Schaladi (Charlotte)

1. Young Schaladi lived on a mountain side,
A wild and lonely side;
No building was for many miles around
Except her father's cot;

2. Her father loved to see her dressed
Just as fine as a city belle,
But she was the only girl that he had,
And he loved his daughter well.

3. The evening sun was bending low
When a well-known voice she heard,
And o'er the mount to the little cottage door
Young Charlie's sleigh did appear.

4. 'Tis a village fifteen miles away,
'Tis a merry ball to-night:
The air is cold and chilling as death,
But her heart was warm and light;

5. "Oh no, oh no," her father said
'Tis a dreadful night you know;
The air is cold and chilling as death,
And you'll catch your death of cold."

6. "Oh no, oh no," the daughter said,
"My blanket’s lined too well;
Besides I have my fine silken shawl
To wrap my neck all about."

7. Her shawl and bonnet she put on,
Then stepped into the sleigh;
And o'er the ice and snow they went
And o'er the hills far away.

8. Young Charlie he drove up to the ballroom door
And quickly he jumped out.
"How sit you now like a monument,
You have no power to stir."

9. He asked her once, he asked her thrice,
But still she did not stir;
He asked her for her hands again,
And she never said a word.

10. He bore the corpse into the sleigh
As quickly he hurried home;
And darting up to the little cottage door,
Oh how her parents did mourn.

11. They mourned the loss 
of their dear child,
And Charlie he mourned too,
Until they both did die of grief
And they both buried in one tomb.


Collected in April 1965 by George Conway of East Tennessee State University, as sung by Mrs. Lula Jayne Hartsell.  The ballad "Young Charlotte" is widely considered to be based on an incident which took place on Jan. 1, 1840, when a girl froze on her way to a ball. (The story was reported in the Feb. 8, 1840 New York Observer).