The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1884-11-08
DAVID.
A Little Queer, but Good Withal-
His Many Courtships.

That's David, said Uncle Reuben, as
we drove by cluster of fishermen's
shanties, that's him asserting there, an
he allus sets that way, David does, as eff
he was lookin' at suthin' that's comm
in from the sea, when there's nothin' to
look at, not even lobster booy. There
amt nothin' handsome about David but
his smile; you'll see it when he looks
aroun' this way He's got pleasant
eye, and teeth as white as hounds,
an when he looks at you David allus
smiles, an when he does, he smiles all
over; now, don't heP-there.
Mornin', David, how-dy?
David's queer; there IS streak o.
queerness in the famerly, an when it
don't crop out in one place twill in anoth-
er. He's straight enough in his head;
he's honest, an tidy, an industrious,
an kindly disposed, an alters dom
some one a good turn, though he's a
trifle near in money matters as the
ole man was, an is alters lodging ques-
tons.
Nobody ever got David to say ''yes"
or mo" Ask him if he got a good
catch o'fish to-day, an he'll say ''tolla-
bly, middlin';" ask him if he's goin' out
to his lobster-pots, an he'll say, "Jest
as like as not;h ask him if its goin' to
be fair weather, an he'll cast his eve
around while an then answer ''meb-
be-" Nobody ever got to the wind ard
o. David, askin questions. He's bin a
witness in two lawsuits, an the hull court
III So f..
him, not eff it was the dawn O. Judgment
day.
David was ffty-two years old before
he begun to talk O. gettin' married, an
he's made fool of himself about the
women ever since. 1t broke out all on
a sudden two winters ago. He never
spoke much with women, an never
visited any, but was alters trihe shy,
hangin his head in bashful sort o. way,
an keepin his words to himself when
women folks was around. But he
spruced up all to wunst begun to shave
his beard an 60 to meetin'.
Then he begun to talk O. gettin' mar
ried, an folks they begun to laugh.
He's likely enough sort o man,
David is, an he's nice house where he
lives all alone by himself, with his old
mother to do the cookin' besides one of
the best farms in the township, an quite
piece o. money he's saved up from
farmin' an fishin', an from what the
old man left; but somehow there amt q
woman in the county who'll have David,
though he's safe, an stiddy, an kindly,
an all that
He's proposed to dozen or so of old
maids, David has, but they've all gin
him the mitten. He's shy o. widders
an young girls, David is, an mebbe
that's why he's had such bad luck
courtin'. Widders, he says, is apt to be
contrary an set in their ways; young
girls is too hity-tity an spend too much
on dresses an ribbons, but old maids,
he says, is sort o. willin' an easy to
please.
David might o. married easy as not
years ago, for he was as likely young
man as there was in the county, an his
folks was alters forehanded; but the old
man was terror to women, an David
alters lived to home. Money was the
old mans god, an he never gil himself
nor his family no comforts an no pleas
ure He never did nothin' but figure
: out the easiest way to get rich, an he
had tollabul luck at it. David is a good
deal that way himself, an is anxious to
accumulate, but he'd give any woman
a good home eff he'd get one to marry
him.
Stinginess come material to David, an
he couldn't no more help bein' near
than he could change the shape of his
nose, which is just like the old mans all
over. Twas David's father that an old
story's told about. 1t want true, but
might as well been. He was so mean,