The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-05-29
A MOUNTAIN
COURTSHIP
By NJ. QUAD
Copyright. 1915. by the Mcclure.
Newspaper Syndicate.
By NJ. QUAD

DO you mean that your young man
is coming?" | asked
Reckon him is
And he's bashful?
Him can't skeercely abide dad and
man,"
Il see. He'd be scared Off If he
found me sitting here. Well, I'll take
a walk and be out of the way"
NO, no. no! You's perfectly proper.
I'll go out and sit down on the log, and
you stay right yere.
"Oh. that's 1t? Well. don't you mind
me In the least"
The log was only thirty feet away,
and she hadn't been sitting there over
five minutes when him appeared He
had probably been in hiding some
where near. All could see was that
he was young man. very bashful
and awkward. He sat down about ten
feet away from her. and it was about
five minutes before either spoke.
who's him?" queried Jim as he nod
ded his head in my direction.
Stranger, gwine further up she an
swered. You haint no call to be skeer-
ed OF him nor nobody"
who's skeered?"
Reckon you is
"Shoo! Never was skeered In all my
life. Linda, does your old dad like
me?"
Reckon he do
And your mamw
Reckon she do"
And, Linda
He stopped there for a long, long
time, and Linda coughed and giggled
over his embarrassment. BY and by
she said:
Dad says you come powerful nigh
KILN bar last week"
No reply.
MAN says you took up them ten
acres of land above Parker's."
No reply.
HAS you lost your tongue Jim?" she
asked after long silence.
'Co'se not; was thinkin'," he re-
piled as he heaved deep sigh
Reckon | know what twas TIE he
hel"
heShoh YOU uOu l.
"Co'se do. Dad likes you. man likes
you, and T.
That log suddenly contracted again
and brought them close together, and
| Jim's arm stole around Linda's waist
| as he finished the sentence for her
with:
"And ives gwine to be jined in the
fall and live on them acres! Linda
If him wasn't back thar in that doal
I'd shorely hug you, | would"
l got out of that doah" and took |,
long walk, and If Jim didn't take ad
vantage of the occasion Linda's looks
belied her when | returned.
The girl gave me good night and
| passed to her room, and little later
the old folks arrived back.
Stranger, was thar Teller yert
a-sparkin' Linda?" whispered the IA
Their as they sat down beside me.
"Of co'se there was-of cose." SAID
the wife.
There was a young man here"
replied
Did Linda call him .JimT
"She did"
"of co'se she did-of co'se," added
the wife.
Did they sot together"
Eyes, on the log"
would you say, stranger-would
you say that thar was luv thar?" ask.
ed the husband.
why, | sat there smoking and look,
ing into the laurels, and neither
heard nor saw much. BY and by got
up and walked away"
"Of co'se he did-of co'se," said the
wife.
Eyes, he un would git up and walk
away" sighed the husband.
Would you like Jim for a son-in
law" | asked after bit.
stranger" replied the man as he
laid aside his pipe so as to have both
hands free to gesture with, that yere
young man has killed a bar with a
knife"
And whoppln' big bar at that,
added the wife.
I HE has shot three wildcats, subj"
shot three and skeered Off a
fourth"
And he has swum the Cumberland
river. sub"
And it was in food too"
And he has killed mo- coons and
foxes and possums in the last two
vars. sub. than any two men in the
state"
"0f co'se he has-of co'se."
And he made the elephant run
when the last circus cum along, sub"
"And it was a whopper of an ele-
plant, too-for suah it was"
"And, subj" continued the husband
as he stood on his feet that yere Jim
can outholler outrun. outwrassle, out
fight and outfit any critter Of his age
fur fifty miles around"
"Of co'se he kin-of co'se," added
the wife as she also stood up.
"And, sub, in var OF two mo we
ar gwine to send him to the legisla-
tur and he's gwine to swell around
these mountains with plug hat and
a cane All this, sub, and you axes me
IL I'd take him for a son-in-law!"
"Of co'se we would-of co'ss," said
the wife.