Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1862-03-14

into the yard to wrestle, jump, pitch maui:
and run foot races till supper. Ia about
half an hour supper was announced. and
a call made for the 'ag-ed and middle
aged to fill up the first table. The ag- ed
and middle-agea obeyed the summons, and
a few whose number of summers placed
them far below even the middle aged ell
! bowed in and done likewise. But there
was plenty Of time and plenty to eat ;
consequently We all had our fill of the very
best the country afforded, long before leav-
ing the premises.
When Knight had hung her curtains up,
and pinned them with STAR" the guests,
with a few exceptions, had scattered eff
to their respective homes The song, the
laugh and the chat had died away at the
residence of Squire Hains by ten o'clock,
and those who had tarried were beginning
to exchange whispers about bedding" the
young couple. when bark ia fiddle, "a
solitary fiddle. was coming up the lane
On hearing it, the Squire suffered frown
to mantle his brow, and Miss--no, Mrs.
West, tried to look scared, yet neither
spoke, Bill put on a broad grin, and
plunged under the bed, from whence he
soon hauled forth, and deposited upon the
hearth, lage stone jug, full of something
that oozed out around the cob stopple,
and was smelling very much like whisky.
Meanwhile, the fiddle came nearer, enter
ed the yard. passed-twice around the house,
and then ceased. For two minutes, per-
haps, all was as silent as death, both with
out and within, but at the end of that
time, and with suddenness unsurpassed
by the nearest clap of thunder, there came
crash which shook The house from top
to bottom and caused its inmates to al
most jump out of their skins. But this
sudden crash was not the end of it. but
the noise kept up without losing single
note for the space of ten minutes. perhaps
Bells, tin pans and tin horns, cow-horns,
iron kettles, dumb bells, horse fddles, men
with giant lungs, dogs and hogs, for aught
| know, commingled and sent up as a
unit their greatest sounds. This was a
shiyeree, and the shivereeners, some thirty
in number. passed round and round the
house in double file, until all were pretty
well exhausted by their own exertiops =
They then formed in semicircle before
the door and after momentary silence,
gave three hearty cheers for the bride and
groom. Tom, who knew the next step
necessary to be taken opened the door and
charged upon them with the jug aforenam-
ed They received the onslaught with re-
nowed cheering, relieved the happy BRIDE
groom of bis burden, took him gently up
on their shoulder--jug dtto--and marched
to the tune Of
Leather britches full Of stitches,
Leather britches buttons on
My wife kicked me out out O. bed,
Because had my britches on.
Done on the old fiddle, in a maSterly
manner, by master musician. To a
large stump short distance from the house
they marched, and upon this they placed
the unresisting Tom. Having formed a
circle around him they gave another hear
ty trio of cheers, and then passed the jug
that all hands might drink bis health &c
This done to entire satisfaction, they once
more took him upon their shoulders, car
ried him back to the house under the stir
ring influence Of
Wake up, wake up, day is brsakin',
Don't you see the mornin' star"
And deposited him very carefully W on
the door step, not exactly as they had re-
ceived him, however, but minus the Jug
He walked into the house, and straightway
the one thousand and one disco7dant in
struments strack up their uneartbly clam
or, and continued it without intermission,
until the bride presented herself at the
door, At sight of her, each performer
came suddenly to bar of rest, and all
was quiet for about one minute. At the
end of that time they gave three cheers +,
then they drank her health all round, de-
posted the jug on. the steps, wished her
good night, formed into single file, struck
up .'Old Zip Coon" on the fiddle and
marched rapidly away. And beyond a
few distant shouts among the woods, we
heard no more of them.
That hireree went off well, but it would
have been otherwise, had Tom failed to
comply with the rules. He would have
received but one set of cheers, and from
thence on till morning, OR nearly so, the
eternal din would have been kept up. |
have since known several instances of that
kind, but they never went off well. As a
general thing. however, the shiDereener'
were expected. and due preparations were
made to give them cordial reception.
Now word about bedding the young
couple, and | shall dismiss the subject
/ The bridesmaid and groomsman had long