St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1884-11-22
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 looEin' at suthin' that's comm
in from the sea, when there's nothin' to
look at, not even a lobster booy. There
amt nothin' han some about David but
his smile; you'll see it when he looks
saroun' this way. He's got a pleasant
eye, and teeth as white as a hounds,
an when he looks at you David allus
smiles, an when he does, he smiles all
over: now, don't he?-there.
Mornin', David, how-dy?
David's queer; there s a streak O.
equeerness in the famerly, an when it
DON crop out in one place twill in anoth-
err 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
tritie near in money matters as the
ole man was, an is alters lodging ques-
tions.
Nobody ever got David to say ''yes''
or s'no." 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, sJest
as like as not;;' ask him if its goin' to
be fair weather, an he'll cast his eye
around while an then answer ssmeb-
be- = Nobody ever got to the wind ard
o. David, askin' questions. He's bin
witness in two lawsuits, an the hull court
couldn't fetched direct answer from
him, not eff it was the dawn O. Judgment
day.
David was fifty-two years old before
he begun to talk o. gettin' married, an
he's made fool of himself about the
women ever since. It broke out all on
a sudden two winters ago He never
spoke much with women, an never
visited any, but was alters trife 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 go to meetin'.
Then he begun to talk o. gettin' mar
ried, an folks they begun to laugh.
He's a 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
q piece o. money he's saved up from
farmin' an fishin', an from what the
old man left; but somehow there ain a
woman in the county who II 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 a young
man as there was in the county, an his
folks was alters forehanded; but the old
man was a terror to women, an David
alters lived to home. Money was the
old mans god, an he never 81 n 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 good
deal that way himself, an is anxious to
accumulate, but he'd give any woman
q good home eff he'd get one to marry
him.
Stinginess come material to David, an
he couldn't no more help bein' near
han he could change the shape of his
nose, which is just ike the old mans all
oyer. Twas David father that an old
ytory's told about 1t want true, but
night as well been. He was so mean,