The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1888-05-12
THAT YANKEE GAL"
A "Quare Story All Mixed Up
Amongst Two Families"


Amongst Two Families"
tInever haint liked them Yankees much,"
observed the veteran as sat beside him in
front OF his little log cabin, in the cool of
the evening.
''No, never hain't liked 'em much sence
they killed the best breedin' sow had when
that fetler Wilson come through with lis
cavalry, an jest nat'ly tore up the yea'th.
But tell ye, pard, ther' mus be some good
in 'cm, or leastways ther's some NV 'em
that's 'bove the averi6ge.
"Do you see yon house on the hill to the
right! Now, look across the level toward
the left, an you kin jest dislziver the chimb-
leys NV another. Them's both Yankee
houses, or leastways they're ha'f an ha'f.
Captain McAlpin lives to tho right, and
Colonel 1mboden lives in the other one.
Now, there's quare story all mixed up
'mongst them 'ere two families.
''Ah, how well rickollect the fust time
ever seed Imboden's wife. We'dgone down
toJonesboro to MARKET me an some o. the
neighbors, an while we wer' knockin'
round the grocery we seed old man limbo
denis carryall driv' up to the station, an
when the train came we seed Mr.. Imboden
go round an hunt up little slip NV a gal
an put Ter in the carryall an drive off
towards the settlement.
"That can't be the new school.teachern
says Bill Jennings to me.
"'No,' says l, faint noways likely, BILL
"But sure 'nough it wus We foun' that
out ne:;' day when old man Imboden come
'round an axed us how many children we'd
sign fur the quarter.
"'Who's to be the teacher! saysI.
go, my little Yankee gal,' says he.
Didn't you seeer down at the depo' t'other
dnys'
"'Well, yes, s'pose did; but rally, Mr..
1mboden, you're a-jokin', hain't youl That
ere gal looks If she'd better be a-gwine to
school stiddier a-teachin''
$50, she's all right says he, a-laughin'.
sYou know she's Yankee gal, an they gifts
grown Quicker'n other gals. They're like
young pa'tridges. SOon's Their wings air
dry they're ready to shift fur t,.eirselves.'
''Well, the school wus made up an the
Yankee gal come out fust rate. The chill
-dren all jest nat'ly dotted on Miss Marian
Marian McAlpin wus the way she signed Ter
name. SO when the spring quarter wus out,
we jest put in an made 'er up another school
fur the fall This wus long in 49, an times
wer' layther ticklish. Everybody wus
r'picious NV everybody else, an specially
strangers. This created s-sme preiydices
leetle that way myself, wus satisfied a'ter-
'ards that wus mistaken. All we knowed
bout the gal wus that she wus q leetle
peeked-lookin' thing with great wondersome
loollin' eyes-blamed Il ever did tn' out
what color they wer', and long brown hair
what wus caution to look at. She wusn't
extry purity, didn't think. Rally, she
want as purity as Carrie Weldon, the old
man Weldon's gal, what used to live over
yon way, in that tother house. You see the
Weldon and Imb0den places fined lands,
an both on 'em were well off, an both had
plenty NV niggers to tend 'em. Jack ImbOden
was the only child old man Imboden hcd; !;
an he had set his heart ON Jacks marryin'
Carrie Weldon, beca'se that would fetch
all the propty into one body. Carrie wus
good gal, too, an her N Jack 'ud bin sweet
hearts all their lives.
sack wus off at collidge when Miss Nc
Alpin come to tho settlement, an he never
saw Ter tell winter, when he come home to
vacation. dom know Is he'd a-seed Ter
then, but when her school wus out Mr.. In
boden axed 'er to stop at his house an rest
tell the holidays wus over, an promised Ter
that ef we could ford it, we'd try to git Ter
up another school. WY, sir, never seed
Children l'arn so IN all my borned days as
they did under that little Yankee gal. MY
Jane, what didn't know the fus' letter in Ter
oook when she started, went clear thr'ugh
an thr'ugh in the fust three months, an
besides she larnt to say the one ones, too.
''Ther' wus sump'n' bout the gal that we
couldn't mn 'erstan'. She claimed to de rom
Pennsylvany, an said she wuz an orphant
an had lived with Ter old aunt tell she died,
an that she had brother sever'l years
older than she wvs, but she didn' know
wher' he wus. He'd went out West afore