Clarksville evening chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn) 1886-1890, 1889-02-20
ABRAIIAM'S COURTSIIIP.

During my residence on q nortl
Georgia plantation one of my chic
pleasures wGs to listen to the charac
teristic stories related by the unedu
Gated ruralists.
One day during the summer while
a dozen or more negro and white
laborers were resting at noon, after
having eaten their dinners from theil
tin buckets in the shade of the trees
which bordered a vast wheat field
Abraham jennings, tall, slender
man of about As years, was induced tC
recount the story of his courtship-a
theme to which he had not unfre.
quently alluded as being of somewhat
more than passing interest.
His lnnuendoes 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 tho article in
question from his lips to the grass.
After ministering to his thirst with
the neck of the Jug between his lips,
he began, with the air of one 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 the 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' q
poke O seed corn Of a special variety
which had been the talk considerable
fur its bearin' qualities, an which he
had fetched from Fannin'.
II fust went to his shack, a pore
enough cabin it was, too, fur SIGH
agreeable folks to live in, but it was
the best they could git as it was late in
year when they moved an good, com
Portable houses was as sca'ce as hem
teeth them times.
His wife was busy a-cookin' dinner
at the chimbley, was a-pattin' batch
o meal dough in oven as / como up.
She had q neat look, an while she was
a-directin' me whar to find jim, l cast
my eyes bit on the inside.
I'D seed as many cabins as the next
un, but that was the most home like
un I'd seed in many a day.
1.-THE flat rocks O. the hearth was as
clean as new straw, not even a speck
O ashes. An the shelves, agin the
logs yaskirered it'll papers clt not
chityf On aigc. Everything was as
bright as pin.
II found Jim an his daughter Mary
down in u ten acre field in the creek
bottom. He was q layin' off corn rows
with bay nag in first rate order; she
was drappin the seed, an her brother,
a young strip Of boy, was kiverin' it
18th q hoe.
"Sho como up, ketched up 18th the
pillow, while me an her pa was talkin'.
l thought on my soul had never seed
another SIGH. Her face, which | seed
when sho showed back her bonnet was
the purtticst I'd ever put eyes on. !
didn't hear half what House had to say
rccommendin' O the seed, which lie
was powerful partial to, kase l had my
mind on her.
He toll Mary to go back 18th me to
the house an fill my poke with the
corn; an when l axcd i'm how much
the damage was he shuck his head an
said: Never mind about that-that he
b'lieved 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 a conversation.
Her motions couldn't a-been beat on
earth.
when we richcd the crib, nothin'
cept a pen O pine poles, she richcd in
an filed the poke. l tot her l was
very much oblccged fur the 'commo-
dation.
Not at all, she said, 'thout lookin'
up, an left me thar;
Il stopped behind q clump O bushes
in the big road an watched her on the
way back to the field. | never was
much of q han to take on over wo.
men; in fact, no end O people was OF
the opinion at I'd live an die q ole
BATCH, but just thar l firmly believe l
tuck a turn--leastwise | knowed |
hadn't seed the last O that gal.
1.-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 no odds. 1t was all
could do to wait till Sunday, ! was SO
sot on seein' her agin.
/" You are agoin' to line our side,'
ole Beasley said, agrinnin' KNOWN
like, when ! ovcrtuck i'm on the
mectin' house road. You may have
my ole hat eff faint Jim Houses gal
ats fetchin SO many o you fcllers
from t'othcr side the river. You got
up an fed fore day, I'll bound you.
The parson'll have to have the meetin'
house made bigger to 'commodatc the
congregation. Ihar's a powerful sight
o intrust abcin' tuck lately i'll the
word o the Lord.
Il never said nothin'; it wasn't no
use. l jest whipped my mule to make
i'm keep up 18th his boss, an We went
on to the mcetin house.
u hitched an went in.
THAR they sot, Mary an her mother
side by side on the wOmcn's SIDE, and
House iil Ills BON vi tOllitI.
II didn't pay overly much attention
to what the narson had to say, fur |
couldn't keep my mind onn Mary
Howsomever, when it was ended an
he began TO exhort mourners to come
up to the mourners' bench, an Mary
riz, SO digniGed an went for'ard,
tuck triile int'rust myself an went
up with a passle o men fellors to be
prayed fur
After meetin l fined House out
side; | felt just as BACKYARD bout goin'