The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-10-09
HIGH BETSY.
For the Constitution.

through the woods, Eye mought call this sorter
work tiresome, an We mought call that sorter
work tiresome, an p'raps ye mought think
my Injun experience wer' the toughest I'd
ever seed; but young man, the highest, was
Objectionable work at ever L done wus to try
to keep out O. the claws Of omern what 'ud
get it into Ter head to fall in love with me.
never wus much of high-dandy 'mongst
women folkses, an that us what made it
harder it nat'ly would o ben
The way that the thing started
with we an High Betsy-that
wus what the boys all called Betsy
Goffe, be case she wus es tall an es slim es q
short leaf pine what'ud mako ten rail cuts ten
foot long Far O. win shakes an woodpecker
holes. Ireckin itwus jes' my darn'd fool luck.
Leastways, she tuck o pow full likin' to me
the fust time seen her. We wus at candy
puilin', an all the youngsters had Their gals
an wus pullin' an a talkin' an a laughing
like passed. of idiuts, an havin' of a good
time gner'ly. All but me, an wus afxin'
to slip out quietly an git away wen 'er come
the longes leanes hongries' lool1in' gal I ever
seed, an she had a wad of yaller m'lasses can
dy in 'er ham, an she wus waxin' it, back
'ards am for'ards an says she:
'Oh, I wants partner. Who'll
jine pardners tn mel I've got SO
cyandy can't pull it by rnyse'f.'
She looked at me kinder sheepish, and says
she:
oh, scuse me, I didn't see you, Mr..
Sterne.'
~.'Wher', Sus your eyes then?' says Bill Gas
Eins, who wus closte BY
They wus right wher' your'n orter be- says
she, 'instidier one bein' up The chimbly an
tother'n in the pot Bill wus awful cockeyed,
an this jes' made the crowd whoop. Bill
want to be outdone, though, fur sayse:
reckin the reason We couldn't see Jim
Sterne wus beca' Sc the freckles on yer nose
aire so thick that they make ye nighsighted.
That wer' pretty good licks back but L Wus
mighty sorry afterwards that he ever
said anything, for she jes' made a
tex out N me right thar
i don keer how looks nor how you looks
Bill Gaskins, 1 know e.thing mighty shore,
MIR. Steve aire nation of sight better lool1in'
than you is, eff he have got mole on is chin
That started the crowd an they begun to
boiler out Ego it Billl' Give it to i'm Betsy!
an jes' felt AT had to do sumpin' es no
Teller with any sperit bout i'm couldn't help
but take up fur gal what d praised lis looks
right out in open comp'ny.
The consequence wus that afore knowed it
wus pullin candy with High Betsy, an
up hill work it wus, too, I kin jest tell ye.
She wus bout six foot four an want much
more'n four foot six, an the way that gal I'D
pull wus q myst'ry to Moses. Some
times she'd raise me clar o. the
puncheons, an mus a. looked like one O
curled so tight that they lif' Their him feet
off n the groun'.
Fus' she called me mister, then, alter awhile
she got to calm me Jeames, m then she got
to plain Jim, tell by the time we'd got them
stran's o. candy pulled white, she was awinkin'
an blinkin an acallin' me Jaimmie, an
astoopin' down to tell me sumD'n' every two
or three lninits; an felt like poor dog in q
meat house, er fool at q frolic.
We'll, after awhile they all put up Their
candy an got down to business. Mas AN 'em
wus co'nered off in pairs an asparkn' like sin,
but Bill Gaskin an some O. the others dey' fish
fellers got to prankin with the candy.
They called old Towze in an gave him a
chunk to eat, an wen they'd got through
with him they got aholt O. the cat an give her
some an had Ter clawin' and spittin' aroun' +,
an they jes' had q rale gamit of it.
Alter we got done with that everlastin' up
hill work of our'n, 1 knowed High Betsy
'speck me to spark 'er. but dadbeaned if
could do it to save my hide. Wen looked at
that crap O. red bristles on 'er head, an them
'ere freckles on 'er nose, an that weak an
watery eye O. hern, it give me tn allovers.
EATER awhile she says says she, Jimmie,
Am agettin' sleepy
Yes, hits agittin' late says I.
Don't you want to hole my head whilst
take a little snooze, Jinm e?'
NO. can't says [.
why can't you"
'Beca'se jest can't
We'll, tell me what's the reason p
''Teint no use'n tellin you the reason.
'W'y amt it no usen"
'Beca'se faint
ooh, tell me why faint
We'll, eff nothin' else'll do We I'll tell ye;
Hits beca'se I've got bile on my laig,' says
/, tellin' pint black lie, fur / didn't have no
bile nowher' bout me.
Well says she, as she drawed long breath
II reckn hits sleepy time
Slit wouldn't sspriZe me IL it wer', says /,
for 1 WIS awful tird O. the gal.
AT las she got up an stretched 'erSef till
she looked like she wus at leas' seben foot be-
twix j'ints, an she hollered to Miss Jaekson,
and says she:
mis- jackson, Tn agittin. sleepy. Can't ye
fix me u place to sleepY
What? Sleepy already? WY jeans mus
be uncommon dull to let his spark git sleepy
an hit amt moren leben o'clock. Come on
then, yen halter sleep in the loom room, fur
I've got SIGH crowd, not but what I'm alters
glad to see my neighbours an alters gives the
best ! has. Come on, an III show you wher
to lay
Betsy turned to mo an says she, hits ter
bile lonesome place, but ef tagger er a sperit
gifts arter me Iii hOller an you mus come an
hep me out, an she grinned like COW
achawin' bone.
gal. a ter she was gone I sot therean 'chawed
terbacker an spit in the hath an them other
boys and gals wuz whisperin' an a sniggerin
all aroun.' but didn't consarn myself bout
en-, fur made up nv min at that wuZ bout
the last time l wuz agwine TO fooi with High
Betsy.
She hadn't been gone long fore mos all the
others went, too-some TO bed and tothers to
Their homes, them what lived clost by, an III
want nobody lef' but men Bill Gashins and
John Skipper, an we decided we set JPN see
who could tell the bigges' lie.
We drawed straws to SOC who'd begin, an l
got the longes, an I'd jest cl'ar'd Up ms til oGt
an begun to tell thatn bout tie man wat
raised the big punkiu, wen we heard the all
fredes' racket over tO'arG tbs loom room m
some'n q calm fur hep. II WIS High Betsy
an she wus squealin' like painter.
oh Jeamsi como hep me! Tiers taggeIs
after met Run, Jimmie, rum Oh, laws a
massyl What shall do?' And we all broke
in q run to'ards the room, spos'n that praps
the gal maught have fit but jest a. VIC got
to the door-hit didn have no shelter but
blankit an it'd fell down--wo diskiYercd the
Nus enarmansot phantom that ye ever read Of.
The gal wus astanin' straight up IN the bed
an Ter eyes looked like two big tuTnnps
arolliu' down buggy branch, an er hair wus
sianin' straight up an by the blue Jehosa-
phAt She wus akeery lookin' 'nough 10 give
. nle ghost the fever n aver
Inside Their was the allgonedes groHlin' an