The Arkansaw traveler., 1884-07-12
MISS M.LrNpy.s couRrsHIp.
lDetroi, Free Press.

lDetroi, Free Press In the whole neighborhood there was not a darky could beat Miss M'lindy Jyars cutting the pigeon-wing, double shuffiing or going through the other com plicafions of the Ethiopian fancy dances. Bu, tripping the light fantastic toe was but the least of her accomplishments. She could hoe her row in the con6eld with the best of them, and pick her two hundred pounds of cotton day, |" jes' $ easy as fallin' of log" to use her own fo.cible language. She was quite belle among the Pomps and C.esars of the county, but never seemed to care for any of them until one day at a log-rolling she met Primus kinked, dapper young son oi Africa from Alligator.
 The following Sunday he came to sec her. bringing in his plaid handkerchief some big sweet potatoes and Jim Crow card so comb her hair.
 "When, a week afterwards, he again made his appearance with his hair standing out in mop almost as big as a half bushel measure, and glistening and perfumed with cinnamon oil. Aunt Anarky smiled and sententiously re- marked: Look a heah, Josh, dat boys eomin' cour,in'..''
 How you know" said the colonel.
 "Cuz his hair is plum soak wid cinuy- nun ile-s shinin'.' man and Prime kinked ain't de nigge- to be was'in' oin- nymun ile for nuthn'.'
 Law. Anarky, you'se allus surmisin' sum n. An sposen he is cour;in' ain | M1indy ole huff to git married:"
 les, reck'n she is, said Aunt An arky sadly. She'll be bout 70 or ,o yeai ole mex roasun-year time"
 We'll lose a powerful good hand when she goes; but reck'n ii can't be hep d: folkses gals will marry
 Aunt Anarky's impression was con- hrmed or the following Sunday, when Primus called again, for to the cinnamon oil ex'ravaganoe was added wonderful stove-pipe hat, which-if 1t did have a tendency to depar, from the perpendicu- lar. in true tower-of-Pisa style still almost as black and shiny as its wearer's face. Indeed had it rested agains. his forehead it would have been difficult to say where Prime began and hat ended
 But that "contiguity of shame" was happily prevented by an intervening tuft of sun burnt kinks that lutted out around his head like messy knolls on a hillside. And such a necktie.. Joseph's coat would have blushed with conscious insignifi- canoe by it's side The moment all this gorgeousness blazed upon Miss Mlindy's vision she knew the momentous question was coming that day, and began repeat ing to berself the answer she was going to make: for like most country darkies she knew her "courtin' speech very well. In many neighborhoods are old negroes. Chesterhelds in matters of cere- mony and etiquette, who take much pride in drilling the young ones. and teaching them sets of questions and answers sui,a- ble for courting Frequently one set of big words. strung together without a particle of connection, serves the whole community for years. Colonel Joshway Iyars IS the authority in such matters in Dingybury, and his own children's edu- cation in "courtin' speeches :" hadn ,, been neglected, though he wound up by say ing: !" Now. gals, you rememberize dis speech in yo mine, but take pappy's vice an don't never marry till you kin better yo' perdition."
 As Mir. kinked entered. he described quarter circle on the floor with his right foot, and. with outspread fingers gingerly removing the tower of Pisa. said Good mornin, Miss M1indy. how is yo' health promulgated to-day"
 "Bery serennible according to my con- sillarities. Mir. kinked. hope see you en) awin the same blessin.' And Miss M'lindy" dropped a curchyr
 |" I'm very huubunctious. thank you, marm," said he loftily, as he wiped the cinnamon oil from his brow.
 After long silence Prime ran his fingers thoughtfully through his wiry tresses and said Miss Mlindy Jyars, if young gentleman of my sability was to come from his place of residium a. Alligator. to call on young lady of your stability at her resdium in Dingy- burg. what might the consequinches be ?"
 That pends on wha, yo' purposes might be, NIT. kinked.'
 "S'posen my purposes was courtin' purposes, then what might your answer be. marm:"
 Gall on me few evenin's after now an I'll tell you. My mind nigh, be more recomcised then"
 Now. M'lindy knew then. as well as she did "a few evenings alter tha, she would accep, Prime, and he knew it. too. but was willing 10 abide by the formalities of their love-masing programme, which required auother visit before the yes " was said. Alter the 4 few evenings had been counted of he smiled himself back, and after the usual scraping and couSte- swing and exchange of ' sabiities " Miss NJ lindy turned her head to one side, put her finger in her mouth coquettishly, and said: "Oh, my kind dove. Maybe you might be like the bird that fiew up into the tree with basket of berries :: when he came down the basket was quite empty
 "Oh, no '" said Mir. Kinked, with tender. six-inch smile, never adeviate nor neither acocowaitw
 At this satisfactory rejoindez. Miss M'lindy smiled as if the lucid and intelli- gent remark had been original. and re- piled, "Oh. my dear, kind. affectionaee