Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1888-12-28
ssya5h'n9ton Stanaar@
LEaTHERWO0D HOUSE.
A RO NANCE OF EARLY DAYS IN
HOOSIERDOM.
BY II. w. TAYLOR.
CHAPTER VI
RAINING

CHAPTER VI
RAINING.
Succeeding the two days of advent
IRE and nights of marvellous sights
and sounds recorded heretofore was a
whole week of wild revel. pringtime
rs it-1yas, there was succession of
dances aIrt&> parties at old Bogus
Leatherwoo Is such as had not been
given since he sold the largest drove
of horses ever taken out of the Sand
town Circuit-and that was three
years ago. when Polly was just thir-
teen.
On Saturday Buck had gone and re-
turned. On Tuesday morning Mr..
Martin had gotten back. And few
hours later Mr. Hunter Smith rode into
town. took dinner at Bogusses, loafed
round the courthouse and the bar
room all afternoon, and then rode
away again before supper.
I'm watchun you, my good tel
.er." Buck Leatherwood said, jerking
his head sidewise after Hunter Smith.
.. I'm a watchun you. I've a
blame notion to have i'm jerked up
(arrcstedl fur plundern roun the bed.
room that night. Jim. 1 wawnt
yoI--"
'But there's tho dance tonight,
Buck. Blame ut I can't miss the
dance" say in the last degree of
expostulatory remembrance of my So
cial obligations.
..Shore enough" can't neither.
Well I guess they won't be no dance to-
n,orry night. shoreiy! Then 1 guess we
kin watch that Teller the way he'd ort
to be watched"
But the next night, and the next, and
the next there were dances and socials,
or ''plays" as we Sandtown folks called
them.
There was . dance for Mr. Martin,
and one for Judge Banks, and another
for Major Griggs. another for Joe e.
let, and yet another for BAL Shipley,
who had been away with Mr.. Martin
lately; then. one. for Sect Dairy. and
the ''wind-up" for old Bogus Leather
wood himself
What tired days Of forenoon Sleep
ing! And what gay nights of sound
ing fiddles. and inspiring ''calls. and
exhilarating scraping Of new CATERS
over the hard oak floor OF Bogus dim
ing-room!
Not altogether nights of unalloycd
pleasure and social triumph. either.
y were. some heart-burnings at
,ain acts that looked very much as
If certain young lady preferred the
agile. agreeable and gay Mr.. Martin
lowell to anybody.
Not only SO. bat Judge Banks and
Sy Go-uns and old Major Griggs very
persistently sought out Polly Leather
wood and danced with her whenever
they could do SO by any chance what
ever. l think il it had not been for
Fan Go-uns. who was . very skillful
dancer and knew every figure" that
our Sandtown fid,llers called-as well
as il she had invented them. bless you
If It hadn't been for Fan and tn
great interest took in learning al
the "6gures'' in all tho dances at THU
my first season" Of dancing, it would
have gone much harder with me tha
week. As it ,cas, Fan had volunteered
to instruct me. and I had graciousl.
accepted her offer. after becoming con
vinced from actual observation thu
she was a competent instructor. AM
this the more readily that Polly hat
shown some impotence and annoy
ance at the very awkward mistakes
made in few Of the strange and in
tricate Figures" thrown at me in tn
high key Of the first-fiddler who pel
formed the unusual feat Of leading
and calling simultaneously.
Mounted upon square tabl
broughs over from the bar q the court
room by the courtesy Of the judge AM
the active assistance of the sheriff
JEFF Tolliver, the fiddler, seated in
..split- bottomed" chair, was no more
potentate than Fan was in her smalle
domain of tho '.set'' in which sh
danced. Disputed questions of cxecu
ton Ofa particular .schange'' were re
ferred to her. and promptly settled t
the satisfaction Of all concerned. Blu
1t was after my own correct tr.sinin
that she looked with the greatest Wig
lance and unwearied perseverance,.
= Every morning at daybreak Oh
-ould say, ~ she deftly tied her hosl
trings under her sellewhat heav
"Now IF they's another dance t.
night I'll learn you how to 90 tho
sAattair change that he was thess
sallun when we broke up. Tous'e
6o-un firstrate! Tox'u git Mt all ate
spell. ef you keep on. H-yander'
Polly Ann q waitun fur somebody
Reckon you better 60 to err
And then she would take sister Liz
left arm-Buck always had the rigl
armand looking back and smiling Z
far as she could see me, she wosl
walk OF rs briskly and as fresh as
she had been resting all the time esp
cially for this walk. Beyond a doub
Fanny Go-uns! you saved me fror
much opportunity for gloomy cor
temptation Of somebody's giddines
Great and rapidly growing giddines
n the opinion of many more peopl
than me. Dancing and talking an
laughing with that fellow Martin. thu
all the town was crazy about. Takin
long walk with him up to the littl
old churchyard in the woods mil
and half from Ssndtown if it was
foot! And then going fishing wit
him in jack-boat! That W.
the browning offense. Girls didn
60 fishing with men in jack-boats tho
days. What had come over Old Bog,
Leatherwood? Where was his jea
ousy? Where was his superlative Wig
lance of former timese Iwould spes
to Buck about II, only the fellow
asleep all day with the exception of q