, 1889-03-14
ABRATIAM'S COURTSHIP.

During my residence on n north
Georgia plantation one of my chief
pleasures was to listen TO tho charac-
t~cristic stories related by the unedu-
Gated ruTalists.
One day during the summer while
n dozen or negro and white
l3borers were resting at noon, after
having eaten their dinners from their
tin buckets in the shade of the trees
which bordered a vast wheat field,
Abraham Jennings, n tall, slender
man OF about 45 years, was induced TO
recount the story of his courtship-a
theme 10 which he had not unfre-
%qucntly alluded rs being Of somewhat
more than passing interest
His innucndoes had excited the in
terest of his hearers, and the entire
group sat open cared during the re-
cital.
"Gi' me the water jug, Jake, you
black rascal, ef you're left anything
in it," he called out TO a giant negro
who had just lowered the article in
question from his lips to tho grass.
After ministering TO his thirst with
the neck of the jug between his lips,
he began, with the air of n who very
much enjoys telling an experience:
II saw my ole oman fur the fust
time" he said, stroking his full, iron
gray beard with his sunburned hand,
whilst a tender expression stole into
his face, lover thar on tho Preston
farm.
Her pap, Jim House, had jist come
over the mountain from Fannin', and
was one o. the Preston renters. ]
went thar fur the purpose o buyin' n
poke o seed corn of n special variety
which had been the talk considerable
fur its bearin' qualities, an which he
had fetched from Fannin'.
81 fust went to his shack, a pore
enough cabin it was, too, fur SIGH
agreeable folks TO live in, but il was
the best they could git as it was late in
year whom they moved, an good, COM
Portable houses was as sca'ce as hens
teeth them times.
Ills wife was busy a-cookin' dinner
at the chimbley, was a-pattin' n batch
o meal dough in a oven MS | come up.
She had n neat look, an while she was
a-directin' me whar TO find Jim, / cast
my eyes n bit on the inside.
I'D seed as many cabins as the next
un, but that was the most homo like
un I'd seed in many n day.
The fiat rocks o the hearth was rs
clean as new straw, not even a speck
o ashes. An the shelves, agin the
logs, was kivcred 18th papers cut not
chity on aige. Everything was rs
bright rs q pin.
II found Jim nn'his daughter Mary
down in q ten acre field i'll the creek
bottom. He was n layin' off corr rows
with a bay nag in first rate order; she
trsnu a n Fa ami, t1,n coal ~, lnr Is,thn.
a young strip of u boy, was kiverin' it
18th n hoe.
'Shc come up, ketched up 18th the
pillow, while me an her pa was talkin'.
i thought on my soul | had never seed
another SIGH. Her face, which / seed
when she showed back her bonnet, was
the purttiest I'd ever put eyes on. /
didn'thear half what House had to say
recommendin' o. the seed, which he
was powerful partial 10, kase / had my
mind on her.
He toll Mary TO go back 18th me 20
the house an fill my poke with the
corn; an when | aXed i'm how much
tho damage vas he shuck his head an
said: Never mind about that-that he
blieved in bein' neighborly.'
mo words passed 'twixt me an her
on the way. She was so powerful shy.
Is afeard almost TO draw my breath,
much less to strike up n conversation.
Her motions couldn't a-been beat on
earth.
when we riched the crib, nothin'
'cept a pen o. pine poles, sho riched in
an filled the poke. ! toll her 1 was
very much obleeged fur tho 'commo-
dation.
Not at ALL she said, 'thout lookin'
up, an left me thar.
II stopped behind a clump o. bushes
in the big road an watched her on the
way back to the field. l never was
much of a han to take on over wo-
men; in fact, no end o. people was of
the opinion 'at I'd live an die a ole
batch, but just thar l firmly believe I
tuck a turn-leastwise / knowed 1
hadn't seed the last o that gal.
THE fust step / tuck after that was
TO find out whar they went TO meetin'.
The meetin' house was two mile
furder'n the one I'd been goin' to, but
that didn't mex nc odds. 1t was all l
could do To wait till Sunday, l was so
sot on seein' her agin-
You are agoin' TO j'ine our side
ole Beasley said, %agrinnin' KNOWN
like, when l overtuck i'm on the
meetin' house road. You may have
my ole hat eff faint Jim Houses gal
ats a fetchin' so manyIo' you fellcrs
from t'other side the river. You got
up an fed fore day, I'll bound you.
The parsonm have TO have the meetin'
house made bigger to 'commodate the
congregation. Thar's a powerful sight
o. intrust abein' tuck lately in the
word o. the Lord
Il never said nothin'; it wasn't nc
use. / jest whipped my mule to make
i'm keep up 18th his boss, an we went
on TO the meetin' house.
Il hitched an went in.
Thar they sot, Mary anil her mother
side by side on the women's side, and
House an his son on t'other.
II didn't pay overly much attention
to what the parson had 10 say, fur ]