Smyrna times. [volume] (Smyrna, Del.) 1854-1987, 1861-03-07
Jimmy Waddle's First Courtship.

my young days. | should rather guess l was
In tor 'em some myself them times.
This was said by an old man, whom we shall
introduce as James Waddle. Everybody knows
hun, excepting the reader.) and his penchant
for yarn-spinning. 1t is the evening of militia
training day. There is goodly number, after
the Company is dismissed from duty, who are
lOunging around the aforesaid old Jim, to
whom he has already began the prelude, and
only awaits somebody to urge him on. There
are enough 10 do this He then inquired what
they would haVe-One of his huntln or court
in sprees! The boys unanimously demanded
the latter. Then, after requesting that none
OF them should laugh till he got through, with
few preparatory hens, aud an assuming OF
comically grave face, Il wish | could repeat
his language VerbGtim ct HterGtim,) he com.
menced:
"When | wur boy, you know daddy moved
from Vlra to Kentuck. I'D been born and
fetched up on the frontier, and Kentuck was
paradise for me to hunt bars in. Well. though
| was always cuItih' up some devtry among
The boys, yet, somehow, l was little shy and
skeery among the gals. | liked the critters
prodglously. but the only way could manage
to show II was by casin' sleeps eyes in
abundance at 'em. We had meetln's and frol-
ice sometimes. While the preacher was
PiCdShiu OIOtueIiy'hluu"
ness and love, was thinkln' Of nOthln' else.
| used to set where ] could look the gals in the
face, and gaze at some purity Que till she
bIushed as red as pepper-pod. Then | felt
so queer about the glzzard, end wished an
earthquake would cum an throw me on her
lap. | was 10 love, but couldn't tell who |
loved the most. There was Peggy Mason ham
er, mighty iGe gal even in her tow linen
tr0ck. her face was as full as China pigs,
, aud red a turkey gobler's; and thur was
Sally Perkins, with her glorious striped home.
made cotton trOck, besides her hair and eyes
as black as ink f; and there was dlmpled check.
ed, blue-eyed Louie Smith. who always toted
her shoes ~ her hand I'll she got in sg ht o. the
meeIin'. Well, of these | couldn't tell which
. liked the besi-sUmellnes one, and some
times another, but ulluz he last one looked
at.
But when Squire Crumpion came TO our
diggIns, his TWO gels took the sh me off all The
rest on 'em-'specaliy the one called Betsey.
| shan't attempt to describe her-but when
| tell you she had calico frock with yaller
flower as big your hand, brass ear hobs, be-
sides half dozen STRAINS of beads as large as
r your shtIie finger, you may think she was a
charmer-I did anyhow. OF all the magnum
bonum characters | ever seed, she was the
magnum bOnumest! And so all the young
7. tellers ssid 10. When | fust seed her, il was
at Deacon SlnOk's meetin'. I fastened my eyes
on her till hers met mine. She looked stead
lastly, then smiled and blushed and looked
6 down. Lord! but there was fu;terin' equal
to that OF a saw mill tween my two jacket
: pockets! felt was a gOner.
= From that hour | was too big for my breech
es, and Of Sunday borrowed dads breecheG
he'd been married in aiore the Revolutionary
! war, and cut off at the knees; but as he was
8 tall, aud | worn't, they come below mine two
:, or three inches.
Il Agin the next meelin' was prepared to Gu
n big stiff Sal, for that purpose, starceed anC
q lroned my new fine shirt s slick as a sheet oil
. new tin. This shirt had the finest kind of fla
linin in the bosom and coler, but the invisible
. part was of coarse tow, with hem that would
M cable a steamboat. Now while Sal was
smoothin' The wrinkles near the aforesaid heu
# with an iron just from the fire, down stair
N lumbIed one Of the tarnal brats, knocking lh'
a breath out of it. II was Saturday night, ant
as she was the only one up, she run 10 il o
i. Course, but before il cum 10, the iron had de
as cidedly made it's mark-Ihat is, burnt two hole
/. IN the extremity of the linin.
Next mornin' | put it on as it was, thei
dads true blues, then The first regular pair u
-. shoes I'd had. was just seventeen that Sun
t. day norma, and in my Sunday rggln' fel
myself a man. AID was resolved If Betse
=, Crumpton was at meei'n' TO show it Wei
~ - she was thar, and axed for her company. an
u' got il! Walkin' by her side. felt light a
~, nOIhin'-scaTcely techt the earth walked OF
~ But shan't tell you the fine things | though
- aud said to her on the way, and after we &c
= heme.
ofl "Oh, yes, do 80 said several voice..
,ill No, you'll have enOugh-you're TO get II
~, cream of the story yet.
n, Sne kept the up quite late, shy two o'cloc
no and in spue Of the novelty, (it being the frs
ng | got sleepy. Now the squire had just con
me TO the parIs, aad put up one story, one roo
81 log ca bin, aud oil the family, cept some OF ii
young 'une, slept below. was lItlle has
on, tuI about going to bed thar, but | was thru
+, miles from hume aud it was raining like BIZ
lar blazes, and had to do it, aud did it without e.
in posIn' the blanks Of my linen. resolved TO
no up in the mornin' on the same account, al
nd | some others.
w. That was the last know'd, till Weakened
inc The hounds (haIf dozen of which slept md
lch my he"d) pullln' the klver OFT ofme. Holy J
,r,d pier! the sun two hours high, breakfast on q
or table, aud me 10 bed. Just as was going
ISL. spring out, 10 pops the old woman with pIa
ing OF venison. II was dog days, you know, al
she cooked in a shaniy. possumed sleep
she went out again. and then looked for q
trowsers. Thar they was in the jnws OF
ius , pups, at the foot OF the bed | made migt
WIZ iunge over the { obosrd TO retake EN-. but
lte" horrors my head down and heels up! WI
'eI' 10 the matter! thinks 1 : but it flashed acre
,o'' me ia moment that the holes 10 my liz
Oe' was over the post, and tall one, tn! kick
sau' aud houndered. but all to no purpose. co,
per not get down; | strained to break the he
~ but II wasIogoI ~.
oy just now II the hounds commenced yell
''o so furi0usly, III 1 the old woman and both g
Iun- cao,. r,nni,, - 90 sec vvbat was nm. nd VIII
and ,h,,,'..,sd !; 80. - ,bav run on, ngain. q
ried 80, "a Ill. a., ,Ss Sonire while ,
others, Though the cracks, with 6shin' pol
battled the cussed hounds that was wool
rnor ale Oh! thoughlof Absolem. aud eve
IN h body else that ever did hing by the hair OF
, of head---a consolation hadn't! I'D i Gust
fafa like Rattan hui L ranlamhered hslona