The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1907-06-21
OLD MAIDS SCARCE
ONLY ONE FOUND IN VIRGINIA
MOUNTAINS. -. .....
Course of True Love Among the Moon,
sinners Runs Constant If Not Al
ways Smooth-PecuIiar Customs.

Unmarried women are scarce in the
Virginia mountains. In a summers
soJourn in a mountain country of old
Virginia a tourist made the acduaint.
ance of fully 700 persons, and found
but one old maid" and she was
"talkin'." To talk" in the mountain
Vernacular, means Ito pay court or to
accept it,"
Girls begin to talk" at 13-even -,
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
on the back of her head and lets her
dress down-all advertisements of
readiness for marriage.
When a 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
II she talks" to another than him.
self.
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 cut
tings," which last, with their dancing
Of Boston" and Snap" from dusk
until dawn.
Courtship is conducted in the l-st
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 exchange 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 button picture on the ribbon,
and lets it hang over her forehead
She claims her beau over any other
girl; and if at a dance it is his turn to
swing girl she doesn't like she has
been known to seize him bodily and
pull him out of the dance.
When the wedding day comes
usually after a very short courtship
the young couple slip off at night, anG
call it running away" even though
they have their parents consent
Real 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 a yOuns
man quits 'talkin'" to her daughter
to talk to more attractive girl tina
! she threatens to reveal the moon
shine" business of the youths family
to the "reyenuers." 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 yount
enough to marry" Nor does he wal
very long after the death OF his wifi
to find another. If Marthy dies il
April Dick is "talkin'" by July ant
married by September, and whel
Marthys funeral is preached in DC
tober LOUSY, her successor, prepare
the big dinner for the funeral guests.
Love marriages are the rule in tn
mountains, but the marriage of cor
venience is not unknown, PARTICULAR
in the second marriage.
An aged widOwer wife-seeker hire
a woman to keep house and do hi
cooking for a few months. I'll TT
her, and eff she is of any account t
work I'll marry her." he announce
to his friends, "and eff she hain't,
won "-PehOhoth Sunday Herald