The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1853-05-10

wern't the first place to spit on, so I
axed one Of the managers whar I
must spit, and he said I mout spit in
the corner ef I would pull up the
spread; but when I went to pull up
the spread I found it nailed down
hard and fast, so arter so long time
| had to 30 away down stairs outside
of the house to the road just to spit,
for / knowed it wern't genteel to be
spittin on folks spreads or walls.
Arter I had spit I come back just
as the music struck up. You never
heard or seed 80 much music all in
one pile in your life; it beat the cir
Gus all holler. There was flies and
fddles, brass horns and every thing,
and the way they puffcd their jaws
and worked their arms was no sin to
Moses.
Presently, by and by, I seed sew
eral fellers dressed all kinds Of funny
ways, just pitch at some gals close
by, like bumble-bee on flower.
They GRABBED ON round the waist and
flung EN- round and round like thew
war agoin to DASH their brains out
agin the wall. The poor gals I pitied
'em, and expected every mint to hear
'em squall loud enough to wake crea.
ton, orstheir daddies if there were
asleep up stairs. They were taken,
as [ supposed, SO suddenly and
skeered so bad they could't even hol-
Ter, but just tainted away and drop
ped their heads like o witherec col
lard leaf, right on the shoulders of
the fellers that GRABBED 'em as tight
as thunder. The fact is, eff was to
give an opinion, I Ishould say the gals
ribs war so much bruised they could
not war their dresses fastened for q
week afterwards.
You know I am naturally tender
hearted man, and felt for the girls
very much indeed; now don't gi,
jealous, Sally,.for5 I didn't feel for
the gals like the other fellers sho3had.
hold on eIn round tho y oisb ond +
felt for 'em, pity in my heart. !
hat, my old hickory stick along, and
was great mind to wallop the fellers
and make 'em let the gals loose; but
l thought as I vas a stranger had
better not be mixin in things didn't
know much about, and SO l jest walk
cd away and talked to some of the
genteelest ladies l seed in the room.
The ladies war sittin away back
as ef they didn't want to have any
thing to do with sich carryins on;
when told 'em my notion on the
subject they said they thought fist
like me about the thing, but they said
the iellers did not grab the gals agin
their wills, and that the whole thing
was q fashionable dance called Por.
ker. That the gals instead of faintin,
as ! supposed from fear, they was list
as fond of being hugged as the fol.
lers was of huggin 'em, and that when
they droped their heads on the fel.
lers' shoulders they was only leaned
up to 'cm, ! spose upon the same
principle that cat learns up to YOU
when you scratch her back. They
though, eff it warnt that thar was
more in favor Of husgin than agin it,
they would like to see me wallop 'em
a little with my stick; as it was, I had
best not to pitch in. But the one
and all scd if ever they had gals to
come to this town, and I was here,
they hoped would wallop every fel.
Ter caught huggin their darters.
promised 'em | would, and I will,
J!st as sure as my meme is Ben.
So soon as the music stopped, the
huggln stopped too, and The fellers
and gals sortcr run into the crowd as
# they war ashamed, and forgot to
blow ont the candles afore they com.
menced q huggin, however they got
over 1t very soon, an everybody got
SO mixed up that you could not tell
'tuthner from which,
Thar war more curious lookin peo.
pie there than you ever seed IN all
your life. Thar was kings and queens,
soldiers and sailors, old wimmin aud
young wlmmin, long noses and short
noses, big eyes and little eyes; in fact
they beat all the picter books you
ever seed.
After they had mixed about spell
squad of the dancin folkcs talk to
me aoont things, for reckon I lnck.
ed as green to them as they looked
curious. They axed me how / likea
the dance, and l sold 'em adzacly
my opinion about It. They seemed
to think | was quar- oil case, to
see any harm in two young folks hug
gin each other They sed It would