Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1882-05-27
COURTSHIP IN THE BACK
WOODS.
Jimmy WaddelI's First Expert
ence.
[From an old Scrap-Book.l

nina OF my young days. l should
rather guess | was in for 'em some my.
self them days" said an old man whom
we will introduce as Old Jimmy Wad-
del. Everybody, except the reader,
knows old Jim and his penchant for
yarn spinning. 1t is the evening of a
MALTA training day, and there are
goodly number who, after the company
was dismissed from duty, are lounging
around, and all now gather about Old
Jim to hear the yarn he has COM
menced, and he only waits to be urged.
AS there are plenty to do this, the COM
pany are not kept long in suspense.
"What will you have, boys" de-
manded old jim zone Of my hunting
or courting sprees ?"
"Oh, ACQUIRING spree, by all means !"
answered half dozen voices.
"Well, when | was boy you know
daddy moved from Virginia to Ken
lucky. I'd been born and fotch up on
the frontiers, and Kentucky was per-
feet paradise for me to hunt bars and
lnjuns in-but | forgot you want u
counting yarn. Well, although | was
always cutting up some deviltry among
the boys, yet | was little shy and
skerry among the girls. | liked the
critters prodigOus, but about the only
way could manage to show it vas by
casting sleeps eyes at 'em. We had
meetn's as well MS frolics, sometimes.
While the preacher was preachin' ten
der.heartedness, brotherly kindness,
and brotherly love, wern't thinkin' Of
nothin' else.
Il USED to sit whar | could look the
gals in the face, and then gaze at some
pretty one till she'd blush as red as IA
pepper pod. Then | felt so queer about
the gizzard, and wished an earthquake
would come and throw me right in her
lap. was in love, but | could not tell
who loved most. There was Peggy
Masonhammer, a mighty fine gal,
even in her towlinen frock; her cheeks
were as full as China pigs, as red as
turkey gobler's. And thar was Sally
Perkins, with her pretty home made
cotton frock, besides her hair and eyes
as black as ink. And then thar was
bimple-eyed Lofty Smith, who always
toated her shoes and stockings till she
got in sight of the meetin'. Well, of
the three | couldn't tell for my life
which liked best-sometimes one and
sometimes another, but always the one
looked at last.
But when Squire Crumpton came to
our diggins his two gals took the shine
off the rest ON 'em, specially the oldest
one, Betsey. shan't attempt to de-
scribe her, but when | tell you she had
calico frock with yellow flowers on it
as big as your hand, brass ear.bobs, be-
sides half dozen strands of beads as
large as the end of your little finger,
you may think she was charmer. |
did, anyhow, and of all the magnum
bonum charmers | ever did see, she
was the magnumbonumest. And SO
all the fellows said, too. When | fust
seed her it was at Deacon Snooks meet.
in. | fastened my eyes on hern till
hern met mine; she looked steady at
me and then smiled charmn' smile
and blushed and looked down. Lordy
thar was hutterin' then equal to a
saw-mill between my jacket pockets. |
was a goner. From that hour | was
too big for my britches, and on Sunday
| borrowed dad's-he'd been married
in before the Revolutionary wal
and come off at the knees, but as he
was tall and | wern't they come below
mine three or four inches.
Agin the next meetin' | was prepar
ed to cut a big stiff. Sister Sal for the
purpose starched and ironed my new
fine shirt as slick and stiff as new
sheet Of tin.
This shirt had the finest kind of ha1
linen in the bosom and collar, but the
invisible part of it was coarse tow, will
a hem that would cable a steamboat
Now, while Sal was smoothing tn,
wrinkles near the said hem with an iror
just hot from the fire, down stair
tumbled one Of the eternal little brats
knockin' the breath outen it. 1t wa,
Saturday night, and she bein the only
one up, runs to it, of course, but be
fore it comes to, the iron had made it
mark-that is, burnt two holes in tn,
hind part of my linen.
Next morning put it on as it was
then dads true blues, then the first reg
ular built pair of shoes I'd ever had.
was seventeen just that Sunday morn
ing, and in my Sunday riggin' | fel
myself a man, and was resolved i
Betsey Crumpton was at meetin' to Sc,
her safe home, Well, she was thar
and | axed her company home and go
it. Walkin' by her side | felt light a
nuthin'. l scarcely touched hegrOun,
l walked on. But shan't tell you tn
fine things thought and said to her OIL
the way home, and more after we 60
thar"
"Oh, yes, do !" aid a number q
voices.
"No, you'll have enough withou
that-you're 10 skim the cream of til
story yet. She kept me np late, sa