The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1914-07-31
Modern
Qiyaky
b. DONALD IN

oO" uSSks
Philena, surrounded by q group Of chill.
dren. was reading to them stories OF
the age Of chivalry. Her father and
could hear hse. and while -sha read
how Sir Somebody charged upon Sir
Somebody Elise In u contest for the
Lady Maintenance l noticed that
tho farmers eye.Iit up. and be seemed
to be rapt In "Reminiscences.
They don't do SIGH things DOW that
away" he said when the story was
finished. but It's fist as material for
men to fight for women today 40 It
vas then. But they're giniraliy young
fellers. and the gals Is young too. !
had a scrap like that when / was a
younker. hearn M day that there
was to be 4 dance In q barn nix or
seven miles down the road. After sup.
per l started to walk It."
what" l interrupted, walk seven
miles. dance all the evening and walk
seven miles back"
"Oh. l didn't mind a little thing like
that then: I was young and tough. I
needed to keep my muscles active:
there was 20 much vim In 'em. When
l got to the barn some addlerD 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
| didn't know any o the gals. and |
was afeared 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
dance? and l says. Cause I don't
know nobody to dance with, And she
says. Won't I dor And l says, You
bet | put my arm around her waist.
and we spun around that barn door
like q fywheel Of a cuttin' machine
with the beltin' Oh.
when the music stopped we went OF
into a dark corner and set till 1t com.
menced ag'in. I axed the gal If she
would dance with me some more. and
she said she didn't mind. We was
gittin' up to start OF 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 I put my arm around her. and
we sailed away.
her time. when the dance was over !
told her I would 60 and get a cup o
water-jist for an Reuse 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. II you want to
monopolize the belle o this we're coun'
ty you got to fight for her. .
81 don't want to monopolize any
one,' says l. 'leastways any n that
don't want to b. monopoized. but
don't want one O. your sass.
'That want exactly like Sir Some
thing or Other In the story would put
It, but l meant jist what he did. The
TELLER didn't throw down his mailed
glove, neither. but he was spilin' for
a fight, and 6rst thing I knowed he
Give me q jaw breaker. Then some
Of the managers O. the ball that wat
standin' by interfered and said We
couldn't light there: we must 30 out
side. So We went out. and all the men
follered us. The gals. 6ndin' their
selves without the men. thOrt they
might % we'll see the fun. and they
come out too.
The moon was full that night and
shone IKE q big round silver dollar
The Teller I was b ~hght-they called
him Buck-was six feet high to my
I've feet eight. II the gal be- wal to
6sht for was the belle o the county
he wa the bully. He'd licked every man
he could get to fight him just ~ that SIR
What-d'ye-call-hi him in the story bad
vanquished all the other knights. l
wasn't 20 big ~ he was. but was all
ared tough. Ny arms was like a wild
cats fore legs. When ! seen the gals
gatherin' around l looked for the q
that the fight was about l saw her
standin' with her face squared to the
moon, and she give me q smile that
put enough vim In me to tackle q
grtzsly.
Il couldn't give you much Of an &C.
count Of the fight cause 1t was TWEEN
ty-6ve years ago and a rough aud 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 I felt discouraged under a sledge
hammer blow the Teller got In on me
I'd look for a smile from the girl
Shed give me enc. and I'd start In
ag'in purity nigh as fresh as ever
1.-The big Teller was more ponderous-
like than me. but be didn't have my
steel muscles. and he didn't have my
wind. After awhile he began to
breathe kind o. hard. and ut last he
was hittin' Wild. ! was as fresh as
ever. and when l saw he was givin
out l jist waited awhile till be got
we'll tuckered. then landed q blow on