Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-01-03
A Country Wedding IN Kentucky


ed in Grant County, and thinking
few words about manners and GUS
toms down here would be accepta.
BILE to some of your readers, | SUBJ
nit this description of a wedding 10
the back-woods.
The invitation was sent the previ-
Gus day "wednesday, the ceremony
to take place on Thursday, at P. NJ,
at which hourI arrived at the house
of the brides father, and found about
fifty horses hitched to the fence and
trees around the house. Everybody
had come on horseback, not single
buggy or wagon there. The house
Ca double log one) with fireplace at
each end was q pattern of most of
the country houses here. Entering
through porch we entered room
in which were congregated about
twenty or thirty men, true Kentuck-
ians, tall raw-boned fellows all chew
ing or smoking and talking, the hos
pitable host making every one as
much at ease as possible and suc>
ceediDg very well. The main top
ic of conversation was the price of
"terbacker" and the last free fight at
The neighboring village. In q few
minutes there was stir at the door,
the bridegroom to be, was ushered in
accompanied by his best man, each
gorgeous in q suit of s'store clothes. !"
Stopping TO warm their fingers at the
huge Fireplace, they then went up
stairs and there was rush into the
other room, where were collected the
ladies of the party, about twenty of
them as pretty, happy and fun low
ing set as one ever saw. By the
time we had all taken places around
the room, the groom and his attend
ant re-appeared with the bride and
maid, and took their places in the
center of the room and were pro.
nounced man and wife, by a preach
er who was there for that purpose.
Congratulations followed and hearty
ones they were, each rustic beau
claiming kiss from the bride. Next
we heard the host inviting us to
supper, which was eagerly accepted
the attendants leading, the bride and
groom following, the rest following
in promiscuously, all In the best of
humor and passing jokes some of
which showed great deal of wit,
we entered the supper room where
was table loaded with viands, such
as are seen in no other place than
Kentucky-cakes, pies, preserves,
corn and wheat bread, jellies, sweet
and sour milk, and float Ca mixture
of milk, sugar, eggs and whisky
besides other things too numerous
to mention. Every body ate as if
they were expecting a famine and
were determined to lay in a full
stock before it came, but even KY.
appetites are finally appeased, and
at last we returned to the front
room, the boys sitting or standing ut
one side of the fire place, the girls on
the other, each wanting to speak to
the other, but none bold enough to
break the ice. After while some
proposed game, then came dis.
cussion as to what it should be, some
in favor of Buffalo, some Rouser,
while others wanted to play Hod.
ietlea. Finally they agreed to play
Rouser, but here was new difficulty:
no one had the moral courage to
choose partner, SO that game came
to dead stop. At last two young
fellows took holdof each others hands
and commenced to march around
singing queer kind Of song about
having another round and wound
up by each choosing one of the
blushing maidens, this made four in
the ring, the song was then repeated
and the two girls each chose a young
man and thus it was repeated till
about all were chosen, then they all
formed a ring and commenced to
play Buffalo, which consisted 10 Civ.
ing the right hand to the partner
and right and left round.
/ learned the words to this play
but the tune was not learnable, here
they are
sJim Hawk shot the buzzard.
And the buzzard shot the crow,
And we will march along together,
Till we find the huffalou