The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1870-09-22
SAM. LAWSON ON COURTIN'
BY HARRIET BEEcHER STOWE.

BY HARRIET BEECHER STOWE.
II member used to lead the sing
in in them days, and Miry she used to
sing counter, so we sot putty near to-
gether in the singers seats; used to
think Sunday mornin's, when she came
to mectin' in her white dress, and her
red cheeks and her bonnet all tipped of
with laylock, that twas for all the
world jist like June sunrise to have
her come into the singers seats. Them
was the days that I didn't improve my
privileges, boys" said Sam. signing
deeply. "There was times that eff I'd
a spoke, there's no KNOWN what
mightn't "a happened, cause you see,
boys, I was better lookin' in them days
than / be now. Now you mind, boys,
when you grow up, efyou get to watir'
on q nice gal, and you're most a mind
to speak up to her, don't you 60 and
put it off, cause eff you do you may
live to repent it,
oval, you see from the time that
Bill Eldcrkin came end took up the
academy, I 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 lie made b'lcve
he did, jest to get EcXt to Miry in the
singers seats, and then they used to be
wrltin' backward and forward to each
other till they tore out the leaves of all
the hymn books and the sinen' books
besides. Wal, never thought that
the house O the Lord was jest the place
to be conrtin' in, and used to get con-
sid'ablc shocked at The way things went
on atween 'em. Why, they'd be wri-
tim all sermon time; and Eve seen
him Il lookin' at her all through the
long prayer in way that want right,
considern' they was both professors
of religion. But then the fact was, old
Black Hoss John was to blame for it,
cause he never let EN- have no chance
to home. You see old Black Hoss he
was sot agin ElderIiin cause lie was
poor. You see his mother, the old
Widow Eldcrkim, she was about the
poorest, poakedest old body over to
Sherboulnc, and went out to days
works, and Bill Eldcrkin he was all for
books and larnin', and old Black Hoss
John he thought it was just shiftlcss-
ness; but Miry she thought he was n
genius, and she got it sot in her mind
that he was goin' TO be President O the
United States, or some sich.
oval, old Black Hoss he want
none too polite TO Miry's beau IN CINE.
raj, but when Elderkin used to come to
see her, he was snarlier than saw; he
hadn't u good void for him noways,
and he'd rake up the fire right before
his face and eyes, and rattle about fas
tening up the windows, and tramp up
to bed and call down the chamber
stairs to Miry to come to bed, and Was
a sort o aggravatin' every way.
oval. eli folks wants to get gal set
on havin' a man, that ares the way to
90 to work. Miry had 4 consid' able
stiff will of her own, and cf 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 50 she took to
goin' to the Wednesday evening lee
.ure, and the Friday evening prayer
neetin', and the singin' school, just as
regular as q clock, and so did he; and
they always walked home
he longest way. Fathers may jest as
veil let their gals be courted in the
louse, peaccable, cause ef they cant be
,ourted there, they'll find places where
hey can be; it's jest human natur.'