Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1895-08-30
A MOUNTAIN C0URTSHIP.
By w. ]. hampton.

1
tic Of mountain women, old or young
and how she had ever come to marry
| Lem Skaggs was a wonder TO me, for
Lem was by all odds the homeliest
man on the Lick, and LONELINESS is a
| characteristic OF mountain men. l
| knew Lem quite well, and hal be-
| friended him on many occasions, even
| loaning him money enough to get mar
ried on, as his crops were not IN and
he was scant of funds and when they
had been married about month l
asked him one day how it happened.
| He was q good fellow all over, was
Lem, as guileless rs baby and as hon
! est as the sunlight, and when l asked
my question, he blushed and grinned.
She was tuck by my good looks,
he laughed.
of course of course" I laughed
back, anybody ought to see that, but
my eyesight is weak. Tell me what
you did to win her"
Il didn't DO nothin', colonel. l Jlst
wuz."
That won't go, Lemuel. You are
not the kind that win that way; you
must have made yourself attractive IN
some other way"
Hope to die, colonel, eff | did he in
sisted. Il jist wUZ and she got tuck.
Didn't you court her pretty hard?
Did -" and he drew a long breath
as if relief at the thought OF its being
over. Well. | should say | did. Why,
I come mighty nigh mOrtgidgin' the
farm to git her things she didn't seem
to want when / give EN- to her"
What did you give her?'
Everything. colonel. l got so bad
lords the last the folks at the store
told me if I'd lump my dealins they
reckon they could let me have EN-
at Wholesale prices.
"She couldn't stand your liberallty,
Lem That's what got her
mot a bit NV it, he continued. All
the time l was takin' her all sorts NV
things. she wuz maxim eyes at every
Teller that come along and sorter eX-
pectin' me to keep up my end NV the
swingle tree. just case / kinder seemed
TO banker after doin' it that away.
But you kept at it,
u reckon not" he laughed. All NV
a sudden / sot in fer Mary Finnel and
give the store folks rest on buyln
"Then what happened?' l inquired,
with a hope that l would now get some
information.
Well" he said, "she kinder swap
ped eends on t'other fellers, and swung
round my way, but I wuZn't giyin'
inch. and | didn't have to talk with her
fer mighty nigh two weeks, and then
one evenin' as I wuz passin' her house
on my way to Marys and she knowed
it. I seen her hangin' on the gate look
in out into the future. er somethin' NV
that sort that I seen pictur Nv ono
an agent wuZ sellin.
Good evenin, says l, not offern'
to stop.
"'Good evenin', says she. Pears 10
me your in a powerful hurry
Kinder says I, slackin up some.
I promised to be down to Mary's bout
this time
she kinder looked down at the
ground when told her that, and kicked
a little rock out Of the path that wuz
LAWN thar. and l felt like sheep-steai'
in dog fer sayin' what ! had.
u reckon you'd better be hurryin'
along. then. for Mary amt the KIND
that likes TO be kept waitin',' says she
- s'pose, says I, that you don't
keer ef l stop and talk to you Ter
minute, dc YOU?
~ amt keerin' what you 90, says
she. kinder sullen.
You look like you wuz eXpecun
somebody yourself says l, feelin ez Ell
I'd like to choke whoever the teller
wuz.
".That's what says she, and felt
more'n ever like chokin' somebody.
"'Who is it?" says l, watching the
streaks of a laugh round her mouth
and eyes.
THAT'S fer me to know and you to
find out says she, laughing out
% reckon I'll be goin' on down to
Mary's says l. thinkin' that l wasn't
maxim nothin' hangin round Susan.
maybe you wouldn't Ell you knowd
who wuz comm says she, kinder
reachin' over the gate.
Well, tell me- says I, and see eff
I'll stay
- reckon not says She, still a-nag-
gin me. 'mebbe they wouldn't like IT.
who's they? says /.
She give little chuckle, and l
come up to the gate and rested my
hands on it to one side Nv her'n.
"Pap and mother, says she.
They've gone down to the schoolhOuse
10 preachin' and won't be back tell
eight o'clock.
"'Ain'tyou kinder lonesome waitin'
liver by herself. Susan?' says 7, half
way tryin' to pull the gate open, but
she held it shet.
81 recon wuz, says she. That's
why I come out and hung on the gate
Its mighty still like in the house.
Amt you now? and / chuckled myself
for ketchin' her.
''You reckon you wuz?' says I.
"Praps I am and p'r'aps / amt
she sniggered, and tossed her head.
I tried, to open the gate, but she
held it shet.
"'Ef you want me to stay, why don't
you say so?' says l, gettln' ugly.
81 reckon you kin if you want to-
says she, mighty pesky.
Susan says I, what's the use Nv
foolin'?'
"'Foolin' about what?' says she.
about me and YOU says l.
CT amt foolin, says She
You air. says I, and you know it.
EFF you don't like me, Lem Skaggs,'
says she, bridlin' up all over, you kin
golong. didn't AK you to stop, did ~
But do like you, Susan says I.
gittin' skeert, an tryin' to pull the
gate open SOS 1 could git clos't enough
TO her TO coax her.
81 reckon you like Finnell a
sight better says she, holdin' the gate
ap'in mo