The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1895-11-28
the girl if she didn't happen to fancy
the man, wasn'tit?

favor him; II she did she would first call
out her Husband and then the younger
children one by one, leaving the couple
to themselves in the big room, or she
would tell them that she thought they
would find 1t warmer in the kitchen,
and If their love was mutual you may be
sure they would skip out to the little
log kitchen in the back yard as fast as
ever they could go. The loom and the
spinnin' wheels always stood in the
kitchen, and there the family took their
meals. oh, happy was the young man
who could get his girl alone in the
kitchen!'
"Fanc. taking your sweetheart into
the kitchen!" exclaimed young girl in
whose home there are hooks that seem
to have been built just for lovers.
'1'hat would take all the sentiment out
of it for me-"
"Whcn the family was in the Kitchen
continued the squire. absorbed in his
own story, "the lovers would manage to
get in the back room,' where they were
sure to be free from interruption, and,
taking seat on the side of the old
fashioned chest, always called 'chist,'
repeat to each other the old, new story.
Many a tale of love has been told in Just
such surroundings. If things went
smoothly and the lovers became en-
gagged. their way of announcing it was
for her to mount his horse behind him
and ride to church."
Heavens! Why didn't they go in
buggy or carriage? The idea of both of
them riding to church on the same
horse! Why, it made them appear per-
fectly ridiculous, didn't it?" asked
schoolgirl.
mo, indeed, it did not" promptly re-
sponded Squire McBee; sit made her
the envy of every girl in the meetin'
house who didn't have beau, and it
made him the envy of every man who
had looked on his prize tenderly. AS
for buggies and carriages, there wasn't
a one in this part of the state at that
time. Frequently one horse carried
three persons to church, and the young
people were always married in church,
and always on a Sunday
Squire Camp felt that Squire McBee
was getting the field so he FASTENED to
say: ''Cotton pickin's were great
times for co'tin' then
"You don't mean to say that the young
people who composed the society of
that time went into the fields and picked
cotton?" said confederate veteran, in
amazement.
well, I should say not" the squire
answered. Don't you know the differ
ence between cotton pickin' and cot
ton pickin'? Cotton pickin meant the
removing of the cotton from the plant
by the negroes, and a cotton pickin'
was a social gatherin'. You must re-
member that there were no cotton gins
then and the seed had to be removed
from the lint by hand. Somebody would
give cotton pickin' party for this pur-
pose, and invite all the young people in
the neighborhood. An immense fire
was built in the big room. The logs
were piled on the huge cast-iron fire
dogs until they could be piled no higher,
aud light-wood knots thrown on to
make blaze. The cotton was piled up
| in front of the fire around the hearth,
| and when it was sufficiently dry the
young people sat around it on the floor
.
1t was a tedious job, but great fun, and.
of course, every man managed to get
| by his best girl. Many were the kisses
that were exchanged and sly hand
squeezin's on these occasions. think
there was more kissin' in those days
than now, don't you, Squire McBee?"
mo, 1 can't say that do" answered
Squire Mcl'ee, as he removed long
stemmed pipe from his mouth. 81
think the young folks are slyer about
it now than they were then"
| "Maybe that's it," resumed Squire
| Camp. land then, another thing, we
didn't have any of these here microbes
then. don't really believe that there
was one Of the tarnation things in this
country then, leastways, if there was
we never heard of it down this way, and
it was a sad time f9r lovers when the
doctors brought 'em over here, for I
think, for my part, kissin' the right one
is very harmless, helpful, enjoyable
| pastime," "and both squires slapped each
other again and winlied knowingly.
well, to go on with the cotton pick
ms, refreshments We're served some.
times, not always by any means. and
when they were consisted of chestnuts
goobcrs, apples and cider. These gath
erings broke up about eight or nine
o'clock in the evening, unless the whole
crowd remained over night, which was
frequently the case. If so, the girls
slept on pallets in the big house, while
the boys slept on the hay or straw in
the barn. If they went home, however
each man escorted his best girl, and, oh
those long walks with her through the
moonlight or, better still, through the
dark. That man whose girl lived five
or six miles away was much envied."
"I've got to see the man yet that I'd
walk six miles with" remarked the en-.
gagged girl with a defiant look at hel
sweetheart.
'Well, / don't think that's much
harder work than riding 40 miles with
him on one of those bicycles" chuckled