The Opelousas courier., 1890-12-20
A CHRISTMAS STORY.

tinued Plunkett, "when / first seed Peter
Simpson, though it had been norated
erround for some time that there was er
stranger in the settlement, and that he
was erkin to old Billy Brooks, and was
ergwyne to settle ermong us if he could
find or place to suit him"
Brown drew his chair up closer to the
old man and remarked:
'sThem war the days when you played
the fiddle, and l hain't much to brag on
myself nor on my kin, but never seed
No music that come up to Sugar in the
Gourd' when | was er handling the
straws and you was er pulling of the
bow
'ePve seed the day l could fairly make
er fiddle talk" nodded Plunkett, and
then continued;
"On the Christmas night of 1874 thar
Wa a party at old man Jimmy Law
rence's, and we'd all gathered and the
young folks had played er game er two
Of SIGH as Thimble.' and Timothy Tub
erbutin,' and Snap Out, till at last they
gathered partners and begin to walk
erround and GROUND, and Peter he was
there q stranger and he didn't have 10
partner and wasn't er having nothing to
do with the walking Ground. So Lucy
Coats, as good en- girl as ever lived in
Georgia, wanted to make him feel at
h0Ene, and SO she axed him to be the
middle fellow
4sThat's the way the play is. They all
have partners but one. The odd one
gets In the middle as they all walk
eEzonnd and sing, and when they git to
tho part In the song where it says Right
hare TIL find her they all change part
ners and the middle man has the right
DO jump beside some of the girls if he is
quick enough and then that fellow that
loses his girl gets in the middle, and so
IL goean
"Oh, / know that old play" spoke
Brown, OF the same time drawing his
chair q little nearer to the old man.
@Weil," continued Plunkett, tPeter
he gOtin the middle, and the youngsters
walked GROUND and GROUND er singing
so rs you could er heerd 'em er mile:
'Tt rains and ithails, and It's cold stormy weather,
Along comes the farmer drinking all the cider;
IN reap the oafsand who'll be the binder?
Iloss my true love and right here IN find her.
"And then the change come and Peter
he throwed himself GROUND and got by
the side Of Lucy, and he has told me
since that he loved her from that very
mint
Old man Brown was unable to contain
hiznseaf longer and he remarked:
Sand Lucy made him as good er wife
az ever er man had"
Plunkett frowned at being disturbed,
but coon continued:
ssThe young folks went on with their
playing--frst one thing and then an
other-till pretty soon they got partners
and went walking GROUND and GROUND
eEgin, singing:
Very wen done, said Johnnie Brown.
This Is the way to London town;
Stand you still, stand you by,
Till you hear the Waterman cry.
"On this carpet you must kneel,
Kiss your true love In the field,
Kiss the one that you love best
Jcst before she goes to rest.
pretty soon, continued Plunkett,
s'they cried out, Seat your partners
and Peter and Lucy was right close to
masand Lucy she turned and lowed:
"sMr. Plunkett, let me make you ac-
enainted with Mr.. Simpson.
ssThen Peter he shook hands erlong
with me and took erseat by me, and it
waxn't no time till me and him was just
lille old friends, and he lived by me er
long time and / never had Ell truer friend
or better neighbor, and Christmas makes
me think erbout these old times and
these old neighbora that have passed
away forever.
v " y
aWelI," continued Plunkett, "Peter
and Lucy married during Of the year
49,, and that's what / want to tell you
about.
I'm that old hewed log house that you
passed On the road where the moss is er
growing on the roof lives 81 niger man
hy Che name of old Tom that was the
nast aaiggsr that ever Peter and Lucy
bad Tom was some eighteen years old
whsn Peters dada give him to them, and
old Tim and Peter had been brought up
together, and Peter done just as much
work az be required Tom to do, and they
mnds good crops and in two or three
years Peter had er right smart money
- 80 80 -.