Middletown transcript., 1896-12-12


an everybody knows that's been com
mon ever since Adam 'n' Eve.
"Settin' out is when two fellers il
| dead gone on the same gal. That does
happen awful frequent, you know; an
most likely.they happens to N ct at hel
house some night, both maxim aconrt
in. Well, then, neither of them tive
fellers will 60 fust. They both sits an
talks an talks an sits, am each trie.
to tire the other out. The fust one tc
i git tired an go home is sol out, an be
don't never show up after that at that
] gals house. That's what settin' out
is. An a feller that comes f0olin'
round gal after he's been sot out, be
gifts sot down on hard by the gal, kin
tell you.
"Ever hear of the settin' outat Big
lows? Mop Well, thought every
body in the State had heard tell o'that.
Go ahead an smoke, an I'll tell to you.
| don't mind smoke; my old man nigh
smokes me to death, an kind o. git
| used to it.
"You see, old Tom Big'low, that
lives in the big house down acrost from
Burr Oak school-house, he had mighty
putty gal, .Her name was Em, line, an
she was the belle Of these parts for
sure. Lots of black hair, brown eyes,
an pink skin, an all that. An hust-
Ter, too. IS fine gal at a churn or at
bakin' as I ever see. Everybody said
Em'line would make fine wife, am
all the young fellers was after her hard;
but none Of 'em was in it 'longside Of
Jim Doolan an Hi' Morgan.
SIT seemed mighty clear to all Of
us that them two held the inside track,
an it only neededla settin' out 70 see
which one was to git Em'line.
"Course everybody knew Em'line
rather favored young Teller down at
the Corners. story-writer or some sech
thing as had come into these parts to
look at US an write us up into fool
stories, which ought to be made shut
Of by law, goodness knows. they are so
redic'lous, an not a bit as we really
are. But we all knew old Tom Big
low'd never let En- line throw herself
away on no such trash; am Em'line
understood that pretty well, too. You
see, old Tom Big'low is the richest man
in the county, an the meanest, an he
had swore by goodness gracious that
Em'line shouldn't marry nobody but
either Jim Doolan or Hi Morgan.
swell, that was in the winter of "75,
an I was takin' care of the Big'Iow
house like, helpin, Em'line, Missus
Big'low bein' laid up with rheumatic
in her back. So one night there comes
jingle Of sleigh-bells in the yard, aa'
in comes Jim Doolan. Old Tom makes
him to home, an Jim sits down by the
fire opposite En- Zine, an begins to talk
about the huskin' at his house, which
was set for the next Thu sday.
"Almost before he gifts started talkin',
there comes some more bells i'm the
yard, an in comes Hf Morgan. an be
takes the other chair by the fire, an
Em'line moves over between them, SOS
to be nice an impartial; an there them
two fellers sits scowlin', while old Tom
brings in some cider an apples am SET
'em on the table.
ssWell, I sees it's goin' to be set
tim out, an liable to last most till
morniu'; so I takes up my knittiu', AID
says good night, an goes upto my room,
for I knew young folks don't like to
have their courtin' spoiled by outsiders.
An i'm little while bear old Tom
come up an go into his room, and l |
knew the settin' out had begun in
earnest. An so it had. Em'ilne told |
me all about in the next year.
"Fust, for awhile Jim an Hi' sot |
there an just glared at each other like |
they saw bull-snake, an EN- Zine she
sot there waitin' for one or the other
to speak; but neither of them showed |
signs of beginnin', SO at last EN- Zine
ups an says, dad has put some cider |
on the table, boys, mebby you'd like
scme.'
" Thanks, l would like some they
both says at once; SO Em'line she po1rs
out glass an hands it to jim, bein'
as he comes fust. Then she fills it
again an gives it to Hi, but he
pushes it back, an says as stiff as taks,
IF you please, Miss EN- Zine. I'D rather
not drink from his glass;
"That makes Jim kind o'huffy, an
be says, Perhaps you think poisoned
it, Mr.. Morgan
"'Well,' says Hi. Il know::as you'd
like to, whether you done it or not;
but / am bit partic'ler who 1 drinks
after.'
"Well, Em'line she sees they are
goin' to quarrel all evenin', so she gets
her sewin' some fancy stuff, which
1on't take no stocks in, for my part,'
an she starts to sewin'; an them two
Fellers just sits quiet like an scowls at {
sach other not either of 'em sayin' a
word for fear the'other would take him /
lown. ID
"After about an hour this way Em'- /
line begins to yawn pretty frequent, an |
finn says: sMr. Morgan, think per-
laps Miss Emil means to hint that [
he an I would rather be alone. Per- /
,aps you are thinkin' Of goin' home.
:" Not at all. : says Hi; son the con-
ray, I'm havin' very nice time in
ieed, AM I mean to stay Just a. long
y Miss Em'line WIN low ma An