Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1856-10-16
~Mistelluneons,
From the parlor Caskct.
AUNT HANNAH'S C0URTSHIP.
= By CLARY AUGUSTA.


Well, Clara, let's see; it's been as much
as year since you was here, amt it" Yes,
remember now, it's a year and one week,
exactly; because I know had just finished
spinning my mixed wool-the last of the
fleece that growed on old Humpback-
Humpback was sheep that my husband,
poor, dear man, bought in York State Of an
auction feller, and we alters kept her wool
for the stocking yarn, because it was finer
than the other shecpscs' wool, and not SO
hubby.
"Wall, now the way that sheep died was
rally presbyterious 1t was one of the sew
en- wonders of this mighty universe. Iesee,
one morning yer uncle, he says to me, very
suddenly, sez he, Hannah, l kinder feel as
if old Humpback wouldn't survive long !;
she's been ailin' good while, aud you d
better be savin' of that wool of hern, and
knit the tops and toes of yer stockings out
of white
Il poohed at him, and sez 7, Law Mica
jah, the sleeps well enough. DO put on
yer boots and go to the barn if ye're a goin'
to-day. Don't set there srai6ng ashes any
longer
sYe see, Micajah had wonderful habit
of gettin UP and settin down by the fire in
, his stockiu feet, and, with boot in each
hand, there he'd set till got breakfast red
dy. Now I never allowed myself to get in
the habit of scoldin, but it alters did raise
my 'ebeneezer' to see anybody settin round
in their stocking feet, forif there's anything
l hate it's darning up old stockings.
sAt this ere broad hint he pulled on his
boots awful spry aud went out. I kept on
gettin breakfast. I can remember jest as
we'll as if it were but yesterday what was
cookin-bilcd perteters; we did use to raise
the best rartaters that ever you seed; there
was the pink-eye, and the cranberry, and
the mango, and the rohan, aud the long red,
aud don't know what all. Wall, l was
bilin pertaters, and then had pork, good,
fat, salt pork to fry; we alters got our pork
so fat that the pork would fry itself; none of
yer suthern stuff 7 can tell ye. Then l had
sassengers and good corn bread, and some
baked beans that was left of our dinner the
dayafore. alters gathers up the fragments,
for I do think it is sin to waste vittels. I
remember I had just put them beans into
bowl to warm, when in rushed Micajah, his
eyes terribly strained, ana his mouth open
jest for all the world as if he was a ketching
flies, and se7 he
sOh, Hannah, she's dead Humpback's
dead! poor old faithful crittcr, she's gone at
last
i was dumbfounded. dropped down on
cheer, and sez |, sakes alive, Micajah I
haint felt so bad since the very time that de-
sateful Poll Hammerton told me that it was
sartin fact that you and Emmeline Pep
perell was ingaged. Dear, dear, how solem-
nized l did feel then. About what Poll told
me, ] mean. Thought of all the poetry I
had ever read, and how disappointed ones
alters drowned themselves in some willer
hordered lake; so I ondid my hair to make
me look rhumatic, and wont down to the
frog pond in our pastur'-but there, this
has nothin' at all to do with old sheep, has
it? declare I never was guilty of emf
grating from my subject so afore. do think
if anybody calkerlates to tell story they'd
better tell it, and not 60 off on some long
rigmarole after nothin. Now there's the
Widder Richards, she's the greatest case to
tell story that ever you seed. She'll go all
over creation tellin nothin aud that critter
actilly thinks that my Cicero Eldad is goin
to be ketched in her yaller false curls.-
There, it almost decomposes Mo to think of
it; that critter my sons wife! I'd rather
marry him to painted rag-bag and be done
with it. They do say that it is fact that
she dabs her face with butter milk to make
it look white, and rubs her cheeks in mul-
len leaves to make 'em look red, and puts lie
on her hair; and, and--let's see, where did
leave off? About where my poor, demen.
ted husband camein looking so solemncholy.
Why he looked for all the world jest as he
did great while ago when he asked one
time afore we was married-but there, I
might tell ye as we'll as not, how I cum to
hev yer uncle and then. you'll know all a
bout it.
'Ye see, I was born and brought up to
Tattleville, and yer uncle lived over to Pun
kin City. They alters called it Punkin City
because the folks over there had good deal
to dew with punkins. They used to say that
Punkin City folks made all their bread out
Of punkins, used the leaves for pie kivers,
the stalks for clothes pins, and the shells
only think Of it, child, they hadn't single
dish but what was punkin shell.
But there, you know if folks couldn't talk
they couldn't say nothiu; and taint no use
to believe everything you hear.