Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-08-18
SAM. LAWSON ON COURrIN,.
BY HARRIET BKRoHKR STOWE

BY HARRIET BKRCHRR STOWE. .s.
81 member used to lead the singin' in
them days, and Miry she used to sing
counter, so we sot putty near together in
the singers seats; and I used to think
Sunday mornin's, when she come to meet
in in her white dress and her red cheeks
and her bonnet all tipped off with lay
lock, that twas for all the world Jest like
June sunrise to have her come into the
singers seats. Them was the days that l
didn't improve ny privileges, boys" said
Sam, signing deeply. ''There was times,
that eff I'd spoke, there's no KNOWN
what mightn't "a happened, cause you
see, boys, l was better lookin' in them
days than l be now. Now you mind,
boys, when you grow up, eff you get to
watin' on nice gal, and you're most
mind to speak up to her, don't you go
and put it off, cause eff you do you may
live to repent it.
oval, you see from the time that Bill
Elderkin came and took the academy, l
could see plain enough it was time for
me to hang up my fiddle. Bill he used
to sit in the singers seats, too, and he
would have it that he sung tenor. He no
more sung tenor than q skunk blackbird,
but he made b'lieVe he did, jest to get
next to Miry in the singers seats, and
then they used to be writing backward
and forward to each other till they tore
out the leaves of all the hymn books and
the singing books besides Wal, never
thought that the house o. the Lord was
jest the place to be courtin' in, and /
used to get consid' able shocked al the
way things went on atween 'em. Why,
they'd be a wTitin' all sermon time
and I've seen him a lookin' at her
all through the long prayer in a way that
want right, considerin' they was both
professors of religion. But then the fact
was, old Black Hoss John was to blame
for it, cause he never lef 'em have no
chance to home. Ye see old Black Hoss
he was sOt ag'in Elderkin cause he was
poor. You see his mother, the old Wild
dab Elderkin, she was about the poorest,
peakedest old body over to Sherbourne,
and went out to days works, and Bill FL
derkin he was all for books and larnIn',
and old Black Hoss John he thought it
was just shiftlessness; but Miry she
thought he was genius, and she got it
sot in her mind that he was goin' to be
President o. the United States, or some
sich.
''Wal, old Black Hoss he want none
too polite to Miry's beaux in gineral, but
when Elderkin used to come to see her he
was snarlier than saw; he hadn't good
word for him nOways, and he'd rake up
the fire right before his face and eyes,
and rattle about fastening up the windows,
and tramp up to bed and call down the
chamber stairs TO Miry to come to bed,
and was sort o. aggravatin' every way.
"Wal, eff folks wants to get gal set
on haVin' man, that ares the way to go
to work. Miry had a consid'able stiff
will of her own, and eff she didn't care
about Tom Beacon before, she hated him
now; and eff she liked Bill Elderkin before,
she was clean gone over to him now; and
so she took to goin' to the Wednesday
evening lecture, and the Friday evening
prayer-meetin', and the singing-school,
just as regular as clock, and so did he;
and afterwards they always walked home
the longest way. Fathers may jest as well
let their gals be courted in the house.
peaceable, cause eff they can't be courted
there they'll find places where they can
be; it's jest human natur.--Frona the At
tarltic Monthly for august.