The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-05-19
A MOUNTAIN
COURTSHIP
BY NJ QUAD
Copyright. 1915, by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.

clean apron. arranged hair a bit and
blushed very red as she said to me:
Him comm TO see me tonight-and
him's very skeery nd-and-and"-
do you mean that your young man
is coming?" l 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
walk and be out of the way"
mo, no, no. You's perfectly proper.
I'll go out and sit down on the log, and
you stay right yere."
''Oh. that's it? 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
NV DClOlV SpOhts
Who's him. queried Jim as he nod
ded his head in my direction.
stranger. gwine further up" she an
swered. You hain't no call to be skeer-
ed of him nor nobody"
who's skeered?"
Reckon you is"
"Shoo! Never was skeered in all my
1ifn / in6n NJ
me?"
Reckon he do"
And your mamp
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 n long silence.
"Co'se not; | was thinkin'," he re-
piled as he heaved deep sigh.
Reckon / know what twas. Te-he-
| he!'
Reckon you don't"
"Co'se do Dad likes you, man likes
you, and r.
That log suddenly contracted again
and brought them close together, and
| Jim's arm stole around Lindas 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 doah
I'd shorely hug you, | would"
| got out of that doah" and took |;
long walk, and If Jim didn't take ad
vantage of the occasion Linda's looks
bcied her when | returned.
The girl gave me good night and
passed to Ser room, and little latel
the old folks arrived back.
Stranger, was thar Teller yerc
a-sparkin' I.inda?" whispered the fa.
Their us they sat down beside me-
"Of co'se there was-of co'se," said
the wife.
There was young man here" ]
replied.
Did Linda call him JimY
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, l sat there smoking and look
ing into the laurels. and 1 neither
heard nor saw much. BY and by I got
up and walked away"
"Of co'se he did-of co'se," said the
wife.
Yes, he un would git up and wall
away" sighed the husband.
Would you like Jim for son-in
law" l asked after bit.
stranger" replied the man as hi
laid aside his pipe so as to have boil
hands free to gesture with. that we're
young man has killed a bar with i
knife"
And whoppin' big bar at that,
added the wife.
He has shot three wildcats, subj"
shot three and skeered off {
fourth"
And he has swum the Cumberland
river. sub"
And 1t was in flood too"
And he has killed mo- coons ant
foxes and possums in the last tw,
vars. sub, than any two men in tn,
state"
"0f co'se he has-of co'se."
And he made the elephant rul
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 husban,
as he stood on his feet, that yere jim
can outholler, outrun, outwrassle, out
fight and outfit any critter of his ag,
fur fifty miles around"
"0f co'se he kin-of co'se," adde,
the wife as she also stood up.
And, sub, in var or two mo- W
ar gwine to send him TO the legisla
tur, and he's gwine to swell arounC
these mountains with a plug hat an,
cane. All this, sub, and you axes m
if Id take him for a son-in-law!"
"0f co'se we would-of co'se," sal,
the wife.