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Show POVERTY SHORE I COURTSHIPS ! - "When I was n boy," said Wildcat Perkins, "nobody nloiiB Poverty Shore ' over heard of this new dlscaso thoy call raco suicide. Instead of having to wait nnd let n girl chase him down nnd get lilm In a corner and compel j him to mnrry, every young man used to go huntliiR for tho Klrls as much as tho clrlu limited tho men, and tho result was Hint nlmost everybody got married right nwny and went coast lng or raised farm crops to holp in mnklng a living "Tho reason why so many young men got mnn led when I was young was thnt It did not cost inoro than u chap was worth to go courting. If he had a good pnlr of boots, n wblto shirt and u clean worsted comforter a young man could court n nlco girl nil winter ; at n cost of nut mote than 2.r cents a week "I'll tell ou bow 'twas done that Is, how 1 used to do, and 1'vo been married Uiieo Hiiich, and ought to know "Tho old man. for that Is what wo cnllcd the gill's father, used to provide pro-vide most eveiythlng in-eilcd in tho courting line In those old days. Ho ' furnished tho front pnrlur nnd tho kerosene lamp nnd tho open llreplace, and ho sawed nnd spill tho wood that wns burned in the fireplace all through tho courtship. "Tho fellow lined to drop around after milking Sunday ctuitlnga, nnd after he had token supper with tho family nnd talked for n tlmo with tho old man about tho price of cordwood and the prospects of n heavy run of salmon tho next spring thu girl would light tho pnrlor II ro nnd look ovor tho family photograph album, lnsldo ot which wero the pictures of all tho fellows bIio had entertained slnco sho was 14. j "Nnturnlly Sunday evening waa tho regular tlmo set for courting purposes, pur-poses, but after tho young man had becomo acquainted and got tho run of, tho house thcro used to bo mcotlngs called for epcclnl purposes two or threo lime week. As a rulo tho youni; oufVg did not sit up so long at t- (-)f7rmal meetings as thoy did at j,y Jitnday scshIoiis though Bomo of U.i held until after midnight. "All the.young man had to do wns to alt back on tho sofa and cat tho old man's npplcs nnd warm hlmsolf by tho old man's wood nnd let his money accumulate until ho had enough to start housekeeping. Thero woro no theater parties or Welsh rabbits cooked cook-ed in dialing dishes, or boxes ot chocolates In thoso days to keep his mind away from thu business In hand and steal nwny all tho cbnngo ha jl could earn. Tho old man gavo a continuous con-tinuous freo blowout from tho tlmo tho girl asked her first beau into tho houso until they went to call on tho minister, after which no favors wore shown on account of kinship. As I recall tho events now, I think tho chief expenso I went to in a winter's win-ter's courting at any tlmo wbb buying buy-ing popcorn to carry to tho girl. "And sho was just as glad to aeo mo and Bmllcd as sweetly when I enmo in nt tho front door stamping tho anow from my boots and carrying thoso threo ears ot corn in my pocket pock-et as sho would liavo been it I had arrived with two colored waiters bringing hot birds and cold bottles. It was my opinion thnt tho work ot popping tho corn did more in bringing bring-ing two fond hearts togothor than anything clso which took place during dur-ing tho courting. "Tho flreplaco had to be filled up with tho best hardwood, and this had to burn down to great glowing heaps of coal boforo tho shelled corn could bo put in tho poppor. And then whllo tho girl wns agitating tho wlro poppor over tho coals nnd the firelight was shining on ono Bldo of her faco und Into hor oyes, nnd tho young mnn was shelling moro corn for tho next filling, the corn would be- i gin to pop first a llttlo smip hero nnd another thoro, and then tho dls- . clmrgo of n wholo nrtlllery of white i cornflakes nil nt onco, followed by tho muflled Bound of a gunoral eruption erup-tion lnsldo tho popper, by which tlmo tho Job was finished nnd tho corn was ready for tho flno salt and thp butter. J "So matter how dignified n young man may try to bo, ho can't kcop It up It ho Is popping corn with a nlco girl nbovo n hot atovo In n room wliero thoy two nro tho ouly spectators. specta-tors. I nm not glvon to digging Into tho reason ot things; but no natural young man can nop corn with a nlco girl nil winter without popping tho question. ' "It Is tho cheapness as woll ns tho simplicity of tho custom which np- peals strongly to mon who nro naturally natu-rally economical. In looking over my accounts I find that It cost mo Just C5 cents to court my llrst wlfo. "Sly Becond wlfo cost moro, but IIiIb was duo to tho fact that sho 1 had a younger sister who was unmarried, unmar-ried, nnd who usod to butt in when fho smollcd tho scorching corn. I did not court my third wlfo with popcorn. becauso sho had lost her tooth and could not blto tho hard kornels whllo sho waa waiting for tho dentist to fin. Uli hor now set; but wo got along very nicely by treating oursolves oc roost npplcs and milk, which wore not nt all expensive, seolng that tho old man furnished tho raw malorinl. "I'll bot a gallon ot hnrd cldor to a now nx handlo that it I woro a wid ower now and should start in courting by tho old pop-corn method I could marry tho best girl in tho nolghbor. -ood Inrido ot six months." |