air always mighty ambitious jes to SEE a feller anyways, 'f he's
a-pinin' fer 'em. So Jeb come, an' Jeb was fixed up now fittin' to
kill. Jeb had his hair oiled down nice an' slick, and his mustache was
jes black as powder could make hit. Naturely hit was red; but a feller
can't do nothin' in these mountains with a red mustache; an' Jeb had a
big black ribbon tied in the butt o' the bigges' pistol Abe Shivers
could borrer fer him--hit was a badge o' death an' deestruction to his
enemies, Abe said, an' I tell ye Jeb did look like a man. He never
opened his mouth atter he says "howdy"--Jeb never does say nothin';
Jeb's one o' them fellers whut hides thar lack o' brains by a-lookin'
solemn an' a-keepin' still, but thar don't nobody say much tell the ole
folks air gone to bed, an' Polly Ann jes 'lowed Jeb was a-waitin'.
Fact is, stranger, Abe Shivers had got Jeb a leetle disguised by
liquer, an' he did look fat an' sassy, ef he couldn't talk, a-settin'
over in the corner a-plunkin' the banjer an' a-knockin' off "Sour-wood
Mountain" an' "Jinny git aroun'" an' "Soapsuds over the Fence."

"Chickens a-crowin' on Sour-wood Mountain,
Heh-o-dee-um-dee-eedy-dahdy-dee!
Git yo' dawgs an' we'll go huntin',
Heh-o-dee-um-dee-eedy-dahdy-dee!"

An' when Jeb comes to

"I've got a gal at the head o' the holler,
Heh-o-dee-um-dee-eedy-dahdy-dee!"

he jes turns one eye 'round on Polly Ann, an' then swings his chin
aroun' as though he didn't give a cuss fer nothin'.

"She won't come, an' I won't foller,
Heh-o-dee-um-dee-eedy-dahdy-dee!"

Well, sir, Nance seed that Polly Ann was a-eyin' Jeb sort o' flustered
like, an' she come might' nigh splittin' right thar an' a-sp'ilin' the
fun, fer she knowed what a skeery fool Jeb was. An' when the ole folks
goes to bed, Nance lays thar under a quilt a-watchin' an' a-listenin'.
Well, Jeb knowed the premises, ef he couldn't talk, an' purty soon
Nance heerd Jeb's cheer creak a leetle, an' she says, Jeb's a-comin',
and Jeb was; an' Polly Ann 'lowed Jeb was jes a leetle TOO resolute an'
quick-like, an' she got her hand ready to give him one lick anyways fer
bein' so brigaty. I don't know as she'd 'a' hit him more'n ONCE. Jeb
had a farm, an' Polly Ann--well, Polly Ann was a-gittin' along. But
Polly Ann sot thar jes as though she didn't know Jeb was a-comin', an'
Jeb stopped once an' says,

"You hain't got nothin' agin me, has ye?"

An' Polly Ann says, sorter qu