The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-10-05
AMONG THE CRACKERS.
A PHASE OF SOUTHERN LIFE, WITH
CUSTOMS AND WAYS PECULIAR.

Decorum Mt Their Social Gatherings.
and His Instrument-Thc Last Couple
On the FIoor.The Feast.
Dancing among the Crackers is usually q
solo performance. The reel and breakdown
sometimes include several participants, but
Me spas seul" is moro popular than the ballet.
.ss in "meetin', )" the men sit on one side Of tho
house and the women on the other. The same
line of decorum Is preserved in their social
gatherings, the men sitting or standing in
cliques at one end of the room set apart for
the entertainment, while the girls occupy
chairs or benches ranged against the wall on
the opposite side, maintaining rigidity Of
position, with their arms folded and their toes
fixed on the same plank in the floor, which
~ouid do credit to a well drilled military COM
Fany. The young men are ordinarily pain
fully bashful No girl would dare address a
word to one of the youths until he presents
himself before her and makes q remark to
her, or asks a question which demands q re-
ply, and to do this the young swain must have
time to make up his mind, first, whether he
can sufficiently overcome his bashfulness to
do it at all, and, secondly, what he shall say
when he has made up his mind to say some
thing-a dilemma in which more fortunate
speakers than Crackers have not unfrequent-
ly found themselves. This remark which oc-
casions such deep cogtation varies, of course,
with the taste and character of the speaker
If he is of sentimental turn of mind he nerves
himself to the emergency, and, standing be
fore her, tells her that "thar's n powerful fine
chance o. dogwood blossoms on the creek, and
he'll fetch her some if she wants them"
The maiden, being the first one addressed,
replies timidly: I'm 'bleeged to you, John;
like dogwood blossoms powerfully"
Another speaker now ventures to select tho
object of his admiration, screws himself tn
the sticking point, and, possessing a mental
organization of an entirely practical charac-
ter, presents himself with the words: Miss
Susan, you amt seen old Brindle lately; she's
got the purtieSt calf in the settlement, and
want you To name it"
"FIDDLIN' JIMsn APPEARANCE.
To this implied compliment Miss Susan an
swers, with blush:
Iii pick out the purtiest name knows on,
Sam Maybe you'd like to name it after
your sweetheart; and with this speech she
significantly Chances i'll the direction of a girl
who is possibly her rival in SANS admiration.
Here, as elsewhere, it is the first step which
costs; and us these two speakers have had the
hartlihood literally to set the ball in motion,
conversation rapidly ensues, and the revely
is fairly begun. "Fiddtin' Jim" soon makes
his appearances; important pcrsonages move
slowly, and, realizing that there can be no
dancing until no arrives, this distinguished
individual consumes as much time and brings
expectation TO rs sharp a point as he chooses.
Seating himself i'll the chair provided for him,
he begins to tune up" This is a serious
operation Oh, shade of Paganni, come not
near this sccnei The instrument-which, by
the way, is not Cremona, but none the less
prize,l for all that's thumped from neck to
bril- hri. svaf To and in Of
being tuned The musician screws up a
string and holds his fiddle" To his right ear
then unscrews it little and holds it to his
left ear; all this being done with the utmost
gravity and digniiied expression of counte-
nance which plainly says what he has often
declared iii words, that "he amt nowhar be-
hindhand in the raul science o playin' "a fid-
die"
Finally a deliberate pizzicato movement re-
vcals the fact that the fiddle is in proper con
dition, and an audible and visible excitement
is seen among the young people.
Cit your partnersi" screams "Fiddlin'
Jim" drawing three violent strokes of the
bow, and uttering the command with a
marked rhythmic accent on each word
The fiddle" and the terpsichorean tempta-
ton have put all bashfulness to flight; the
most awkward rustic can ask a girl to dance
under the effect of such inspiration, and
hands across and down the middle" shake
the cabin to its foundations. The fiddler
plays and looks like one in n sort of ecstasy.
His foot keeps time to the measure of the roll
licking tune, while his eyes seem fixed upon
the blue space which peers through the cracks
of the roof as if his soul We're floating out,
horne aloft upon his own harmonious strains
To the cultivated ear it is execrable, it is tor
ture; but "Fiddln' Jim" has passed beyond
the regions of criticism into the unalloyed
bliss of one who sees and knows no discord
BY and by the reel is finished, and only the
champion dancers remain on the floor. Then
begins the tug of war. The true Greek Is
well known, and each contestant has his or
her Eevy of admirers.
WHO LASTS THE LONGEST.
snow for who lasts the lonrestI, screams
"Fiddlin' jim" "Who keers if the river is
ups"
This last defiant interrogatory is perfectly
intelligibie to the company, who fully appre-
ciate the serious Inconvenience which enters
into their lives when the river is up. Burning
interrupt enthusiastic fiddlers and dancers
After startling feats of agility on the part of
the men, and many graceful evolutions on
the part of the girls, most of the dancers are
exhausted and take their seats leaving one
couple in possession of the floor. These two
are TO do honor to the occasion. The fiddler
is now brought back from his divine ecstasy
To the realities around him, and himself be-
cotflss an oFucnt IciFIlSil, tSpOuSlflS the cause
of the girl, of course, who perhaps in her
dancing career has slain her hundreds.
"Dance up, Kitty; don't be afeer'd," says
"Fiddlin' JIM encouragingly.
"Brace up. Sam, or she'll flag you, old fel-
Ter, - mutters one of Sam's companions, whose
gets the better of his gallantry-
Old and young gaze at the rival dancers
with intenseSt interest and curiosity. The
dancers grow more and more excited. Each
feat performed by one suggests
one still more astonishing on the part Of the
other. Sans friends applaud, and Kitty's
friends applaud more loudly.
make his head swim, Kitty" suggests
1Fiddlin' JIM" who sees Sans enthusiasm
to flag. This Kitty proceeds to do
by turning rapidly round and round, which
eries of evolutions sam is bound by all the
rules of the floor to follow. This, perhaps,
brings the dance to n conclusion, as Kitty is
bile TO revolve longer and more rapidly than
Sam
"Sam was alus sorter light headed but he
mad it the hmm - raDlsrl. ono of Sans