The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1890-12-25
A CHRISTMAS STORY.

A CHRlSIMAS SlURI.
"It was Christmas night, 1S4-," con-
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 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 l 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"
"rve seed the day could fairly make
er fiddle talk" nodded Plunkett, and
then continued:
"On the Christmas night of 1S4- thar
was 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 sich as 'Thimble,' and Timothy Tub
erbutin,' and Snap Out till at last they
! gathered partners ead- begin to- walk
erround and GROUND, 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
Goats, 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
Ground and sing, and when they git to
the part in the song where it says Right
here III 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, "Peter
be got in the middle, and the youngsters
walked erround and GROUND er singing
so as you could er heerd 'em er mile:
1T rains and it halls, and it's cold stormy weather
Along comes the farmer drinking all the cider;
TN 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 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
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 GROUND and GROUND
ergin, singing:
Very we'll done, said Johnnie Brown,
This is the way to London town;
Stand you still, stand you by,
Till you hear the watchman cry.
"On 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
ike cid friends, and he lived by me er
long time and never had er truer friend
or better ncighbor, 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.
In that old hewed log house that you
passed on the road where the moss is er
growing on the roof lives er niger 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 be bought some more