Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1861-11-14
Important Letter from Jonathan q.
Smith to his MOther.in-l.aw.
WALLER CRIcK, O. , Nov. II, 1861

WALLER CRIcK, o., Nov. II, 1861.
NY DEER MISTRESS MINK 1T is with a 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 enOyen the
same blessen.
must tell you about sister Betsy's courtship
and marriage. You don't know Betsy, | reckon.
The darter of Phecome Smith-my dad-and
lawful and full grown sister of me. She is the
Oldest darter of which dad and nam was ever
proprieters. Well, Bets was rae witch Of a gal
"A most everlastin sweet gal was Bets-you'l
seldum see moce out aud out complete critter
than Bets--she was fust chop, rale upper crust,
and no mistake with as extensiv crinoline as any
on 'em, and as fall of fun and frock as kitten.
Well, Jake Kelly, old Dan Kelly's sun, was a
courtm sister Bets, and he farely turned the gals
he'd. Jake was desperate idle, good for nothin,
dolitte 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 oneasy about it,
for his carakter wasent nun ov tho best. He was
n general circulatin medium among the gals--tha
oil sed he was sieh nice young marl-tho he
he dident behave very pucty ueither--forgetten to
marry where he hadent OF to forget by darncd
site.
At last, one evenin. when he cum courtin, dad
sed to him, "Jake," and sez Jake "What I" Aud
sez he, "Jake, you'll never cum to no good f you
continer to act like old skratch as YOU do you
aint fit to cum iato decent mans hous, and I'd
like to hav the room you ockerpy left vacant I'D
ten times sooner have your room than your COM
psny."
SHOW DON'T" sed Jake, (he was jofred slick
cuss.) "now don't say no more about that--lm
goin to settle right down and take a farm"
"Yes," sez dad, "and you Good stock it, too
by all accOunts--but it won't do. 1 tell you fol
now and everlastin that you must Civ up all thot
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 if ther
was nothin pertickler in the wind--thcn she blush
ed all over like the scarlet fever-then the caller
Gums and goes like the Northern Lites, till sh'
was white as a chock, and down she fell ker
slumpus on the fore in fainten it
81 see," sez dad, al see how it is,'' and he mad
pull at the old sword what hung on the jois
1--WE used to call it old Bunker,) and DRAWN it on
made clip at him as wicked as if he was stabbil
rat with hay ford--but Jake he outs Of th
door like streak of lie and pulls it to after him
and dad sends old Bunker clean thru the panne
"Ill chop you as fine as mince meet, yon vller,
sez he, ,"if ever ketch you inside my door again
mind what tell you, you'll swing for it yet"
Well, Jake made himself cansiderabel skars
after that and our folks kinder thot he had 81
up all hoaps ov Bets, and she ov him. When on
nite-gerushy ! but it was dark nite--as wa
oummn home from Walaces store, herd sur
body tocken to Bets thru the winder Well,
stopped and listened, and swan to man. VII
shood be near the cherry tree but Jake Kelly pc
swaden Bets TO run of with him to Steubenvil
70 get married. 1t was all settled atween em-
hoss and buggy and help her out of the wind