The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1890-12-20
A CHRISTMAS STORY.

"lt was Christmas night, 1Si-," con-
tinued Plupkett, "whcn 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 crkin to old Billy Brooks, and was
ergwyne to settle ermons us if he could
find er place to suit him."
Brown drew his chair up closer to the
old man and remarkcd:
Them war the days when you played
the fiddle, and hain't much to brag on
myself nor on my kin, but | never seed
no music that come up to Sugar i'll the
Gourd' when | was cr handling the
straws and you was er pulling of the
bow"
1--WE seed the day could fairly make
or fiddle talk" nodded Plunkctt, and
then continued:
"On the Christmas night OF ISL thar
was party at old man Jimmy Law
rence's, and we'd all gathered and the
young folks had played CT game er two
of sich 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 u stranger and lie didn't have no
partner and wasn't er having nothing to
do with the walking Ground. So Lucy
Coats, as good or girl as ever lived in
Georgia, wanted to make him feel at
home, and SO she axed him to be the
middle fellow
THAT'S the way the play is. They all
have partners but one. The odd one
gets in the middle rs they al! wali
erround and sing, and when they git to
the part in the song where it says Right
here I'll find her they all change part
ners and the 1uiddle man has the right
To jump beside somo of the girls if he is
quick enough and then that fellow that
lcsos his girl gets in the middle, and SO
it goes"
ooh, | know that old play" spoke
Brown, ut the same time drawing his
chair little nearer to tho old man.
well" continued Plunkctt, "Pcter
he got in the middle, and the youngsters
walked erround and erround cr singing
SO us you could Ell heerd 'em er mile:
ut rains and it halls and it's cold stormy weather.
I'll reap the oats and who'll be the binder?
lost my trlle love and right here III find her.
And then tho change come and Peter
he throwed himself erround and got by
the side of Lucy, and he has told aas
since that he loved her from that very
mint
Old man Brown was unable to contain
himself longer and he remarked;
"And Lucy made him as good CT wife
as ever er man had"
| Plunkett frowncd at beng disturbed,
but soon continued:
"The young folks went OH with their
playing--frst one thing and then an
other-till pretty soon they got partners
and went walking GROUND and erround
ergin, singing:
! Very vel! done, said Johnnie Brown
This is the way to London town;
Stand you still, stand you by.
| Till you hear the watclman cry,
| "On this carpet you must knccl.
| Kiss your true love in the field,
Kiss the one that you love best
| Just before she goes to rest.
pretty soon," continued Plunkett,
"they cried out, Seat your partners,
aud Peter and Lucy was right close to
me and Lucy she turned and lowed:
"'Mr. Plunkett, let me nuke sou sc
quainted with Mr.. Simpson
"Then Peter he shook hands cr!ong
with me and took er seat by me, and it
warn't no time till me and him was just
like cid friends, and he lived by me er
long time and | neyes had er truer friend
Or better neighbor, and Christmas makes
me think erbout these old times and
these old ncighbors that have passed
away forever.
WELL" continued Plunkett, Peter
and Lucy married during of the year
1S4-. and that's what l want to tell you
about.
Sin that old hewed log house that yol,
passed on the road where the moss is OF
| growing on the roof lives er niger man
by the name of old Tom that was the
first nigger that ever Peter and Lucy
had. Tom was some eighteen years old
when Peters dada give him TO them, and
old Tom and Peter had been brought up
together, and Peter done just as much
work as he required Tom to DO, and they
made good crops and in two or three
years Peter had er right smart money
layea up. and SO he bought come more
land, after that he bought another niggez
or two and they helped him, and soou
paid for themselves and Tom and Lucy
got ambitious to be rich and they went
in debt, thinking they could work and
pay out, and so things were moving
erlong when old Tom, over yonder on
the road, went to his young master and
mistress and told 'em he wanted to marry
one of old Squire Crawford's niger gals.
Toms master was willing for him te
marry the girl that he loved, but the old
squire he fixed up and before anybod,
thought erbout it he'd sold out his plan.
tatioa and put out for Texas. Folks
were crazy on Texas them days, and it
didn't take er fellow long to git off fol
them parts when the fever once struck