Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1873-10-25
BILL BACKSTAY's COURTSHIP.
A Story of Old.Fashioned Love.

Il tell you, boys, it was fun them
days, hunting deers an, coons an
sich," exclaimed our old friend, Bill
Backstay, but / forgot you wanted
koartin' story instead of a huntin'
yarn
well, if there ever was Teller that
got In love oftener, an loved harder
than I did, he didn't live around this
clearin' sartin. / was alters fallin' in
love with every CURL / seen, an alters
loved the one saw last the hardest,
but when Square Smith, with his fam;
ily of gurls moved to these parts, an
when saw his Betsey Jane, | list i'm
mediately fell in love with her beyond
any precedent.
She was long sight handsomer than
any pictur-tall and graceful, with
black hair an eyes, an with kalleker
dres with fggers in it bigger nor your
hand. Well, I'll jist say, that of all
the magnum bonia girls ever saw, she
was the magnumboniest.
1t didn't take me but short time to
make up my mine to ak her for her
company, the first time | got chance,
an that chance wasn't long cummin'.
There was goin' to be big meetin'
close to our clearin' an | soon found
that Betsey Jane was goin' to be thar.
So | coaxed Sis to put on some extra
tuches on my close-now we all wore
homemade close, them days, but l had
one fine shirt-that il, the busum waz
made out of cotton, and the balance
waz made of tow cloth with hem
round the bottom that would cable
ship. 1......-....-..-....-. ..-...-
While Sis was ironin' nicely for me
one of the little brats fell down stairs
an most broke its neck. Sis forgot
her ironin' an run to it, an when she
came back the iron had burnta darna-
ton great hole jist above the hem, but
as the rest of my close kivered the
hole, didn't care much about it jist
then. tt t .h
Well, the meetin' day came an l
went, an Betsey Jane waz there. /
axed her for her company, an she made
me jist as happy as ever Teller waz by
sayin Yes" went home with her an
courted her well nigh onto one o'clock
or mabbe little later, when it COM
menced rainin about the hardest ever
seen. Now, the Square lived in small
log cabin with but one rooom, an as
all the beds were full, Betsey Jane
routed out some of the young ones an
sent them into the loft. Invent to bed
resolved to be up before any of the
family-for some good reasons as well
as others.
Boys that was til last I knowed I'M
til-holy Jupiterl | woke up with the
sun two hours high, an breakfast on
the table an me in bed. The folks
waz all out doors, an as was thinkin
about gettin' up, the ole woman came
in an possumed sleep till she went
out again. | then looked after my
breeches, but found to my horror that
the hounds that had slept under the
bed were engaged in trying to punch
air holes in them with their teeth. /
made a lunge over the foot of the bed
to get them, when that cussed hole in
my shirt slipped over the bed post an
left me hanging head downwards.--
Then the hounds commenced to wool
in me in good arrest. The COMPOUNDED
racket they made caused the ole woman
an gurls to run into the house to see
what waz up; but when they seed it
waz me they run out again. soon
found out / couldn't make much head
way by pullin' downwards, so | began
to pull upwards, an with powerful
lunge | fell on the floor in precisely the
same fix Job said he waz in, when he
first came into the world.
While the ole woman an the gurls
we're punchin' the hounds through the
cracks in the cabin, / crawled under
the bed for my breeches, when a plank
broke an | fell right into vat of lime
Stacked to the consistency of thin
mush to paint the cabin. The Square
hearin' the rumpus, came running up
the hill thinkin' the Ingins waz muir
dering the hole family. l made ter
rible spring out of the lime vat, and
landed plum onto the stomake of the
ole Square just as he was entering,
nockin' the breth out of him, an we
then rolled down the hill together.
Boys, | didn't return to get my close,
nor to say goodbye, neither. If my
toes didn't strike fire out Of every
stone between thar and home, then
thar amt no virtue in fast runnin'. /
didn't go back for some time, but my
love for Betsey Jane conquered, and |
returned, pressed my suit an won.
Betsey, is not that so.
Sam, won't you fill my pipe again,
it's clean gone out.