The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-06-22
A MOUNTAIN
COURTSHIP
By M. QUAD
Copyright. 1915. BY the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.

The mountaineer and his wife had
to go down the valley about a mile to
see sick neighbor, and / was left at
the cabin with their daughter, a girl
OF eighteen. As soon as she had clear
ed or the supper table and while i sat
on the doorstep smoking she put on
clean apron, arranged hair a bit and
blushed very red as she said to me:
"Him's comm to see me tonight-and
him's very skeery and-and-and"-
do you mean that your young man
is coming?" asked.
Reckon him Is"
"And he's bashfulT
Him can't skeercely abide dad and
man,"
II see. He'd be scared OF II he
found me sitting here. Well, I'll take
a 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 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
Eve minutes when ''him" appeared. He
had probably been in hiding some
where near. All could see was that
he was a young man. very bashful
and awkward. He sat down about ten
feet away from her, and 1t was about
five minutes before either spoke.
"Who's himY' 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 skeeredT
Reckon you is"
"Shool Never was skeered in all my
life. Linda, does your old dad like
me?"
Reckon he do"
"And your mamr
Reckon she do"
"And, Linda
He stopped there for 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.
Goose not; was thinkin'," he re.
piled as he heaved a deep sigh.
"Reckon | know what twas. Te-he,
he!"
Reckon you don't"
"Co'se 90. Dad likes you. man likes
you. and T.
That log suddenly contracted agar
and brought them close together, and
Jlm's arm stole around Linda's wais
us he finished the sentence for hel
with:
"And Yves gwine to be jined in tn,
fall and live on them acres! Linda
II him wasn't back thar In that doal
I'd shorely hug you, would"
got out Of that doah" and took
long walk, and IL Jim didn't take ad
vantage of the occasion Linda's look
belied her when l returned.
The girl gave me good night ani
passed to aer room, and little late
the old folks arrived back.
Stranger, was thar Teller yer,
a-sparkin' LindaT" whispered the IA
Their as they sat down beside me.
"Of co'se there was-of co'se," sait
the wife.
There was young man here"
replied.
"Did Linda call him Jim3"
''She did"
"Of co'se she did-of co'se," addet
the wife.
did they sot together?"
"Yes, on the log"
would you say, stranger-woui6
you say that thar was luv tharT' ask
ed the husband.
why, sat there smoking and look
ing into the laurels, and neither
heard nor saw much. By and by I goi
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 a son-in-
lawT" asked after a 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 a whoppin' big bar at that"
added the wife.
HE has shot three wildcats, subj"
"Shot three and skeered OF a
fourth"
"And he has swum the Cumberland
river. sub"
"And 1t was in flood too"
"And he has killed mo- coons and
foxes and possums in the last two
vars. sub. than any two men in the
state"
"Of eo'se he has-of co'se."
"And he made the elephant run
when the last circus cum along, sub"
"And 1t was whopper Of an ele.
phant, too-for suah 1t was"
"And, suh.' 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 a var or two mo- wa
ar gwine to send him to the 1egisla
tur, and he's gwine to swell around
these mountains with plug hat and
q cane. All this, sub, and you axes me