Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1861-04-04
MstelLaneous.
LOVE IN THE BACK WOODS
Jenny WaddIe's First COurtship.

Talking of sprees, boys, puts me in
mind of my younger days. l should
rather guess was rather in for 'em some
myself, them times
This was said by an old man, whom
we shall introduce as Mr.. James Waddle.
Everybody knows him excepting the
reader, and his penchant for spinning
yarns.
1t is the evening of militia training
day, Here is a goodly number after the
company is dismissed from duty, who are
lounging around the aforesaid old jim,
to whom he has already began the pre-
lude, and only awaits somebody to urge
him to go on. There is enough to do
this. He then inquired what they would
have-one of his huntin' or his courtin'
sprees? The boys unanimously demand
ed the latter. Then after requesting that
none of them should laugh till he got
through. with few preiactory hens,
and an assuming of comical grave face
q wish l could repeat his languago,) he
commenced.
When was boy, you know daddy
moved from Virginia to Kentucky. I'd
been born and fetched up on the frontier,
and Kentucky was paradise for me to
hunt bears in.
But forgot-you want courtin' sto-
Iy, Woll. although | was cuttin up
some dcviltry among the boys, yet some
how | was little shy and skeery among
the gals. liked the critters prodigious
ly, but tho only way could manage to
show it was by castn' sleeps eyes in
abundance at 'em. We had meetins' and
frolcs, sometimes. While the preacher
was preachin' eartedness, brother
ly kindness and love, l was thinking OF
nothing else. used to sit where | could
look the gals in the face and gaze at some
purity one till she blushed as red as pep
per pod. Then | felt so queer about the
, gizzard, and wisht an earthquake would
come and throw me on her lap. l was
in love, but couldn't tell who | loved the
most.
There was Peggy Masonhammer, a
mighty fine gal even in her tow linen
frock, her face was full as chinapig's
and red as a turkey -gobbler's; and thar
""' ''"iJ VI mus WIN htt hlilDtu
homemade cotton frock beside her hair
and eyes were as black as ink; and there
was dimpled- cheek, blue-eyed Lou Smith
who always toted her shoes on her head
till she got in sight of the meetin.'
"Well, of these couldn't tell which |
liked best--somctimes one and sometimes
another, but alluz the last one looked
at. But when Squire eruption come to
our diggings. his two gals took the shine
off all tho rest on 'em-'specially the one
called Betsy. shan't attempt to dis
cribe her-but when | tell you she had a
calico frock with yaller flower as big
as your hand--brass ear-bobs, besides
half-a-dozen strans of beads as large as
the end of your little finger, you may
think she was II charmer-I did anyhow.
OF all the magnum bonum characters
I'd ever seed. she was the magnum bon
umcst And SO all the young fcllers said
tn.
When fust seed her it was at Dea
con Smok's meetin'. fastened my eyes
on her TIL hers met mine--she looked
steadiastly, then smiled and blushed, and
looked down. Lord! but there was hut-
term equal to that of a saw mill tween
my two Jacket pockctsl | felt l was u
goner. From that hour | was too big
for my breeches and of Sundays bor-
rowed Gad's breechos he'd been married
IN aiore tho revolutionary war, and come
off at the knees--but he was tall, and
warn't and they come below mine two or
three inches. Agin the next meetin'
was prepared to cut big stiff; Sal for
that purpose starched and ironed my
new fine shirt as click as u sheet of new
tin. This shirt had the finest kind of
flax linon in the bosom and collar, but
the invisible part was Of coarse tow.
with hem that would cable steamboat.
Now, while Sal was smoothin', the
wrinkles near the aforesaid hom, with an
iron Just from the fire, down stairs tum-
bled one Of tho darned brats, knocking
the breath out of it. 1t was Saturday
night, aud she was the only one up. She
ran to it of course. but before it come to.
the iron had decidedly made its mark
that is, burnt two holes in the extremity
of the linen. Next mornin' put it on as
i, was--then dads true blues, then the
first pair Of shoes ever had
was just seventeen that Sunday NOR
min. and in my Sunday riggin felt my self
a man. and was resolved. il Betsy Crump.
ton was at moetin' to show it.
Well. she was thar, and axed her
Tor her company-and got it. Walk
IN by her side. felt as light as nothin
hardly techt the earth l walked on. But l
shant tell the fine things thot and
said to her on the way, and more after we