Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1856-04-02
MAJOR JONES.


PIsEvILLE, May 2Sth, 1912.
To MR. THOMPSON Dear Sir-Eyer sense
you was down to Pineville, it's been on my
mind to write you a letter. but the boys 'low-
ed I'd better not, cause you mought take me
of bout my spellin' and dictionary. But
something happened to me t'other night, SO
moostrous provokin', that I can't help tellin'
you about it, SO you can put other young chaps
on ther gard. 1t all cum Of chewin' so much
tobacker, and l reckon I've wished there was
no sich plagy stuff, more'n FIVE hundred times
sense it happened.
You know the Stallinses lives on the planta-
tion in the summer and goes to town in the
winter. Well, Mss Mary Stallins, who you
know is the darlinest gal in the county, cum
home t'other day to see her folks. You know
she's been to the Female College, down to Ma
con, for most year now. Before she went,
she used to go fshin' and huckleberryin' with
Us, with nothin' bat a calico sun-bonnet on,
and was the widest thing you ever saw. Well,
always used to have sort of a sneakin' no.
ton of Mary Sts.llins, and SO when she cum,
] brushed up, and was 'terInined to have
rite serious talk with her bout old matters
not KNOWN but she mought be captiyated by
sone of them Macon fellers.
80, sure enough, off ] started, unbeknowin'
to ane body, and rode rite over to the planta-
tion-(you know ours is rite jinin the widder
stallins) Well, when got thar, 1 felt little
sort o. sheepish; but I soon got over that,
when Miss Carlne said (but she didn't mean
nis ts hear her,) ''There Pinney, CHATS Miss
Aary's nickname, you know,) there's your DO
sone.''
Miss Mary looked mighty sort O. redish when
shuck her hand and told her howdy and she
made a sort of a stoop over and a dodge back,
like the little gals does to the school-marm,
and said 'sGood cvenn', Mr.. Jones'" (she
used to always call me jest Joe.)
''Takc chair, Joscph,'' said Miss Carline
and We set down in the parlor, and begun to
talk to Miss Mary bout Macon, and the long
ride she had, and the bad roads, and the mon
strous hot weather, and she like.
She didn't say much, but was in a mighty
good humor and laughed heap. 1 told her ] |
never seen sich change in anybody. Nor
never did. Why, she didn't look like the
samo gal-good gracious she looked so nice |
and trim-jest like some Of them pictures in |
Mr. Graham's Magazine with her hair all lzona
Cd down longside her face, as slick and shiney
as mahogany burow. When she laughed |
she didn't opal her mouth like she used TO
as.d set up straight and still in her chair, and |
looked so different, but SO monstrous pretty!
1 ax'd her heap Of questions, bout how she
liked Macon, and the Female College, and so
forth; and she told me a heap bout 'em. But
old Miss Stallins and Miss Carline and Miss
Kesish, and all of 'em, KEEP all the time inter
ruptin' us, akin bout mother-if she was we'll
and If she was gwine to the Spring Church next
Sunday, and what luck she had with her soap,
spG ell gich stuff-and do believe told the
old woman's old turky-hen was settin on four
teen eggs.
Well, wasn't to be backed out in that-a
way-so KEEP it goin' the best | could. iii
binlety old Miss Stallins let her knIttin' fan
three or four times, and then begun to nod and
snap back like fshin-pole that was all the
lime gitin bites. / seed the gals lookin' at
one another and pinchin one another'g elbows, I
ind Miss Mary said she wondered what time {
I was, and said the College disciplines, or {
'omefhin' like that, didn't low late hours.
iced how the game was gwine-but howsum- ]
.yer, KEEP talkin' to her like cotton gin in '
,ackin' time, as could clip it, It'll bimeby 1
he old lady went to bed, and arteP bit the t
,als all cleared, and left Miss Mary to herself $
That was jest the thing wanted. c
Well, she sot on one side of the fire. place
nd sot on t'othcr, so / could spit on the
arth, war ther was notlin' but q lightered n
hunk burnin' to give light. Well, we talked "
nd talked, and l know you would like to hear
II we talked about, but that would be too
ong. WhenI I'm very interested in any thing,
r git bother'd about anything, 1 can't help
hawin a heap Of tobacler, and then spits Ii
ncontionable, specially if Pm talkin Well e
re sot thar and talked, and the way spit, was il
'rmen to the crickcts! Taxed her if she had Il
ny boes down to Macon. it
ooh, yes" she said, and then she went on g
nd named over Matthew Aatix, Nat. Filoso- o.
T, Al. Geber, Retric Stronomy. and a whole ii
cap Of fellors, that she'd been keepin' ccm- d.
any with most all her time. ri