she looked at me
with her witchin eyes, and kind o. blush
ed at me, always Eel. sort o. skeered
and family, and oil what made up 10 tell
her was forgot, so couldn't think of it
to save me. But you're married man
Mr.. Thomson, so couldn't tell you
nothing about poppin The question, ss they
call it. Its mighty great favor TO ak OF
lite pretty gal, and TO people as amt
used to IL, II goes monstrous hard, don't
II. They say widders don't mind it no
more'n nothin. But Pm maxim a trans.
erosion, as the preacher SOS.
Cismus eve put on my new suit and
shaved my face as slick as a smoothn
iron and went over to old Miss Stanley
As soon as went into the parler whar
they was all a sitting around the fire,
Miss Carline and Mss Kesiah both laugh
ed rite out
"There, there" scs they, 81 told you
so, knew it would be Joseph"
whats done Miss Carlinel" SEES /.
"You come under sisters chicken bone,
and | do believe she knew you was comm
when she put it over the door"
ono, dion't-I didn't, no such thing
now" ses Mss Mary, and her face blush.
ed red all over.
"Oh, you needn't deny it," SEES Miss
Resiah, ''you long TO Joseph, now, jes
as sure as theirs any charm in the chick
en- bones"
know that was first rate chance to
say somethn, but The deer little Greater
looked so sorry and KEEP blushin so,
couldn't say nothin zactly to the pint, SO
tuck chair and reached up and took
down the bone, and put it in my pocket.
"What are you gwine to do with that
bone now, Msjer?" ses Mss Mary.
''l'm gwne 10 keep it as long as live"
ses |, 'as Crlsmus pres nj from the
handsomest gal in Georgia
"When sed that she bushed worse
and worse.
"Aint you shamed, Majer?" ses she.
IN W you ought to give her Chris
mus gift, Joseph, to keep all her llfe," SEES
Miss Carine.
'Ah,' SEES old Miss Stanley, when was
a gal we used to hang up W. stockius'-
why molher' SEES all of 'em, TO say
stockins rite aiore-'
they was all blush as hard as they could.
'Highty.tily!' ses the old lady-'wha:
'fnement. I'D Ike to know what harm
there is in stockins. People nowadays
is getting so meaIymou,hed that they
can't call nothing by its name, and don't
see as they're any better than the old
time people was. VIII was gal like
you, child, us d to hang up my stockins
and get 'em full OF presents.
The gals kept laughin.
Never mind, SEES Miss May, The Ma
jer's got to give me Crismus gift wont,
you Majrrl'
oh, yes, Sos |, you know promised
you one
But didn't mean that ses SHE.
1--WE got one for you, what want you
TO keep all your life, but II would Ike a
three bushel bag 10 h Id it, ses |.
'Oh that's the kind, SEES she.
But will you keep it as long us you
liveP-says |.
Certainly will, Mejerl'
Now you hear that, Mss Carline, SEES
\; she ses she'll keep il all her life
Yes, l will, scs Mary hut what is III?
Never mind ses |, you hang up a
bag big enough to hold il and you'll find
out what Il is m he mornn.'
Miss Cafline winked at Miss Kesiah
and then whispered to her-:hen they
both laughed and looked at me as mis-.
chieveous as they could. They 'specte1
'somethin.
You'll, be sure to give Il 10 me now, if
hang up bag ses Miss Mary.
And you promise TO keep it ses |.
tWN, will, caus know you wouidn't
give me nothin that wasn't worth keepin.'
They all agreed that they would hang
up bag Tor me 10 put Miss Mary's Cns-
mus present in, in the back porch, and
about nine o'clock | ,old'em good even.
ing ana wen, home.
| set up till midnight, and when they
was all gone 20 bed wen, softly into the
back gate and went up to the porch, and
thar. shore enufi, was great big m al
bag bangln to the jice. 1t was monstrous
unhan ~ 10 git into il, but was tai mined
not to back out; SO ST some shairs on
top Of bench and got hold OF the rope
and lei myself down into the bag, bot Jest
as was g-ttin in, the bag swung agn the
chairs, and down they went with a terri
BILE racket. But nobody didn't wake up
but old Miss Stanley CRATE big cur dog.
and here he cum rIpin and tank through
the ystd like wrath, and round and round
he went tryiu to FIND what was the mat.
ter. sot down in the bag and did'nt
breathe louder nor kiltin, for fear he'd
6nG me out, and after a while he quit
barkin. The wind began to blow bomi-
nable col !, and the old bag KEEP turnin
round and swingin so j, maze me seasick
as the mischief. was fraid to move for
fear the rope would brake and let me fall,