Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1861-11-21
YALLEn CmcK, o., Nov. II, 1861.

MY DrER MisrRRss MNK tit is with cart
load OF pleasure that talk my pen in hand to
write to you. We are all in good condition, and
hope these few lines ma find you enjoycn the
same blessen. ...
must tell you about sister Bctsy's courtship
and marriage. You don't know Betsy, reckon
The darter of Philecome Smith--my dad-and a
lawful and full.grown sister of me. She is the
Oldest darter of which dad and nam was ever
proprictors Well, Bets was a rale witch of gal
"A most everlastin sweet gal was Bets--you'll
seldum see more out and out complete critter
than Bets--she was fust chop, rae upper crust,
and no mistake, with rs extensiv crinoline as any
on em, and as full of fun and frolick as kitten.
Well, Jake Kelly, old Dan Kelly's sun, was a
courtn sister Bets, and he farey turned the gals
he'd. Jake was desperate idle, good for nothin.
do.litte sort of feller, but the more we wanted
Bets to give him up, the more she declared she
woodent do It, and we got pleggy Uneasy about it,
for his caraktcr wasent nun ov the best. He was
general circulatn medium among the gals--tha
oil sed he was sich nice young man-tho he
he dident behave very purity neither--forgetten to
marry where he hadent OF to forget by darned
site.
At last, one evenin. when he cum courtin, dad
sed to him. "Jake," and sez Jake "Whatp Aud
sez he, "Jake, you'll never cum to no good if you
continer to act like old skratch, as you do you
aint fit to cum into decent mans hous, and I'd
like to hav the room you ocherpy left vacant I'd
ten times sooner have your room than your com
pany."
"Now DON'T" scd Jake, (he was a jofred slick
cuss,) ''now don't say no more about that-Fm
gon to settle right down and take farm"
"Yes," sez dad, "and you Good stock it, too,
by all accounts-but it won't do. tell you for
now and everlastin that you must Civ up all thots
of Bets from this till Gabriel blows his horn"
When Bets heerd this she nit away like mad,
and tried to bite in her breth, and look as if there
was nothin pertickler in the wind-then she blush.
ed all over like the scarlet fever-then the cutler
Gums and goes like the Northern Litcs, till she
was white as chock, and down she fell ker'
slumpus on the fore in q fanten fit.
"I see ;" sez dad, 81 see how it is, and he made
pull at the old sword what hung on the jost
1--WE used to call it old .Bunker,) and drawn it ou
made clip at him as wicked as if he was stabbir
a rat with hay fork--but Jake he outs of the
door like streak Of lie and pulls it to after him
and dad sends old Bunker clean thru the pannel
an chop you as fine as mince meet, you ver,' u
sez he, ,"if ever ketch you inside my door again
mind what tell you, you'll swing for it yet"
Well Jake made himself cansderabel skarse
after that and our folks kinder thot he had Civ
up all hoaps ov Bets, and she ov him. When one
!, nite-gerushy but it was a dark nite--as was
body tocken to Bets thru the winder Well,
stoned and listened, and | swan to man, who
shood be near the cherry tree but Jake Kelly per
swaden Bets to run off with him to Steubenville
20 get married. 1t was all settled atween 'em--
and he was to cum that mite to the gate with Q
hoss and buggy and help her out OF the winde
at O'clock the time she comenly went to bed
Then he kissed her hand and of he shot on bubble
quick.
Well, kalkerlated over the matter awhile t.
know how Good rcciprocate that trick, and a
last it struck me as forciby as brick wood hi
l
in "Mind Jake you'll swing fort yet" and js
kalkerlated wood make that protest cum true
eny how. So jst slips out and bends down
branch of cherry tree under Bets winder, ant
=, fastens it with notched peg and moose, and pu
slip knot jist over to the winder, so Jake Good
ent git there without tumblin inter it.
Well, list as the clock struck nine, SEE |, Betsy
hold this here hank ov yarn mint, want TO q
it wound off for the women's aid society to mali
into stockens for the solgers, that's dear crter
So she sets down her kandle, and kommencec
to wind and wind ever SO slow and drops the bal
every now and then to keep her down stairs
"Jonathan," sez she, 81 do believe you won =
wind that yarn off tonight; VOW l can't stay
any longer Pm nearly dead asleep"
, clark" sez I, "what's that? Pm sure hero
sumthing in the cherry tree, didn't you ~
81 herd the geese there, that's all, sez she
"thev cum under the winder at nte," But she
looked skeercd enough, and sez she, 81 vow I'm
tired holden out my arms this way, and won't dc
it no longer" and she throwd the hank of yarn OF
the floor swell" sez |, 'stop mint, till sent
old Pompey out to see if any body is there"
Old Pompey went out, tho Bets scd it was NJ
use, but soon cum runnin in with his wool standi
on end and mis- eyes as big as the rim of 500
late, ooh, Cor Ormity - sez Pompey, "Oh
massa oh, Miss Betsy" sez he, "What o.
arth is the matter of you 7" sez Betsy "Oh
Il Cor Ormity, massa, Jake Kelly he hang hesef o
the cherry tree under Miss Betsy's winder."
That shot was settler il struck poor Bets
: like thunder wood talk n popler She Civ on
lurch ahead and fell rite down IN another fainte
fit.
> "Well, thot dad wood falnted too, lie wa
struck oil ov a heep, and kompletely dumfungled
: 81 foretold it," sed he 'the last time seed him
but didn't think it wood cum so soon told hin
n he wood swing for it yit."
: WE'LL dad took old Bunker and took the Ian
tern, and out we went and there was Jake, sur
d enuf, snaired like rabbit, hung up by one leg
h and his head hangin down, kickin like mad.
), "Cut me down, Jonathan" sez he, "all the blu
: in nv body has swoshed into my head; cut m
y down quick, for heaven sake"
n "The Lord be praised, 'sed dad, Che had jst bee
N readin his bible and felt pous) "the poor sinner
k vet alive. Why. as I'm alive, if he aint shared
q too. Well, now, Jonathan. this is sum OF you
e doins. It's clever trick, but little speck dan
70 gerous."
iCut mo down I cut me down ~ scd Jake