The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1895-07-16
A Mountain Courtshlp.

ahu NOW shs hdu ever come tD marry
Lem Skaggs was u wonder to me, for
Lem was hy all odds the homeiiest
man on the Lick, and hoEleliness Is y
characteristic of mountain men. |
knew Lem quite well, and had be.
| iriended him on many occasions, even
| iOanlbg hlm moucy enough 10 get
married ON, as his crops were not In
| ana he was scant Of funds, aud when
they had been married about a month
| asked him one day how it happened.
He was good fellow all over, was Lem,
as guileless as baby and as honest as
the sunlight, and when | asked my
question he blushed and grinned
he laughed.
OF course, of COURSE" | laughed
back anybody ought to see that,
but my eyesight is weak Tell me
what you did to win her?"
II didn't do nothin', Colonel. | list
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, ef | did,"
he insisted. II jist wuz and she got
tuck"
Didn't you court her pretty hard ?r
as OF relief at the thought of It's being
over. We'll, | should say l did.
Why, come mighty nigh mortgidgin'
the farm to git her things she didn't
seem to want when / give 'em to her"
What did you give her? ?"
Everything, Colonel. 1t got so
bad to'rds the last the folks at the
store told me eff I'd lump my dealin's
they reckoned they could let me have
'em at wholesale prices"
She couldn't stand your liberality,
Lem. That's what got her"
mot bit NV it," he contended
Nv things, she wuz maxim eyes at
every feller that come along, and
sOrter eXpectin' me to keep up my end
NV the swingle tree. jist Gaze klnuer
seemed to banker after dom 1t that
away"
. But you kept at it ?"
l reckon not" he laughed "Al
Nv sudden L sot in fer Mary Finnel,
and give the store folks res on
buyln'.'
"Then what happened ?" inquired,
with hope that would now get some
Information.
:" He laug he'd low, gurgling laugh,
such as hoy would give vent to when
caught in some OF his natural depre-
datlons.
"Well," he said, "she kinder
snapped ends on t'othcr fellcrs, and
swuns round my way, but | wuzn't
givin' II inch, and ] didn't have no
talk with her for mighty nigh two
weeks, and then one evenin' as | waZ
passin' her house on my way tu Mary's.
and she knOwed it, | seen her hanyin
on the gate lookin' out into The future,
er somethin' NV that sort that seen
q picther NV onc't an agent wuz scllin.'
"'Good even, says | not otrerin' to
stop.
"'Goo1 evenin',' says she. Pears
to me you're in u powerful hurry
Kinder says |, slackin' up some.
Il promised to be down to Mary's bout
this time
"She kinder looked down at the
ground when | told her that, and
kicked little rock out Of the path
that wuZ laSin' thar, and | felt like Il
sheep.stealin' dog fer sayin' what |
had.
~ reckon you'd better be hurryin'
along then, for Mary amt the kind
that likes to be KEEP waitin',' says she.
"'l 'spose,' says l. that you don't
keer of | stop and talk to you fer II
minute, do you?'
"'[ amt keerin' what you do, says
she, kinder sullen.
"'You look like you wuz expectin'
somebody yerself, says |, feelin' ez Of
I'd like TO choke whoever the fellcr
wuz.
THAT'S what, says she, and | fct
more'n ever like chokin' somebody.
"'Who is it y says / watchir' the
streaks NV IL laugh round her mouth
and eyes.
THAT'S fer me to know and you to
nd OUT says she, laughin' right out
"'l reckon lll be goin' on down to
Ma"y's, says |, thinkin' that | wuzn't
makln' nOthi m hangin' round Susan.
'Mebbe you wouldn't ef you know'd
who wuz comin',' Says she, kinder
reach in over the gate.
"'Well, tell me- says |, 'and see ef
I'll stay"
81 reckon not, says she, still a
naggin' me, 'mebbe they wouldn't like
itn
"'Who's they p says |.
"'She give Il little chucklc and |
come up TO the gate and rested my
hands on it to one side NV hcr'n.
Pap and mother says she.
They've gone down to the schoolhouSe
to preachin' and won't be back tell
eight o'clock.
"'Ain't you kinder lonesome waitin'
hyer by yerself, Susan p says |, half
way tryin' to pull the gate open, but
she held it shet.
~ reckon wuz', says she. That's
why | came out and hung on the gate.
It's mighty still like in the house
"'GOu reckon you wuZ| says l..
"Ain't you nowY and | chucklcd my
self ketchin' her.
"'P'r'aps | am p'r'aps | amt she
sniggered, and tossed her head
II tried to open the gate, but she
held it shet
"'Ef you want me to stay, why don't
you say SO p says |. gittin' ugly.
"'l reckon you kin ef you want to,
| says she, mighty pesky.
| Susan say, |, what's the use NV
| foolin'?'
"'Foolin' about what p says she.
about me and you, says |.
81 amt II foolin'' says she.
"'You air., says /, and you know it,.
"'Ef you don't like me, Lem Skaggs,
says she, bridlin' up all over, you kin
go long. didn't ask you to stop,
did I?'
"'But | do lfc you, Susan says |,
gittin' skeer', aud tryin' to pull the
gate open SOS I could git clos't enough
to her TO coax her
II reckon you like Mary Finnel q
sight better, says she, holdin' the gate
ag'in' mt.
"'I reckon | don't says I, and