Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1868-12-10
THE PARIN' BEE.
JRDEDrAH IAR5LEY LETTER


Mister Edite:- Perhaps you never
went down East about muster time ana
Thanksgivin', and in course you don't
know nothing about huskin' frslics and
parin bees and such like. In such case
Tn into you all about no particular meas
ure ct all seein' it's you, and | don't kere
IL let you iHts some sartin doin's in these
parts that "ceme off," as Workers say
next fall be two years. Now, If do tell
the whole story, shall depend on your
honor, (sHd kalkilate that's rather better
than Mississippi bonds) that you won't let
me out, caus if you did, 1 should have
Hetty Gawkins in my hair, in no time, and
maybe sooner, and Prudence Parr wouldn't
let me stay with her in all creation. SO
here goes. and as everything has title
nowadays, 60 in for
TIE PAgIN' BEE.
And you never wert to Parin Bee p
Well, TO tell the truth, never did to only
one, ard pair me into hoep-poles If ever
dew again. 1t was real screamer for that
matter, both on account Of what happened
there, and what befel afterwards. have
been to huskin' frolics and Quiltin's, and
muster's and fourth of lndepence's, and
rasin's &c, but to only one genewine high
pressure Parin' Bee, and blame the luck
before got through had an all sufficient
great pdrin' scruped off my shin bone,
along with pair of new boots, all gone to
eternal smashes, besides a pair Of split
trowsers for my mother TO scold about for
a year afterwards. You see, Col. Grisile
made the party. You know Col. Gristlc /
'spose. He's Col. and his wife Coz. Becky
made the frolic, and in course bad an in
viie, and so did all The gals aud felers for
miles around. 1t was goin' to be a famous
one, and SO neither she went up to help
Coz. Becky, 10 get out the fixips the day
before and when she came home that
mite by Golly. If my mouth didn't water
when she told me over about the oven full
of punkin pies, aud the piles of doenuts, to
say nolhin' about the 1asses cake and cider,
already slowed away in the back buttry.
She said as how the Col. was sgein' to set
the two birch tables in the fore room, and
kalki!ated to fix some boards in the kitch>
en- to put the rest Of the vittlcs on, arter
they'd done parin' and as they expected
about 80, all told, and there warnt cheers
enuff for all to set, they had got to eat
standin', which was the most politer way,
and the Col he knew, for he had been
down to the legislator all winter, and seen
how great folks done il. Gracious tho't
l, If don't make up for that thought
can eat as much agin, that way, it goes
down strater.
Well, toward mite the next day, while ]
was gettin' ready, who should come along
but Jim Spooner. Jim and l had alters
been pretty thick, and told each other ev-
erything. "How are you, Jed p says he.
"Oh, right as q book" says /, "how's
your's?'' Jest about so. only little tall
er-goin' up to Kernal's tonight ?" Yes,
by hockey" says ''if | ever get these
tarnel boots on" ''Pour some soft soap
into them," says he, ''and they'll go on as
slick as ile." They WAS a brand new pair
of calf skins, and had been tuggin' at the
straps half an hour aforc Jim cum. so
run for the sope dish, and in went pint of
mothers best. and sure enuff in they went
squash. "Wby, you darned fool,' says
Jim, '.you ortcr poured the sope out. afore
you put your feet in" swell. never mind
says, i, was In an ALFRED hurry. caus il
was gcttIn' late, 'ncvcr mind--they feel
cool and comfortable jest now-may he
the sspe will soften the lea her" and off we
started. had on my new drab trowsers.
We had jest gotten home from the mill,
and Ant Kitty sat up all mite to finish
them. for the occasion. My cote was only
comm two years old, and | felt that |
warn't to be sneczed at by foalks that
hadn't got no noses.
Jim and l had agreed afore>hand that
wee borrow Dcacon's old mare and wag>
or and so bring home some of the gals so
we went into the Deacon's to get her as
We went along. The old man was pcsky
feared she'd cut some Internal caper with
us caus. you see, she was sorter skittsh
like, and besides he knew that Jim was
rather wild fe.ler, and didn't kere no
more for ninepence, than blue cat does
when her back is up. But tod him I'd
drive and bc pretty careful, and to clinch
the matter, We paid him two shillin down
and promised the other next day-so he
told us If we could catch the beast VIC
might try it, and out we went to the pas.
ter. But the old mare was as shy as a
black fox, and wouldn't come over so
easy. She laid her ears back of her neck,
and rolled out the white of her eyes, as
much as 10 say, ''nothin' green here, young
stei," and off she started ON tro,, her tail
switchin' this way and that way. like all
natur, c,ean to tother end Of the p.ster.-
A weary chais we had of il, / tell yer, afore
we could corner her. At last we got her
in atweea the fence and big rock, and
Jim had crept up OH one side, and l on
tother, till, at last made grab at her
foretop. But no sooner did lay my hand
on her than she wheeled on her hind feet
in twinklin' of drum stick, and landed
me as much as twenty feet cend into
brush heap. ''Consarn the rig" says l,
and picked myself up about the quickest
and when l looked round for the mare,
may be blasted il Jim wasn't on her back
without halter or bride, gripin' her name
ike destruction, and she putting in the
icks the worst kind for the orchard. Ride
small, my lad, thinks ], or you'll get the
lint brushed out of your broadcIoth. But
she changed her mird when she got most