St. Mary's gazette., 1865-03-23
Gt1eet 9tcrp.
STEVE CONANrs COURrsHIP.

ot1HD NONaNl SOOn On IT.
once called on my friend, Steve Co
! nsnt. and while there the conversation
surued On eoarsship; aud. At my request
the old seotlenan ssld me ~ incidsss ID
his On, love affairs. whish I give 10 BIZ
own ~x,rds:
..s,asbsesiss lie you. I dos+ mine
telling abOu, q scrape that hsppeaed Il
me when I Vas eour'iug Nancy. here
That is something that never tell any
body. Blu, you shall hear it."
No. dou't Steve" broke 10 the old
woman; Il should think you would b<
ashamed Of yourself. telling ysur Low.
scrspes to everybody.
III you eau, bear il. you may get ou'
doors; 10 here goes! Whec l w.s nigt
about swsn.y-one. I came up here .l
alone. and built me = cabin. l. hadu's ,
naber nearer than Eve miles. 50 you Sc.
didu's qaarrcl very much; bu, as it grew
to be near wi"t-r. l got kiuder LONESOME,
sad tegan TO think ought 10 have wo-
man to keep me company. so one .noru'
lug l startled down to Lenway. to take 4
look at the girls. to See if | could 6nd
some one TO suit me When got down
to the settlement asked young chap il
be knew Of . girl that wanted TO ge
married. aud he told me be guessed thai
Nancy Knox did. aud if l wanted . wife,
I had better try. aud hitch on With her
and be said that il it Was agreeable. b.
would 90 to Deacon Kuox's AMI make me
acquainted With Nancy. and he vas =.
good IS his word. and it wasn't On bou,
afore Nancy aud was on the best o
terms. Afore night l hired out With th.
Deacon for ten dollars month. half Of IL,
pay was to be taken 10 produce. aud tb,
rest in clear cash, and l was to work al
winter.
wall, for about two months I felt ..
neat Is mouse in new cheese courtee
Nancy every Sunday night, and vas de-
termined before another week. to pop tb.
question. aud | hadu't . bit of doubt bu
what Nancy would be ove1oyed At be-
coming my bosom companion. Wall
about this time there came fellow from
one Of the lower towns to keep school and
he hadut been there more'n = week afore
| found he had . natural hankering after
Nancy; and worst Of al, Tie old Deacon,
who seemed mighty pl~ased at ths thought
Of my courtiug bis gal. begun 10 kinde,
kool off. ss il be would like the school.
master better for . son-in-!aR. and il
made me feel kinder down 10 the lip.
can tell you.
wall. on one Sunday night. Bill
Smith. for tbst vas the pesky eritter'.
name, came in just At duck. and when
the clock struck niue be didn't seem tc
60. Old Mrs. Kuox snl the youag uns
all went to bed. sod there we're pooe lefl
but the old Deacon. Bill. Nancy. aud I,
and I KEEP. '-pec,iue every minute sha. be
would show Bill to bed. but be did "a
such thing; bat jest ~ the clock struck
ten he ris up. and ses be-:
Steve. let's 90 TO bed. for ve mus,
be up bright and airly to have them ere
logs to the river"
Wasn't that . hint. ehi I looked II
Nancy. bus she turned away her head,
and ., this I up the ladder to bed.
was boiling over mad With I'll creation
Bill. Nancy. and the Deacon 10 par,ie.
ular. l got into bed and kivered myself
up. but | felt 20 bad ,h.s cvuldo's 70
to sleep. Like a. not. the school master
was huIging aud kissing Nancy down iu
the kitchen. and couldn't shut my eyes
for the life of me.
WALL. oil 1t ouee it occurred to me
that there we're some big cracks 10 the
6osr over the kitchen. aud I could watch
and see all that vas going on below; 90
out Of the bed GOT. and cravled along
TO the chimney on oil Gurs, and finding
. big crack. l looked down through.
Bill and Nancy we're setting about two
feet apart. though every now .,d then
Bill would kitch his chair little nearer
to her. Ho" I could have shoked that
man! Watched them for about quar-
ter Of an hour. and BY that time l VAS
neer about frose. - it vas IN awful cold
night. aod ! hadn't . rag on s.cep. my
40 shifta. But I could not 70 70 bed