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Smith, Jewell Ellen, 1915-1998

"Great Jehoshaphat and Gully Dirt"

"When I was young, we rode
'em all on a rail! Many's the shivaree I helped pull off! But you
know something, boys? We've been laughing a good bit here tonight
about weddings and infare dinners and shivarees and all. I'm here
to tell you-laying all jokes aside-that the day a-body marries is
just about the most important day of his life. My advice to you,
Clyde, and you too, Dorris, is to look around. If a man wants to
enjoy his daily bread after he's prayed for it, he'd sure better
be particular who he picks to stir the dough!"
Chapter 8
I was learning fast.
I learned why you have to have Christmas Eve Day before you
can have Christmas. It's so you can sit on the kitchen floor and
string popcorn to hang on the big tree at church. Mierd told me
that. And she was in a good humor, even laughing, when she said
it.
The next minute, though, Mierd was fussing, saying I was bad,
tattling to Mama.
"Mama, just look at Bandershanks! You ought'a get a switch to
her! She's eating up every grain of this popcorn! Won't be enough
left to go from one limb to another, much less all round the
Christmas tree!" Mierd jerked the pan of popcorn out of my hands
and held it up toward Mama.


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