The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1880-08-21
Music in tho BackWoods.

had been sent TO s., a Wisconsin
settlement, on business, and my stay was
prolonged to such an extent that foresaw
that should not be able to get away be-
fore Thanksgiving. Brown had bought a
melodeon. 1t was the first one in the
place.; tho first one, in fact, that many of
the residents had ever seen, and 1t was the
cause Of much neighborhood gossip. Some
thought the Browns were putting on quite
toosmuch, h,style.. ss'Gettin' airy" my land
lady expressed it. 81 guess ef he'd pay
his honest debts lie wouldn't have much
money left to buy melodeons with" ellis
Sarahl hammer out music right and left,
won't she2" chuckled Mrs. W-who
called In to, discuss the matter with Mrs.
B. ''She don't know one tune from
another, l should jedge, from the way she
sings in meetin'. But I s'pose they think
a girl with red hair an freckles, to say
tnolhin' ofSsquintih', has got TO hev some
thin to altrack the young men,"
q 'iou see ef they don't git up party"
said AIrs. B, nodding her head wisely
at Mrs. ". '''Ihey allus do, when
they git something new. They did last
year when they got their parlor cheers, an
the sofy you know. They will now, see
ef they don't"
j, Mrs. B-,proved to he wise prophet.
Two days before Thanksgiving, Mr.
Brown dropped in, " and before he went
away he informed us that the ''old woman
was goln TO have some doin's Thursday
cvenin', she wanted us to come round"
IL want you to come, too, young man."
said Mr. Brown to me. ''rhe old woman
and Sary's maxim great calculation on hav-
IN you there, cause they've heard say you
could rattle some purity good music out O.
sich thing as that we've got up there, and
they want you to show Off, you see. We
can't, you know, though Sary, she's picked
out Come thou fount,' an one or two
other hymns, but they amt very lively,
an wouldn't be anyways likely to enter
tain comp'ny whole evenin'." And MIR.
Brown chuckled, as he lit his pipe, and
took his departure
81 knew 'twould be so," remarked Mrs.
W, when he wa' gone. "That's allus
their way O showin' off new things. l
should know when they Civ party, that
they'd sot somethin' new, cf l hadn't heerd
o. their buyin' anything"
Thursday evening came, and we repair
cd to MIR. Browns. heard the melodeon
before we got to the door, and rs we passed
a window, looked in and saw Dea D.,
who led the singing at meetins'," seated
before the instrument In much doubled
up position, ''picking out" a tune with the
first tingor of his right hand, while the rest
OF his fingers were ccnchcd in his palm as
II he wanted to keep them entirely out of
tho way. One or two old ladies sat near,
listening, and heard one of them say, as
we went in, that she thought Brother
D-'d learn to play in no time, ef he had
an instrument" TO which Brother D.
responded, as he Strengthened up, and re-
leased his crampcd fingers, that she guess
ed he could git the hang O the thing, but
1t was kinder hard work, he jedged, till
person got used to it," and thereupon he
took long breath and wiped his fatigued
hand on the leg of his trousers.
Mr. Brown, bluff and hearty, advanced
to meet and welcome us. He had his
trousers tucked into his boots, and was in
his shirt-slceves, and wore his hat. Indeed,
he, with several others, wore their hats
the entire evening, with tho exception Of
the time we were at supper.
"How'd ye do, young MANI" he said,
shaking hands with me. ''Glad to see We,
Miss Brown, she was afcard you'd Civ us
the slip. Take Cheer"
l. Iooh G1C 'CllCcl. AS uODOuy OlIcFcQ
to take my hat, sat and held it. was
tempted to wear il, and be in fashion.
MIR. Brown sat down and filled his pipe.
Just as lie was proceeding to light it, q red
haired, frecklcd girl OF about sixteen sldlcd
up to him and gave him nudge in the
ribs.
"Wall, what's wanted2" he demanded,
''supper ready2"
Sary, for she 1t was, knew at once, by
the description had been given of her,
whispered something in an undertone.
"Oh, you want the young feller to play,
do ye, an don't dare to ask him? That's
it, is it ?" and Mr.. Brown winlscd at me,
in very jovial way. l wasn't at all sur
priscd that Sary hadn't asked me, as no
one had introduced us. We were not in
t: oduced at all, may as well say right
here. To tell the truth, giving lntreduotions
was looked upon as kind of weakness
peculiar to ''air-y" people, by the good
people of s.. In six weeks stay
there, was not, introduced to any one.
Sary tried to ignore her fathers playful
remark by looking unconscious of it. The
result was that she looked 80 comical that
| had hard work to keep from laughing,
for her eyes were so crossed that one
seemed to be looking southeast, while the
other looked directly up, and suppose she
was looking at me oil the while, for her
face got red, and she fidgetcd about in a
bashful manner, and made no answer to
her father.
81 say, sposen you do play us some
thin" said Mr.. Brown. >"We'd like to
hear the thing. squall right out"
l went to the melodeon. A "solemn
hush" fell upon the party. The old ladies
drew down their faces, and ceascd knit
ting; the young folks suspended giggling;
the only sound could hear was the puff,
puff, of the. smokers, and there were so
many Of them that the room was blue
with smoke. looked my audience over,
and concluded that something with a
tune TO IL" would tt1ll the billO beat NJ