Iowa capitol reporter. [volume] (Iowa City, Iowa) 1841-1855, 1851-12-10
Love i'm the Back woods.
OR JIMMY wADpLE's FIRST couRrsnir.


"ralkn' O sprcss, boys, puts me in mind o
my young days, should rather guess was
in for 'cm some, myself them times.'
This was said by an old man whom we will
Introduce as Mr.. James Waddle, or rather as
cold Jim WaddIe." Every body Except the
reader) knows him and his penchant for yarn
spinning. 1t is the evening of q militia train
ing day. There are a goodly number, after the
company is dismissed from duty, who are
lounging around, and al gather round the
aforesaid old jim, to hear his yarn to which he
has already begun the prelude, and only awaits
somebody TO urge him to go on. This, there
are nough to do. He then inquired what
they would have-"onc O. hi, huntn' or cour.
tin sprees?' The boy unanimously demanded
the latter. Then, after requesting that none Of
them should laugh till he got through, with
few preparatory hens, and an assumption of
comically grave face he commenced q wish
| could report in his inmitabie language, ger.
batin ct Hteraiim
"Whcn were a boy, you know, daddy NOV
ed from Virginia to Kaintuck. I'd been born
and fouch up on the fruntcers, and kaintuck
was paradise for me to hunt bars and lnjins
in But forget, you want conrtin story
Well, altho | va, always cuttin up some
develtry among the boys, yet, somehow. was
little shy and skeerv amongst the gals.
liked the critters prodigiousy, but about the
only way could manage to show it, was by
ca.tin sleeps eyes in abundance at EN-. We
had mccln's as vel as frolcs sometimes
While the preacher Wa, prcachin' tenderheart
e.lness, brotherly kindness and love, wasn't
think'i in O. no:hin else. used TO set where |
could look at the gals in the face-and then
gaze at some purity one till she'd blush as read
as a pepper pot. Then ie! so queer about
the gzzard and wish'd an earthquake would
come and throw me right in her lap. | was in
love, but couldn't tell who | loved most
There was Peggy Masonhammer. mighty fine
gal, even in her tow-.inen frock, her cheeks
war as full as Chinna pigs and as red as
turkey gobb,crs and then thar was Sa "
Perkins, with her 9 'orlou>ly striped home made
cotton frock, beside, hcrhar aud eyes As black
lis ink; and then thar was dmple checked,
blue-cy'd Lotte Smith who always toted her
shoes and stockn's in her hands till she got in
sight o mectin.' Wei o these three couldn't
tell fo~ my life which liked best-sometimcs
one and sometimes anothcr-but alters the last
one looked at.
But when Squire Crompton come to our dig
gins, his two gals tuck the shine off the rest on
en-, specially his oldest one Betsey. l shant
attempt to describe her. but when tell you
he had a calico frock. with yal'cr flowers as
big as your hand, brass bobs besides a
bali dozen strans o beads as large as the
e"nd o your little finger, you may think she
was II charmer did anyhow. Of all the mag
num- Lonum charmcrs I'd ever seed, she was the
maynnm bonun,est, And so all the young fel-
lerS said tn. When | fust seed her twas at
Deacon Snook's mcctn.' | fastened my eyes
on her till hers met mine, she cooked stead
fas.ly then smiled charmin' smi c and blush'd
and iook'd down. Lordy there was Auttcrin
then, equal to i saw mill, 'tweenmy two jacket
pockets. felt was goner. From tina, hour
was two big for my breeches. of Sundays ]
borried dads brooches he'd been married in
before the Revolutionary War, aud come off at
hi~ knees, but as he was tall and warn't they
come below mine three or four inches, Agin
the next meetin ! was prepared to cut a big
stiff; sister Sal. for the pupose slarched and
ironcd my new fine shirt as stiff and slick a
sheet of new tin. This shirt had the finest
kind of flax linen in the bosom and collar, bu
the invisible part of it was coarse tow, with ;
hem that would cable steamboat Now, Will,
Sal was smoothing The rinc!es near the sal hen
with an iron just hot from the fire, down staire
-rumbles one O. the farnal brats, knocking tn,
breath outn it. 1t was Saturday night, an,
she was the only one up. and run to it II
course. but aiorc it come to, the iron had mad
its mark--:hat is, burnt two holes in the eN
trenty of my linen. Next morniu' put it o
AS it was, then dad true blues, then the fus
reg'ar built par of o'shoes I'd ever had. l wa
seventeen Just. that Sunday mornin,' and in m
Sunday riggin', felt myself man. and was re
solved if Rctsey Crnmpton was at meetin'
pkow it. Well she was there, and / axt IL
her company, and got it! Walkin by her sid'
Ife't as light as enthusiastically touched III
ground walked on But slant tell the TN
tisgs thought and said TO her on the wa.
and n..re after We got home. ooh, yes, do,
said s.vcra! voices. No you'll have enoug
without ,hat--vou re 10 skim the cream off tn
ssory yet.
She kept me up late, say tws o'clock. an
spite of the novelty 1T being ti.c iust time)
got sleepy. Now the Squire had just come
the parts, and put up one story, one-roon'e
ln- cabin. d the whole family, 'cept some ID
voung ems slept below. was a lee,le ba>hf'
bout .wne to bed thar, hut was three mile
from, home, and it was rancn i!seb nc blaze
had to do it. and did without exfosin IL
blanks in my linen. / resolved to be up A'"'
anybody else in the morn'n ON TIE same q
count and some others.
Tina, was tbs last know'd till wakened
the hounds (half dozen of which slept aho'
the bed) apuliin the kivers offn me- fio'
hcaypns! the sun TWO hours h'gh-oreaS'a''