The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1895-11-28
COTlN' IN THE OLD SOUTH.
Squire M'Bee's Barbecue and the
Stories He Told.
Dimoulties the Young Men Encountered In
Making Love-First Symptoms of
Tenderness and How They
Were Developed.


that they learn much of the peculiar
and interesting customs of their fore
fathers. A notable event of this kind
occurred in the Piedmont region of
South Carolina not long ago when the
clan of McBee, in response to invita-
tions issued by Squire Alexander Nc
Bee, met at "McBee's Spring" Every
body in South Carolina and western
North Carolina knows Squire Mc13ee,
and everybody was interested in his
family reunion. The family used to
own all of one of the most thriving
little cities in the Piedmont section,
and still owns large part of it, and
certainly has done more than its share
toward peopling it.
Squire Mcl3ee and his cousin, Squire
William Camp, the only surviving grand
in his day prominent in the army of
the revolution and king of the North
Carolina mountains, were the conspicu-
Gus figures of the day. Both have had
the title of squire for so years, and both
remember well how affairs were going
7oyears ago. All the morning the young
men and women and their fathers and
mothers, too. sat at the feet of the
squires and listened to their ttales about
the way they used to hunt when they
were boys, about the old schools they
had attended, and heard stories of camp
meetings, ground rallies, and other
things that have nearly passed away.
After awhile a sly youth cast a glance
ut young girl, and soon she strolled
into the woods near by. He waited un-
til one more story was finished, rose to
his feet and stalked after her with a
telltale blush. The two squires looked
at each other knowingly, and Squire
Camp said to Squire McBee:
"You know what that means, squire?
The young ones are co'tin'."
"I've been noticin' for some time"
totin' 'possums to her house, but say,
squire, the young folks nowadays don't
know what real genuine old co'tin' is,
do they? The way is made too easy for
them"
"You're right there" answered Squire
Camp, "they wouldn't know what Oh
earth to do or say if they had to get in
their co'tin' with every member of the
family sittin' around the room."
Heavens, how horrible!" exclaimed
young matron, and young woman
said. with loving glance at the circlet
on her engagement finger:
"What did you mean, grandpa, by say
ing that John was totin' 'possums to
Marys house? She wouldn't touch a
piece of 'possum."
At this the two squires became gar
rulous, and Squire Camp explained:
"That was an expression that origi.
mated with my father nearly 100 years
ago in regard to co'tin', and now it is
proverbial in both states. One night
he met a shy young fellow, who was
never known to go near girl, carrying
big, fat 'possum to a certain young
woman's house, and he came home and
told us boys that this man was tntin'
'possums to this girls house, and the
saying has gone the rounds ever since"
"Well, if courting in the old days was
so different and so much more difficult
than now, tell us about it, please" per-
sisted the engaged girl, and everyone
showed interest in the answer.
"You tell her, Squire McBee," said
Squire Camp. "You are more expert
enced than l am"
mo, you tell her, Squire Camp, for
you always were great hand for the
ladies'" and then they slapped each
other over the shoulders several times
and laughed a great deal, and exchanged
many nods and winks before Squire
Camp began. 4 tn; :. i - -
We'll, it's just as l told you, co tin in
the Old days was no easy task. Every
thing seemed to be against the young
man who had his eye and heart on cer-
tain girl, even to the architecture of
that time. You see nine-tenths of the
houses in the Piedmont belt from half
a century to 70 years ago had only one
fireplace. 1t was usually an immense
one, in which huge logs from four to ten
feet long were burned, and was always
in what was called the 'bigroom,' which
meant the same then as sitting-room
does now. A small bedroom was cut off
or three 'shedrooms' built on to the
sides of it. These were the better
houses, mind you, and the whole fam,
lily would assemble around the fire in
this main room at night. So you can
easily see what hard time fellow had
to make love.
every little co'tin' was done on week
days. OF course at corn shuckin's and
cotton pickin's many matches We're
made and much love-making indulgetl
in, and they always took place on week
nights but Sunday was the great spark
in day. The very first sign that a
young man ever gave young woman
which showed her that he was smitten
with her was to run out of the church
after service on Sunday morning and
lead her horse around to the block for
her to mount. This was a sure symp-
tom of love. OF course, when he did
this she knew that he would mount his
own horse and ride home with her,
provided another one of her admirers