The Central Nevadan. [volume] (Battle Mountain, Nev.) 1885-1907, 1885-08-23
WORRIED WoOING.
ssrherp Conversational nhIiities" Of
Spriggs' FAther-ln-Law.

"Now, when I, in the natural
course OF human events, took q little
time an done my courtin', every
thin was propitious an pleasant like
with one exception, said Bill Sprig,s.
"So one seriously objected TO me,
from the old folks down to the rather
fastidious house-dog.
Everybody was friendly an
willin', apparently, that should I'M
dertake the kcepin' OF one o. the
daughters, and 10 some extent the
rest o. the family. But the one
heavy, pulyerizin' cross had to bear
vas the old mans talk lie was on
hand every night o. my would-be
courtin', ready primcd, an from thc
time the door cicsed after my ami
able arrival till ii fomed back
ground to my departin', disgrurtled
footsteps, he never one moment Of
appreciable or standard time let up
in his conversation. was q martyr
to them conversational abilities. Pye
still got the whole OF the incidents OF
his journey from Pennsylvany to the
West indelibly imprinted upon my
memory, together with every foot o.
the scenery along the road, from that
long winter OF extraordinarily long
nights narrations. All, me- he'd
commence, them was times that
tried mems souls, an especially their
wind an constitution. Comm from
Pennsylvany I've went actually fou-
days 'thout any milk in my coffee,
nm the toughest kind OF steak, an no
maple syrup for our hot cakes, an
only what fresh fish we could eat an
painfully ldg along with us. Young
teller, you don't know nothin',
specially bout what us pioneers suf-
fered. Them times showed what
q mans made out'n, very visibly,
sometimes. At times, when we'd
come to a big, deep, dark, rapid
rollin' river, we'd have TO holler our
selves hoarse, and p'raps wake the
baby, attractin' the ferry man. 8 at
tention on t'other side An maybe
crossin' email streams we'd be pest
cred terrible with mosquitoes, an
morcn once I've been that dizzy on
account o. the rapid current. Once
II shall never forget it; often yit l
dream OF il an hoiler out dreadful
when we'd been out on the road
about week an twas near the close
of day, an We was still pressin' on
hard, tryin' 10 git to some spring that
hadn't sulphur enough in it to spoil
the whiskcy punch. The shadders OF
night WAS gatherin' very fast, an
also the gnats an mosquitoes, an
the trees and things seemed dipped
in tar, 30 black they was, an gloomy,
when all of suddent l was sprung
upon from behint an raised Almost
out OF my saddle with the violence
an pain OF the stab l received from
one o. them tarnal big black ants!'
Then, maybe, for n rest an a
change for himself, he'd go off onto
the history Of his very great grand
father, who revolutionized some war,
or warred in some evoic..tl, OF
somethin'. He most generally COM
nenced about cannon he claimed
the old feller had helped to captivate.
dozed off one night when he'd
sprung the cannon story, an when
finally woke, / saw by the clock I'd
been sleepin' one hour an forty min
utes, an there he was still onto that
gun.
Il hadn't been married two weeks
afore the old man asked me for loan
o. ~, an bein' refused. he withheld
his conversational powers from me
for three months, even 10 passin' the
tine o. day ~ we passed by"