The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1860-04-25
MISCELLANEOUS.
Barney O,Balentine and the Devil.

BY SAM SLICK, ESQ.
Well, there lived an old woman some
years ago at Musquash Greek, in South
Carolina that had tortin and an only dar.
ter. She was a widder, a miser and drum
ker She was very good and very cross, as
many riteous pious people are, had loose
tongue and tite pus Of her own. All the
men that looked at her darter she tho't had
an eye to money, and she warn't far out OF
the way mother, for it seems as if beauty
and money are too much to go together in
general way. Rich gals and handsome
gals are seldome good for nOthin' else but
tn ir cash or their looks. Pears and peach
es are not often found on the same tree,
tell you.
She lived all alone the most, with nobody
but her darter and her in the house, and
some old Niger slaves in a hut near at hand;
and she seed no company she could help.
The only place they went, in general way
was meeting; and Jerusha never missed
that, for it was the only chance she had
sometimes to get out alone.
Barney had most beautiful voice and
always went there, too, to sing alone with
the gals; and Barney, hearin Of the fortin
of Miss Files, made up to her as fierce as
possible, and sang so sweet, and talked SC
sweet, and kissed so sweet that he soon
stood number one with the heiress. But he
did not often get chance to walk home
with her, and when he did, she darsn't let
him come in for fear of the old wOman-
But Barney warn't to be put off that way
long When gals in one pastur, and a
lover in another, it's high fence that they
can't get over, that's fact.
"Tell you what says Barney, "sit up
alone in the keepin' room, Jerusha, dear, ar
ter old mother has gone to bed, put out the
light, and I'll slide down on the rope from
the trap door in the roof. Tell her that you
are exercised in your mind, and want to
mediate alone, as the words you have
heard this day have reached your heart" j"
Jerusha was frightened to-death almost
but what won't woman do when a lover S
in the way? So that very night she told
the old woman she exercised in her mind
and would wrestle with the spirit.
"Do, DEAR says the mother, land you
won't think of the vanities of dress and
idle company no more. You see how have
given them all up since ! made profession,
and never so much as talk of 'em now, or
even thinks Of EN-"
Strange, Squire, amt it? But it's much
easier to cheat ourselves than to cheat the
devil. That old hag was too stingy to buy
a dress, but persuaded herself it was bein'
too good to wear it.
Well, the house was flat-roofed house,
and had u trap-door in the ceilin' over the
keepin' room, and there was crane OH the
roof, with rope to pull up things to spread
out to day.
AS soon as the lights were out, and Bar
ney thought the old woman was asleep, he
crawls on the house, opens the trap-door,
and let's himself down by the rope, and he
and Jerusha sat down on the hearth in the
chimney corner courtin', or, as they call it
in them diggns, "snitlin ashes.' When
daylight began to show, he went up the
rope hand over hand, hauled itup after him,
closed the trap-door, and made himself
scarce.
Well, all this went on as slick as could be
for while, but the old woman seed that
her darter looked pal, as if she hadn't
sleep enough, and there was no gettin' her
up in the mornin, and when she did she
was gapin' and so dull she hadn't word
to say. She got very uneasy about it at
last, and used to get up in the night some
times, and call her darter aud make her go
to bed, and once or twice came plaguy near
catchin' of them.
So what does Barney do, but takes two
niggers with him when he went after that,
and leaves them on the roof, and iastens u