Show SALLY SYKES COURTSHIP BY GASKELH Yes I did say as how Id tell you about a nice young man and Sallys courtship and praps ther present is as goods any other time to tell it You see lifes very unsartain at best and we always ought to take time by ther foretop as ther darkey tried to take her bull when he pitched him over ther fence that is the bull pitched the darkey over ther fence Im a pretty old man and Ive seen old Time chuck many a likely strapping fellow over to kingdom come or never come back again But afore I tell you of i Sally Sykes Ill tell you of a vain young feller I knew once he was very handsome so folks said and he had too much good looks to have much sense He started to be a trapper but he was far too good looking and handsome for that for instead of hunting for beaver pelts he was always making a looking glass of the water and a fixing himself him-self nice and prim and a smiling and a bobbing his head to get what he called manners so as to shine wonderfully when he got back among the gals of the settlements But Lord love you boy he didnt live long he died arly he didhis good looks killed him He was so attentive to his good looks that he fell in love with them and his appetite ap-petite failed him and thar hed sit by the side of the running stream or placid lake a talking to himself and a begging of his shadder to come to himto come to his arms to be Insto be his own forever and such like nonsense T war no use to talk to him he knowed better than any one else and as the shad der would not come to him he up and died and goes to the shadder Thar war another young feller as thought he was something too she < s-he was if half he said was true it But when a feller talks about his self hes just a going to brag you can put that down as gospel fact Dont know exactly how it is but it seems as if a feller magnifies his self like the frog in the fable or like some of yer glasses does as makes a fly look as bias bi-as an an elerfant This feller war sweet on ther gals he war and the gals jest played him for all he war worth You see his self importance always made him take their chaff and jokes as complerments and as he war really an ordinary looking feller with mudcrushers as would take a side of leather to cover they jest more than delighted to get him started on his boasting about hisself They i got ther bulge on him to last you bet that is ther boys did for you see they were kinder sot agin him he I war so tarnal meddlesome and anxious to nopolize all the gals his I self So Bill Jones and Joe Dickson swored they would play him outen that part of the country Bill Jones was a courting Sally Sykes and she was jest a screamer for good looks and sweeter than any I lassas candy you ever seed with I eyes that sparkled like the fireflys light on a summer night and she was full of fun and frolic all the time I jest tell you she was sum jest to sit and look at her made a feller feel as if lie was a sitting on a rainbow with little cupid angels chucking him full of ice cream oranges and love Bill he seta set-a store of her and she of him for Sally war a loving gal for you see they war true blue star bangled spanner stock of ther Plymouth Hock breed and if they were not edicated and they did like fun thars nothing mean about em So when the bigfooted ordnary feller took hand in trying ter cut Bill outen Sillys company and apoking hisself forard on every casion it kinder riled sweet Billy and he de tarmined to get even with him Now Sallys father war a pillar of the church not a very big pillar for he war a little man but he war a deacon in the church with a proper sense of ther majesty and sponsibility of the office And he war a stric man too and he kept kep-t Sally in ther traces as much as possible pos-sible for you see hed disremembered disremem-bered the time he war young and swung on the gate with Farmer Gooseberrys darter and his heart was hardened to the beauties of the moonlight and his mind ran more on how to make one dollar two and the mysteries of pre destnation and ther saying power of grace than ther happiness and joy ment of the young So you see Sally I had only casional times ter entertain enter-tain company Sunday night war always courting night though the solemn deacon would not low ther boys ter stay very late and always locked up everything afore going to bed for yer see ther had been some I places robbed thereabouts lately and folks war getting scared a little Ther deacon had lost a lot of cliickens too but he didnt know how it war done whether it was fox or a polecat pole-cat or a rigular chicken thief so he set a trap sos to ketch the varmint And it war a powerful trap and wouldnt let go worth a cent when it war once sprung And Bill Jones he goes and moves ther trap to ther lole through the big board fence side the gate going inter the orchard or-chard so nu one could unhook ther gate without sticking his arm inter the trap Then he gets Joe Dickon tel tell ther feller as how Sallys in love with him but she darsnt show it fore ther deacon but that she would so enjoy a walk in ther orchard with her souls choice and shed meet him thereafter there-after the deacon had gone to bed if as how he loved her with as warm and true a love as she loved him And if he did come he must come through the back yard and unhook the gate into the orchard and she would see that ther big dog Tiger was fastened up sos to be outen the way fer you see hed a mortal horror and terror of that dorg and hyderfobia was around And he swallowed all Joe told him for you see he thort his good looks and forward for-ward ways had done the job and she war tirely gone on him and as she war an only child hed sartainly handle the deacons money bags some time So you see hed powerful power-ful inducements to meet her beauty and bootybesides he was as far gone as his selfimportance would low him ever to be and he would like to cut out Bill Jones Now Sally she knowed nothing of all this plotting and she war sleep ing ther sleep of innercent virginity and Bill Jones he had things his own way and he had the dorg in charge for you see he didnt want the dorg to take part in ther fun till the feller was caught in ther trap and he muzzled Tig too sos he couldnt do much hurt nohow And ther feller he goes quietly to ther gate and he puts his hand through ther hole in ther fence and Lordy didnt he jump when ther trap shet up with a slam But it held fast much as he tugged and swored and he darsent cuss very loud less the old deacon heard him And he couldnt get his other hand in to open the trap and thar he stood a facing the fence with his arm stretched through the fence inwardly in-wardly cussing a hole through the blue skies above Jest then Bill Jones he lets ther dorg go and he seed ther feller and he made for him as though hed chew him right up into shoe strings and bowwowing enough to raise Cain generally Lordy yerd ought ter heard the feller hollerthey heard morn a mile away and the old deacon he waked up and Sally she screamed and screamed the dorg he tried ter bite but couldnt morn tear the Tellers clothes Bill he laid back outen sight ter see ther fun and when the deacon corned out with his blunderbus and drawers and the hired man with a pitchfork and a pair of boots and Miss Sally she was at the chamber window a screaming and hollering murder and her mamma mam-ma was beside her a sicking on the dorg Bill thort it time fer him to slope Bill didnt know exactly how the feller fixed it up with the deacon but he saw he thort no more of Sally and let her aloneor if he did think of her it war how to miss her and he soon left that part of ther country coun-try Moonlight walks and orchards war too much fer him and he didnt interfere no more and Bill he sailed in and won the charming Sally with the deacons full consent and hes settled down into another pillar of ther church |