The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1905-09-01
gelect Misrellany,
Where Old Maids Are Scarce

Virginia mountains. In a summers
sojourn in a mountain country of old
Virginia tourist made the acquaint-
ance Of fully seven hundred persons,
and found but one cold 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 localities far 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 a big
knob Oh the back of her head and lets
her dress down-all advertise sements
of readiness for marriage.
The young mans choice of sweet
heart is more than likely to be his
cousin. Kinship makes no difference
to him, for he is not unusually suff1c-
iently enlightened to think of the ef-
fects of such NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. very
apparent in the great number of peo.
pie in the mountains roll eyed, cross
eyed, big headed, physically delicate,
weak of mind-the offspring of cous-
ins, often of "double 6rst' cousins.
When young man selects a girl
to whom to pay court he will brook
no other youths "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 Greek Girls ad-
mire the Cranes Nest boys above the
youth of their own neighborhood, or
vice versa, there is fierce enmity be-
tween 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 cut
tings," which last, with their dancing
f"B s:oi'' and "snap," from dusk
until dawn.
The school teacher, usually good
hammered, is popular, especially if be
isn't too stingy, but as it often hap
pens he is saving his money for col
lege course, is not Immediately mar
riageable and cannot do any earnest
talking"
If sawmill sets up for several
months stay in big stretch of timber
the girls Of the neighborhood rejoice
over new batch of beaus and the wo
man of the sawmill's boarding house
are besieged with feminine 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 low
ers pay no attention to any one else,
sit with arms about each other and
exchange kisses and honeyed words.
The engaged girl is very open in
expressing her ownership of a young
man. She pins a ribbon on her hair
and button picture on the ribbon,
and lets it hang over her forehead
she 'sclaims' her beau over any other
girl; and if at dance it is his turn
to swing a girl she doesn't like she has
been known to sieze him bodily and
pull him out of the dance.
The male mountaineer is much CIV
en- to drink. At the all-night enter
tainmcnts the young men seek their