Devils Lake world. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1914-1915, 1914-08-13
Modem
Chivalry
By DONALD chamberlain

Lady What's-her-name l noticed that
the farmers eye lit up, and he seemed
to be rapt in "reminiscences.
They don't do SIGH things now that
away" be said when the story was
finished. hut it's jist as material for
men to fight for women today as it
was then. But they're giniraIly young
fellers, and the gals is young too. l
had a scrap like that when | was a
younker. l hearn IL day that there
was to be a dance in a barn six or
seven miles down the road. After sup
per | started to walk it."
What" | interrupted. walk eve
miles. dance all the evening and walk
sever miles back
"Oh. | didn't mind a little thing like
that then! ! was young and tough. l
needed to keep my muscles active;
there was so much vim in EN-. When
| got to the barn ONE fiddlers was
putin some boards on barrels to make
music for the people to dance. While
they was tunin' up the dancers was
comm in.
Purity soon they began to dance, but
l didn't know any O. the gals, and !
was iafearcd to ask 'em to dance with
me. After awhile a black eyed gal,
seem that I was left out in the cold.
said to me. smilin', Why don't you
dancer and | says. ''Cause I don't
know nobody to dance with And she
says, Wont l dog And l says. You
bet I put my arm around her waist,
and we spur around that barn floor
like a t1ywheel Of Il cuttin' machine
with the beltin' off.
when the music stopped we went off
into a dark corner and set till it com
menced ag'in. | axed the gal if she
would dance with me some more, and
she said she didn't mind. We was
gittin' up to start off when a Teller
came up and said the gal was engaged
to him for that dance. She said she
didn't remember any engagement with
him. so l put my arm around her. and
we sailed away.
mot wishin' to take up the hull of
her time. when the dance was over !
told her I would 90 and get a cup o
water-jist for an excuse, you know
though I would have liked to stay with
her the rest of the evenin'. hadn't
gone far before the Teller that said the
gal was engaged to dance with him
come up to me, and he said, says he:.
"'See here. mister. if you want to
~o1-@r,J3oo Tho jo1l0 ~ fhtS vnro conn.
ty you got to fight for her.
"fI don't want to monopoliZe any
one,' says l. leastways any n that
don't want to be monopolized. but |
don't want none O. your sass
THAT want exactly like Sir Some
thing or Other in the story would put
it, but | meant jist what he did. The
| Teller didn't throw down his mailed
| glove. neither, but he was sp'ilin' for
a fight. and first thing I knowed he
give me a jaw breaker. Then some
Of the managers O the ball that was
standin' by interfered and said we
couldn't fight there; we must go out
side. So we went out, and all the men
| follered us. The gals, findin' their
selves without the men, thort they
might as we'll see the fun. and they
come out too.
1.-THE moon was full that night and
shone like a big round silver dollar.
The Teller I was to ~fght-they called
him Buck-was six feet high to my
| five feet eight. If the gal he was to
| fight for was the belle O. the county
he was the bully. He'd licked every man
he could get to fight him just as that Sir
What-d'ye-call- him in the story had
vanquished all the other knights. l
wasn't so big as he was, but l was all
fired tough. My arms was like a wild
cats fore legs. When l seen the gals
gatherin' around l looked for the one
that the fight was about 1 saw her
standin' with her face squared to the
moon, and she give me a smile that
put enough vim in me to tackle a
grizzly.
II couldn't give you much af an &c
count of the fight cause it was TWEEN,
ty-fve years ago and a rough and tum-
BILE scrap anyway. Didn't neither Of
US know how to box, and we just
! slammed at each other like two wind.
mills whose wings had got mixed from
bein' too close together. Onct in awhile
when l felt discouraged under a sledge.
hammer blow the Teller got in on me
I'd look for a smile from the girl.
She'd give me one, and I'd start in
ag'in purity nigh as fresh as ever.
"The big Teller was more ponderous-
like than me, but he didn't have my
steel muscles, and he didn't have my
wind. After awhile he began to
breathe kind o. hard, and at last he
was hittin' wild. l was as fresh as
ever, and when l saw he vas givin'
out I jist waited awhile till he got
we'll %tuckered, then landed a blow on
his jaw that sent him sprawlin' Oh
the dirt.
"Just then a rooster TUX it into his
head to crow in the middle O. the
night, and everybody larfed. We went
into the barn, the fddlers struck up.
and I danced with the gal I'd fought
for"
"What became of herr" l asked. r.
"She's in the kitchen there boilin'
doughnuts."
"Oh, l see! Quite q romance"