American Republican and Baltimore daily clipper. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1844-1846, 1845-06-07
From the ST. Louis Reveille.1
n f T T LIE 30 TTOM BALL


"Well, it are a fact, boys" said Jim Skies
"that promised TO tell you how | cum to git
out in these Platte digsins, and | speculate you
mout as well have it at onst, kase it's bin trou-
bin my conscience amazn' to keep it kiver'd
up The AFFAIR." raised essy in Nette Bottom,
and old Sam Stokes yell, where he swar he'd
'chaw me up gives my meat slight sprnklin'
of ager whenever think on it,"
"You see, thar wur a small town called
Equality, in lllintse, that some spectators star
ted near Nettle Bottom, cos thar wur a spon-
taneos salt lick IN the dggns, and no sooner
did they get it agoin' and build some stores and
groceries thar than they wagon'd from Cincin-
nate and other upstream villages, a pacel of
fellers to attend the shops, that looked as nice,
alI'ays, as if they wur gon' to meetin' or on
courtn' frolc, and, salt their peters, they
wur atarnally pokin' up their noses at us boys
OF the Bottom. WE'LL they got up ball in the
village, est to interduce themselves to the gals
round the neighborhood, and invited few on
us to make contrary picter to themselves, and
so shine US out of site by comparison. AFTER
that ball thur want any thin talked on among
the gals but what nice elers the clerks in
Equality wur, and how nice and slick they
wore their har, and their shiny boots, and the
way they stirrupp'd down their trowsers You
couldn't go to see one on em that she wouldn't
stick one Of these fellers at you, and keep a
talkn' how sick they looked. 1t got to be
partect pizzen TO hear of, or see the critters aud
the boys got together at last to see what was to
be done-the thing had grown partectly alar
min AT last a meetin' was agreed on, down
to old JAKE Bents'
con next Sunday night, instead of takin'
the gals to meetin whar they could see these
tellers, we left 'em at home, and met at Jake's,
and am of the opinion thur was some congre-
gated wrath thar-whew! want they?
"'Razors and scissors!' says Mike Jelt, 'let's
60 down and lick the town, rite strait
"'Non hollered Dick Bats, 'let's kitch these
slick badgers comm out of meetin' and tare the
hide and feathers off on emf
"'Why, d-n 'em what dye think, boys
busted in old Jake. Il swar if they amt larnt
our gals to wear starn cushions only this morn
in | caught my darter Sally putin one OH and
tyn' it round her. She thot was asleep, but
| seed her, and made the jade repudiate it,
and no mistake-quicker!"
"The boys took a drink on the occasion, and
Equality town was slumberin', for short spell,
over contiguous yearthquake. At last one
of the boys proposed before we attacked the
town, that we should get up ball in the Bot
tom, and jest out-shine the town chaps, all to
death, afore we swallowed 'em. 1t was hard
to gin in to this proposition, but the boys cum
to it at last, and every Teller started to put the
AFFAIR." agoin'
81 had bin long spell hankerin' arter old
Tom Jones' darter, on the branch below the
Bottom, and she was a crlttCr good for weak
eyes-maybe she hadn't pair of her own
well if they warn't brace Of movin' light
houses, wouldn't say it-there was no cacu-
latin the extent or handsomeness of the family
that gal could bring up around her, with fell
Ter like me look arter 'em. Talk about grace
fulness, did you ever see maple sapln' movn'
with south wind? 1t warn't crooked stick
to compar' to her, but her old dad was awful
He could Jest lick anythin' that said boo, in
them diggins, out-swar satan, and was cross as
a she bar, with cubs He had a little hankern'
IN favor Of the fellers in town, too, fur they gin
him presents of powder to hunt with, and he
was precious fond of usin' his sEootn' iron.
detarmin'd, anyhow, to ask his darter, Betsy,
to be my partner at the Nettle Bottom Ball.
"Well, my sister, Marth, made me bran
new pair of buckskln trousers to go in, and
rle my pictur, eff she didn't put stirrups to 'em
to keep 'cm down. She said straps wur the
fashion and should ware 'em. jest felt with
'em on as eff had somethn' pressin' on me
DOWNFALL my joints wur sot tight together,
but Marth insisted, and knew | could soon
uaHCe ell OH, SO 1 gun III, anu stdTleu OH W
the branch for Betsy Jones.
"When | arriv, the old fellar wur sittin'
smokn' arter his supper, and the younger
Jones' wur sittin' round the table takin' theirs.
A whappin' big pan of mush stood rite in the
centre, and a large pan of milk beside it, with
lots of corn bread and butter. Betsy was help
in the Youngsters, while old Mrs. Jones sot by
admirn' the family collection. Old Tom
took hard STAR at me, and kind shook,
but the straps stood it, and l recovered myself
and gin him as good as he sent, and wur
near the door and ready to break eff he show'd
fight.
/" What the thunder are you doin' in dis
giss, says the old mamie swore dreadtully-
fare you comm down here to steal?'
81 rled up at that Says |, 'ef war comm
for SIGH purpose, you'd be the last I'd hunt up
to steal off on,
"You'r right says he, I'D make hole to
light your innards, eff you did, And the old
savage chuckled. meant because he had no.
thin worth stealin', but his darter, but he
tho't twas cos was afear'd on him.
swell, purity soon | gether'd up and told
him what cum down fur, and invited him to
cum up and take drink and see that all went
on rite. Betsy was in an awful way fur fear
he wouldn't consent. The old oman here
spoke in favor of the move, and old Tom
thought of the ticker and gin in to the mea-
sure. Of bounced Betsy up ladder into the
second story, and onee Of the small gals with
her, to help put on the fixups. / sot down in