, 1907-11-21
POVERTY SHORE
COuDTSHIPS

huu hcl I'LL III a SoAhSi eA0 al
him to marry, every young nan used
to go hunting for the girls AZ much
as the girls hunted the men, and the
result was that almost everybody got
married right away and went coast
Ing or raised farm crops to help In
making a living.
THE eason why 80 many young
men got married when / was young
was that it did not cost more than q
chap was worth to go counting. II he
had a good pair Of boots, a white shirt
and a clean worsted comforter a young
man could court a nice girl all winter
at a cost of not more han rs cents a
week.
"Tll tell you how twas done-that
Is, how l usN to do, and I've been
married three times, and ought to
know.
THE old man, for that is what we
called the girls father, used to pro-
vide most everything needed In the
counting line in those old days. He
furnished the front parlor and the
kerosene lamp and the open fireplace,
and hi sawed and split the wood that
was burned in the fireplace all through
the courtship.
THE fellow Used to drop around
after milking Sunday evenings, and
after he had taken supper with the
family talked for a time with the
old man about the price of cordwood
and the prospects of a heavy run Of
salmon the next spring the girl would
light the parlor fire and look over the
family photograph album, inside of
which we're the pictures of all the
fellows she had entertained since she
vas IA.
Naturally Sunday evening was the
regular time set for counting pur-
poses, but after the young man had
become acquainted and got the run OF
the house there used to be meetings
called for special purposes two or
three times a week. AS a rule the
young couples did not sit up SO long
1t the informal meetings as they did
at the Sunday sessions though some
of them held until after midnight.
"All the young man had to do was
to sit back on the sofa and eat the old
mans apples and warm himself by
Lut olu Lhdu b WOOu anu lel lib mOuey
accumulate until he had enough to
start housekeeping. There were no
theater parties or Welsh rabbits cook
ed in chatting dishes, or boxes of
chocolates in those days to keep his
mind away from the business in hand
and steal away all the change he
could earn. The old nan gave . con-
tinuous free blowout from The time
the girl asked her first beau into the
house until they went to call on the
minister, after which no favors we're
shown on account of kinship.
AS l recall the events now, I think
the chief expense ! went to in a win.
ter's counting at n time was buy
ing popcorn to carry to the girl.
And she was just as glad to see
me and smiled as sweetly when /
came in at the front door stamping
the snow from my boots and carrying
those three ears of corn In my peck
ct as she would have been If / had
arrived with w colored walters
bringing hot birds and cold bottles.
1t was my opinion that the work of
popping the corn did more in bring
Ing two fond hearts together than
anything else which took place dur
Ing the counting.
THE fireplace had to be filed up
with the best hardwood, and this
had to burn down to great glowing
heaps OF coal before the shelled corn
could be put in the pepper. And
then while the girl was agitating the
wire pepper over the Goals and the
freight was shining on one side of
her face n into her eyes, and the
young man was Smelling more corn for
the next filling, the corn would be-
gin to pop-first a little snap here
and another there, and then the dis
charge of a whole artillery of white
cornfiakes all At once, followed by
the mufiled sound of a general erup.
ton inside the pepper, by which time
the job was finished and the corn
was ready for the fine salt and the
butter.
No matter how dignified a young
man may try to be, he can't keep it
up If he is popping corn with a nice
girl above a hot stove in a room
where they two are the only specta-
go" Nv SNeh " Juggling INTO
the reason of things; but no natural
young man can pop corn with a nice
girl all winter without popping the
question.
1T is the cheapness as well as the
simplicity OF the custom which ap.
peals strongly to men who are natu-
rally economical. In looking over
my accounts ] find that it cost me lust
90 cents to court my first wife.
My secon wife cost more. but
this was due to the fact that she
had a younger sister who was unmar-
ried, and who used to butt In when