Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1890-12-25
A CHRISTMAS STORY.


1T was Christmas night. 1S4-." con-
tinued Plunkett, 'swhen first seed Peter
Simpson, though it had been norated
erround for some time that there was er
stranger in the settlement. and that he
WIS erkin to old Billy Brooks, and was
ergwyne to settle crmong us if he could
find er place to suit him."
Brown drew his chair up closer to the
old man and remarked:
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 in the
Gosrd when | was er handling the
straws and you was er pulling of the
bow"
I've seed the day could fairly make
er fiddle talk" nodded Plunhett. and
then continued:
ION the Christmas night of 1S4- thar
was party at old man Jimmy Law
rence's, and we'd all gathered and the
young folks had played er 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 erround, and Peter he was
there stranger and he didn't have no
partner and wasn't er having nothing to
do with the walking Ground So Lucy
Coats, as good er 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 as they all walk
erround and sing, and when they git to
the part in the song where it says Right
here Ill find her they all change part
ners and the middle man has the right
to 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
it goes"
''Oh, | know that old play" spoke
Brown, at the same time drawing his
chair little nearer to the old man.
"Well," continued Plunkett, f'Peter
he got in the middle, and the youngsters
walked erround and erround er singing
so as you could er heerd 'em er mile: J
st rains and it halls and it's cold stormy weather
Along comes the farmer drinking all the cider;
IN reap the oats and who'll be the binder?
lost my true love and right here III find her
"And then the change come and Peter
he throwed himself erround 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
himself longer and he remarked:
"And Lucy made him as good er wife
as ever er man had"
Plunkett frowned at being disturbed,
but soon continued:
"The young folks went on with their
playing-frst one thing and then an
other-till pretty soon they got partners
and went walking erround and erround
ergin, singing:
Very well done, said Johnnie Brown,
This is the way to London town;
Stand you still, stand you by
Till you hear the watchman cry.
"OD this carpet you must kneel
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,
and Peter and Lucy was right close to
me and Lucy she turned and lowed:
"'Mr. Plunkett, let me make you ac-
quainted with Mr.. Simpson,
''Then Peter he shook hands erlong
With me and took er seat by me, and it
warn't no time till me and him was Just
like old friends, and he lived by me er
long time and never had er truer friend
or better neighbor, and Christmas makes
me think erbout these old times and
these old neighbors that have passed
away forever.
"Well," continued Plunkett, "Peter
and Lucy married during of the year
1S4-, and that's what want to tell you
about.
'sIn that old hewed log house that you
passed on the road where the moss is er
growing on the roof lives er nigger man
by the name of old Tom that was the
first niger 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
layed up, and so he bought some more
land, after that he bought another niggel
or two and they helped him, and soor
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 OF
the road, went to his young master ant
mistress and told 'em he wanted to marry
one of old Squire Crawford's pigger gals
Toms master was willing for him tc
marry the girl that he loved, hut the ole
squire he fixed up and before anybody
thought erbout it he'd sold out his plan
tasion and put out for Texas. Folk
were crazy on Texas them days, and il
didn't take er fellow long to git off fol
them parts when the fever once strucl
/ 'em.
! AFTER Squire Crawford went off t.
Texas old Tom never was the same fel
low. He didn't sing and dance erroant
like he always had and he'd set errount
by himself and wouldn't have much Il
do with anybody, and Peter and Lucy
noticed it and tried to git him to forge
the girl that went off to Texas, but they
couldn't. and old Tom he begin to tall