There was a song we sung when I was a kid:
Froggy went a-courtin’ and he did ride, M-hm M-hm
Froggy went a-courtin’ and he did ride, M-hm M-hm
Froggy went a-courtin’ and he did ride,
Sword and pistol by his side, M-hm, M-hm
He rode up to Miss Mousie’s door, M-hm, M-hm
He rode up to Miss Mousie’s door, M-hm, M-hm
He rode up to Miss Mousie’s door,
where he’d often been before, M-hm, M-hm
He said Miss Mousie will you marry me, M-hm, M-hm
He said Miss Mousie will you marry me, M-hm, M-hm
He said Miss Mousie will you marry me,
And how happy we will be, M-hm, M-hm.
Margueritte
I don’t know if my grandmother knew that tune or not, but she knew something about courtin’.
Margueritte was said to be a tremendous horsewoman. She could ride with the best and handle a team like nobody’s business. When she set eyes on the man of her dreams, she was no less determined and boldly made her move.
The man she set her sights on was 9 years her senior. He had a batchin’ partner, John. The two guys had traveled the prairies working the harvests from Montana into Canada. Margueritte thought it was about time he settled down.
newlyweds
She showed up at their house on the prairie from time to time. One day when she came to their door it was suppertime. The guys used a pie plate as a lid. That night they had boiled potatoes for supper. Bee drained the taters and flipped them out on the pie pan lid on the table.
Margueritte looked a bit surprised. That made her determined to tame that unrefined wanderer. He needed a wife! She lassoed him and Bee’s wandering days came to an end. The two were married in the fall of ’26.
And so began another series of adventures….
I remember my Aunt Margueritte and Uncle Bee Knapp from about the summer of 1950. We visited them northeast of Big Timber when I was maybe 7 years old. Margueritte cooked the best biscuits I have ever had in my life. Uncle Bee took us hunting antelope but had to stop as it wasn’t hunting season and the game warden flew overhead. Then he killed a chicken and we had chicken and biscuits for dinner. I will never forget them. Such great people.
David Biggar
Glasgow, Montana