The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1905-08-19
WHERE OLD MAIDS ARE SCARCE.

WHERE OLD MAIDS ARE SCARCE.
Unmarried women are scarce in the
Virginia mountains. In summer S
sojourn in a mountain country of old
Virginia tourist made the acquaint-
ance of fully seven hundred persons,
and found but one "old maid," and
she was ''talkin'." To talk" in
mountain vernacular, means "to pay
court or to accept it."
Girls begin to "talk" at thirteen
-even twelve, in localitiesfar removed
from the railroads. The little maid
leaves off her red calico "sleeve
apron" the "head band" that has
held back her loose hair, puts her hair
in big knob on the back of her head
and lets her dress down-all adver-
tisements of readiness for marriage.
The young mans choice of a sweet
heart is more than likely to be his
cousin. Kinship makes no difference
to him, for he is not usually suffi-
ciently enlightened to think of the ef
fects of such marriages-effects very
apparent in the great number Of people
in the mountains roll eyed, cross eyed,
big headed, physically delicate, weak
of mind-the offspring of cousins,
often of "double first" cousins.
When a young man selects girl
to whom to pay court he will brook
no other youths "talkin' - to her.
He may "talk" TO several girls. ifhe
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 neighborhood, and woe to him
who takes away the chosen girl of
another
The chief courting 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 dane,
ing of "Boston" and SNAP" from
dusk until dawn.
The school teacher, usually good
hammered, is popular, especially if he
isn't too stingy, but as it often hap
pens he is saving his money for a col
lege course, is not Immediately mar
riageble and cannot do any earnest
talking"
If a sawmill sets up for several
months stay in big stretch oftimber
the girls of the neighborhood rejoice
over a new batch of beaus and the wo-
men of the sawmill's boarding house
are besieged WITH feminie visitors
and teased with requests to have fire.
quent 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
lovers 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 young
man. She pins a ribbon on her hair
and button picture on the ribbon,
and lets it hang over her forehead
she claims her beau over any other
girl; and if at dance it is his turn
to swing a girl she dosen'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 en-
tertainments the young men seek
their liquor bottle in the yard at fire.
quent intervals, continuing until they
drop down to the floor, dead drunk.
This, however, does not lower them
in the eyes of the girls.
81 like" confesses the mountain
maid, "to 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 small part in the courtship.
If the lover has picked up new tune
in the outside world to add to his re-
pertoire of "Ida Red" "Cripper
Creek" and "Poor Ellen Smith," he
teaches it to his sweetheart. "Ellen
Smith," an old English ditty-almost
his only love song, he sings constantly.
Its story is of a girl murdered by her
lover and of his wretchedness after
the deed. The refrain tells that he
"Never knew he loved her until he
saw her coffin pass" and that "now
the sheriff and bloodhounds will give
him no rest u
When the wedding day comes, usu-
ally after a very short courtship, the
young compile slip off at night, and
call it running away" even though
they have their parents consent. Rea
runaways are but few.
The usual obstacle in the course o.
true love is the enmity of the mother
of "the other girl" One mother be-
comes so angered because young
man quits "talkin' " to her daughter
to talk to more attractive girl thai
she threatens to reveal the moon
shine" business of the youths family
to the "revenuers, a proceeding she
knows would ruin the family.
The mountain folk seldom remain
single after widowing. As long as :
man is not confined to his chair by OLE
age he considers himself "plenty
young enough to marry" Nor doe
he wait yery long after the death of hi