The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-08-04
WHERE Old MAIDS ARR: SCARCE


Ihcfe-Gir Always "Run Away.
Unmarried women are scarce in the
Virginia mountains. In a summers
sojourn in a mountain country of old
Virginia a tourist made the ~acquaint-
ance Of fully seven hundred persons,
and found but one "old maid" and she
was ~"talkin'" To talk" in mountain
yernacular. means Ito pay court or 10
accept it."
Girls begin to talk" at thirteen
ever twelve, in localities far removed
leaves off her red calico sleeve apron"
the head band that has held back
her loose hair, puts her hair in a big
knob on the back of her head and lets
her dress down-all advertisements of
readiness for marriage.
The young mans choice of Il sweet
heart is more than likely to be his
cousin. Kinship makes no difference
TO him, for he is not usually sufficient
~ enlightened to think of the effects of
such neutrality-suspicious. very apparent
in the great number Of people in the
mountains, roll-eyed, cross-eyed, big
beaded, physically delicate, weak of
mind-the offsring of cousins, often
of double first" cousins.
When Il young man selects n girl to
whom to pay court she will brook no
other youth "talkin" to her. He may
talk to several girls, if he likes, in
several neighborhoods, but he gives
himself the right to quarrel with one
if she talks to another than himself.
If the Roll Pone Creek girls admire
the Cranes Nest boys above the youth
of their own neighborhOod, or vice
versa, there is fierce. enmity between
the neighborhoOds, and woe to him who
takes away the chosen girl of another!
The chief counting places are the log
churches, where the elders sit on the
rough benches inside and worship and
the young ones sit under the shade of
the trees outside and talk and the
evening entertainments at the homes
play parties and cake cuttings"
which last. with their dancing of Dos
ton'and Snap" from dusk until dawn.
The schoolteacher, usually good man.
nered, is popular, especially if he isn't
too stingy, but as it often happens he
is saving his money for a college
course, is not Immediately marriage
able INC cannot do any earnest talk
ing"
If a sawmill sets up for several
months stay in a big stretch of timber
the girls of the neighborhood rejoice
over a new batch of beaus and the
women Of the sawmill's boarding house
| are besieged With feminine visitors n
teased with requests to have frequent
evening parties.
Courtship is conducted in the most
open fashion. Public demonstrations
of affection are not cenSured. At the
play parties and cake cuttings the low
ers pay no attention to any one else,
sit with arms about each other and ex-
change kisses and hOneyed words.
The engaged girl is very open in eX-
pressing her ownership of a young man.
She pins a ribbon on her hair and a
button picture on the ribbon, and lets
it hang over her forehead-she
claims" her beau over any other girl;
i and if at a dance it is his turn to swing
q girl she doesn't like she has been
known to seize him bodily and pull
him out of the dance.
The male mountaineer is much given
to drink. At the all night entertain
ments the young men seek their liquor
bottles in he yard at frequent inter-
| walls, continuing until they drop down
to the floor, dead drunk. This. how
ever, Ices not lower them in the eyes
of the girls.
Il like confesses the mountain maid
ITO see a boy have enough liquor in
him to make him lively"
The only musical instrument in the
~backwoOds is the banjo, yet music
plays no part in the courtships. If
the lover has picked up a new tune
in the outside world to add to his rep
ertoire of Ida Red Cripple Creek"
and Poor Ellen Smith," he teaches it
! to his sweet heart. ELLEN Smith, an
old English ditty-almOst his only love
song, he sings constantly. It's story is
| of a girl murdered by her lover and of
his Indebtedness after the deed. The
refrain tells hat he Never knew he
loved her until he saw her coffin pass
and that nov the sheriff and blood
hounds will give him no restr!'
When the wedding day comes, usu-
ally after a cry short courtship, the
young couple slip off at night, and call
| it running away even though they
have their parents consent. Real run
Always are but few.
The usual obstacle in the course of
| true love is the enmity of the mother
| of 1.-The other girl" One mother be-
comes so angered because a young man
quits "talkin'" to her daughter to talk
to a more attractive girl that she
! threatens to reveal the 'm~oonshine'
business of the youths family to the
"revenuers,' Il proceeding she knows
would ruin the family.
The mountain folk seldom remain
| single after widowing. AS long as a
man is not confined to his chair by old
age he considers himself plenty young
enough to marry Nor does he wait
very long after the death of his wife
to find another. If Marthy dies in
April Dick is ''ta1kin'" by July, and
married in September, and when Mar
| thy'S funeral is preached i'm October