Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1871-11-24
Counting i'm Nebraska.

You have no idea East how anxiou
young men in this region are to marry. u
the words of a prairie farmer, GO {.
hot 0Ns
The poor MAJ is passing through bite
experience. A party of us were duck-hun
ting the other day on the Mo. bottoms
Night overlook us before we were aware o
it, and we were obliged to seek lodging a
the first dwelling we could find. 1t was
small one-story structure Of three rooms anc
occupied by family of six-father, mother
daughter and three sons. The sons were
all unmarried, and from the calls that were
made afterward we Judge that the daughter
was unmarried also. We hadn't been in
the house five minutes when some kind of 9
vehicle drove up and two young men were
ushured into the parlor. Straight way the
mother and daughter held whispered con.
sultation, which closed with an invitation to
the sitting room for supper 1t was evi.
dent that the young men callers had been
to tea, as they stayed in the parlor With
sweet sixteen
Scarcely had 9 taken our seats at the
table when howl from the dogs outdoors
announced another conner. H. seemed to
avoid the front door, and knocked at that
where our party was just sitting to supper.
The mother rose to answer the summons,
when we were surprised by the daughter
opening the parlor door and rushing forward
with Don't get up mother It's one Of my
fellows! Come in Jim, how do you do ?"
And Jim entered in response to the
CHEEKY salutatiop He made himself as com.
Portable as possible ill we had finished sup
per, when another whispered consultation
proved that the ''parlor is full as it ort to be,
whispered by Miss in response to some
motherly suggestion The old gentleman
solved the question by inviting US into the
kitchen to smoke 1t was evident that Jim
didn't smoke, for he remained in the sitting
room. We should have doubtless enjoyed
quiet cigar had not the old lady opened
the back door. and shouted at the top of
her voice: Come round here to the back
door p
1t was another young man, and we fam
ciod he looked as if he had come in rather
late. Two young men within the parlor,
one In the sitting-room and one in the kitch-
Ell. What should be done ? TIE counting
business was getting hot There was an.
other talk between mother and daughter.
1t was evident their devices had been ex-
hausted. The old gentleman was called in
to the corner. He settled the question with
whisper: 'I'll be id if I move
again till the settin' rooms full p
Into the sitting-room went number four,
and we smoked. It was full ten minutes
before the next disturbers came, and they
entered the kitchen with the all of old ac-
qualr tances. We looked anxiously IA, the
host. Taking his pipe from his mouth, a
sluge sentence relieved us.
'Them's the widowers Stick
And we stuck and smoked on For the
next halt hour the girl must have been KEEP.
busy The widowers had certainly a THIRD
OF her time. 1t was nire o'clock. We
wished to 60 to bed, and the only bed we had
discovered was in the parlor. The old gen.
tlemen OWNED our wishes, and said:
Pm sorry, gentlemen, but this is one of
the regular courtin' nightsl Them two fell
lers in the parlor never leave before mid
night, and the widowers allus stay all
night. And that amt the worst of it.
Dan'll be here at ten o'clock | and the
boys allus sleep in the hay stack Friday
nights. Yer welcome to that
The parlor, sitting-room and kitchen full,
we retreated to the haystack. In response
to question on the point, the old gentle.
man said that--
Friday night it's putty bad, but Sunday
it's wuss. Last Sunday night there was
ten Ga 'em, and the girl is getting more
and more partikilar. The more she gets
the more she wants ?
On the hay-stack, with stiff breeze dri-
wing away the mosquitoes, we heard Dan
drive up. One of the last remarks of the
old man before we fell asleep, was, 'Yes,
gentlemen, eourtin's hot in Nebrasky" and
we believed him.