The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1888-11-24
MOUNTAIN LOVE-MAKING.
ROMANTIC BLOPEMENTs BY THE
TUG RIVER ROUTE

lUU Nj v In nOU
The Delights of Stealing Wife in the
WiIds of Kentucky-The Mountain Girls
Idea of HerO-Handsome Wives for
Murderous Outlaws-A Story.
In the mountains along the border
| line between Kentucky and West Vir-
ginia all roads lead to Tug river. Tug
river, the eastern fork of the Big Sandy,
is the dividing line between the two
states. There is no lesson in geography
or in any other branch of learning more
firmly fixed in the minds of mountain
lovers than this. II love-making among
young people ought to be serious
business anywhere, it is a serious busi-
ness here, whether it ought to be or not.
Not that maiden hearts are more diff
cult to soften h,re than elsewhere the
mountain maiden is very affectionate as
we'll as lovable for other characteristics.
But her father has pecullaritles and
prejudices to a degree rather more
marked than elsewhere, and the lover
must needs govern himself accordingly.
If the father takes dislike to the suitor
for his daughters hand he doesn't
waste any shoe leather kicking the
young man off the premises, nor does
he risk the life of the dog by setting
him at the obnoxious lover. He either
allows his daughter to seek her own
destruction, or he loads the shotgun
and gets behind the bush to await the
lovers coming, and when he comes he
shoots the young mans head off, maybe,
and always providing the gun doesn't
miss fire, and the old mans aim is not
disturbed by the excitement due to the
occasion. But not very many lives are
lost in this way. The mountain maiden
is generally able to outwis the old man
in some way, and thus saves the lover
not only from the possibility of getting
shot, but also from the necessity OF
shooting at the man he would like to
make his father-in-law.
Mountain families are so large, the
number of uncles and cousins is SO
great, and they are all SO great, and
they are all so exceedingly kind and
friendly to one another when not sat
war" that lovers have no trouble in meet
ing each other. People make all day
visits to each other continually, and il
would be queer thing if, when the
maiden goes to visit a cousin, she die
not. as she rode over the mountain
trail. find her lover writing at some
bend in the trail, or on the top of some
ridge. 1t would be stranger still if, wher
attending some church gathering, where
] there are usually from 500 to 1000
people present, she did not find he
lover there, and, after some hurried
tale to her mother about pressing in
vitation to visit her aunt or uncle, g
- riding away on the visit seated behin(
her lover, on the best animal he cal
afford to own.
The supreme happiness of riding
OF horse that has been broken to carr
double, when the other one of tn
double is mountain lass, is not to b
adequately described. The lass mus
put her arms around her lovers wais
to keep from falling off, and the love
must needs turp around frequently t
ask if she is comfortable, and when h
- does so he finds rougish eyes an
pouting lips SO close to his that he neve
thinks of that moment afterwards with
out sigh.
To ride away slyly with the lass of h
r heart is charming to the young mour
taineer. But whenhe would feel for
J brief hour wild thil of delight wort
all the joys the rest d his life put tt
gether, he must "stea his glrl." Stea
ing girl as 1t is done here is practice
nowhere else under the sun. The la
one stolen here was Pharie Dobl
w. Pharie's father lives on he Blackber
branch OF Pond creek. She had locke
with favor on young Jack Ferrall, WI
lived over on Peter creek for more thu
Z, year, but her father said he was 81
account feller that wouldn't make co
- and couldn't timber for chucks." Th
r meant that Jack was fit neither for
farmer nor a timber dealer and as tho
are about the only legitimate occup
tions of the mountaineer, Jack sto'
very low in Mr.. Doble's opinion. N
bit did this worry Pharle, and Nj
Doble. mother fashion, sided with /
daughter. Hadn't her father been il
- that obstinate, and hadn't Dobe be
,, good husband2
Preparations for wedding are I
very elaborate at best in the mountai
A new storehouse dress of calico,
~ one of homemade cotton and VIC
with few underclothes, possibly-tl