The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1888-11-27

cum in. Wall, Sam didn't 60 a-huntin'
that day; he stayed to supper an then
went home. But l knowed he wa struck
mighty sweet on her black eyes.
After a spell, and mayby a little longer,
I got a chance to talk to Josh alone, an
I seq, "Josh, did you notice how Sam
| tuck a shine to Tabitha Amp"
Wall, he SEE, "I did notice that he
crossed an r~ecrossed his legs a heap, an
dident know what to do with his hands"
Sam kept on cumin' to our house right
along most every day, an [ see he had
fell head over heels in love with her. l
couldn't quite make out whether she
cared much for him or not.
One day a young teller cum to our
house that sed he wus drivin' around and
lookin' at the country. He had a mighty
fine team of horses and buggy. l didn't
know wheather they wus hisen or
wheather he had hired 'em. He talked
about his pap's property up in Sacramento
valley an elsewhere, and said his pap
owned a bank in San Francisco, an he
wanted to buy some land in Southern
California. In the conversation he found
out that Tabitha Ann had fell air to a
few hundred dollars, an I dident like the
looks of that chap an nuther did Josh.
But oh, my eyesl how STabitha Ann did
look at him and giggle at the funny things
he sed Cur he could talk slang by note),
and she thought him nice. After awhile
he went away, an Sam cum in an l see
right away that Tabintha Ann was as
cool as a cucumber to him. You see Sam
wasent near SO fine lookin' as tother chap,
an the city teller had told Tabitha Ann
he would be back again, as his father eX-
pected to buy some land near us. Wall,
as [ wus a-sayin', Sam he looked mighty
down in the mouth, but didn't say nuthin'.
One day not long after that, Ant Polly
Hill an her granddaughter Darthula cum
over to visit US, an after they had been
here a spell, Darthula sed to me, sez she,
Miss Crabtree, did you heer the news ?
Old man Jenkins has had a fine span Of
horses stolen. They wus tuck night be-
fore last"
Law mel sez I, "you don't say so !!
Who does he think stole emf"
Nobody knows" SEE she.
Sam an Tabitha Ann was a settin' there,
an we all talked about it and wondered
about it, but couldent make nuthin' out.
Josh he lowed he had better lock up the
old pony for fear somebody might steal
| him.
SEE 1: "Josh Crabtree, you must be
gettin' a leetle week in your upper story.
Nobody in their right mind would want
that old pony. He couldent travel fast
enough fur EN-
Josh he lowed Ckinder brindlin' up, fur
he sets a heap of store by that pony) that
"Jona" CHATS the pony's nance "can
travail q D,iobtu cipbt foctor tbap uo,,
think fur, Samantha, if he wants to, only
he don't often happen to want to. He is
as spunky as a colt if you jist tech him
with the whip, If he amt had nuthin' to
eat all summer but wheat straw"
Wall, time rolled by as time always
will, an by an by n mornin' as I wus
cookin' slapjacks fur breakfast, l seed
somebody comm up to the kitchen door
so fast it farely made my bed swim.
Wall" sez I, "Sam higgins, you jist
made my heart 60 kerfop. What be you
a dom over here so early? 2"
well" see he, "Miss Crabtree, will
you believe it, my fine saddle mare was
tuck right out of the stable last night"
"Merciful fathers!" sez I, "Sam, amt
you a jokin'?'
"No %siree," sez he, ~ amt" and off he
went again.
avail, seq Josh, a-cnmin' in at that
minute, II am goin to lock up Jonas.
Now, Samantha. you incident open your
mouth, for [ am a-goin to do it," and
when Josh talks that way he means it.
That is the way with companions, they
air so sot in their ways. And he did. He
was a-huntln' around all day fur an old
rusty paddock, and he found it in the tool
house and used up nearly all of my ma
chine oil to grease it up so it would work,
and finally he got it fixed after usin' SIGH
words as Dumb it all! !" and "Gosh durn
it," etc. why can't a man git along
without cussin'2 That is what [ would
like to know Then he went out and
put it on the stable.
Next day here cum that city chap, an
he looked mighty fine, an 1 notice he
drove a different team an buggy, so I
thought he must of hired it. He stayed
a long spell an walked out an sot under
the live-oak trees with Tabitha Ann, an
/ don't know what he sed to her, but
when she cum in her cheeks wus mighty
red. Wall, he kept a-cumin' a good many
times, an finally he an Tabitha Ann come
in one day an she looked awful confused
like, an he sed:
"Well, Miss Crabtree, your nice Tabi-
tina Ann has consinted to be nv wife"
You could of knocked me down with a
fether.
LAND sakes alivel' seq I, "you don't
say sol"
"I do say So" seq he.
"Wall," SEE /, chow does that come, a
likely fine city chap like you to have gone
an tuck up with a country girl like her?
Not but what she is a nice girl an my
niece, but she is not fur SIGH as you"
"Wall, I love her an she loves me