The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-12-25

earth and sky; on human eye-lids and
human hearts; on human cares and
human joys; she breathes on the face of
master and slave. negro and brute, child
and mother, and all sleep. The moon
comes UP in low siivery mistiness, and
sni les and keeps watch over the sleepers.
the houses, the barns and pens. the ponds
and jungies, and the silent fallow fields.
All is rest.
Only the river still runs on, roaring and
complaining over its snags and quick
sands. 1t is bloody and treachorous look
ing. but they know it and love it,-and
G cd keeps them all.
And now hurrah for Christmas!
The cakes are baked: row upon row,
iced and candy -decked, they set upon the
pantry shelves The pudding is made and
mince pies by the dozens. Turkeys are
roasted, stuffed with bread crumbs, sage
and onions; barbecued shoat lies brown.
crisp and whole, with a red apple in its
mouth: and 'possum and taters simmer in
oily righteousness.
Company Is coming from town, and the
darkies are going to have q dance in the
barn after the children have had their
Christmas tree
Miss Matte has been at work all day
with her girl friends who are visiting her
and young Mars Willie has climbed to the
top of the barn, getting his good clothes
dusty and his black curls full of cobwebs,
fixing the tree and hanging the presents
for the little niggers."
The candles on the brackets around the
wall are lighted, and an old three-iegged
sheet-lron stove in a corner gets red-hot
and tries to go up its OWN due warming
the room.
Still the doors must be guarded to keep
out lnquisltive anticipatiye eyes. The
carriages and bugSies have come from
town, emptying their loads of merry
1l~..-- ,txA IL
girls are dressing and chatte-ing UP
stairs; the young men drinking toddy i'll
Mars Wlllie's room: and the city horses
munching sweet hay and good Red river
corn IN the stables Some boys and girls
have come over from the neighborinC
plantations on horseback, and the dogs
are barking at the unusual stir and ex-
element. Now the barn doors are thrown
open.
In rush the children and their scarcely
less eager mothers. Old Santa IS there. obse-
quIous and tree-handed, familiar with each
name and its corresponding face. Mars
Willie is missing. but who notices that?
Is not Ole Santa everybody?
All are remembered. from Granny Lie
who IS lol, TO the littlest. nameiess plea
minnie on the plantation. Black ewes
dance. white teeth grin. ole Santa dances
too, highly pleased with himself and his
subjects.
Now. the children are sent to bed. The
grown darkseS line themselves about the
walls; Uncle Ebenezer with his fiddle, and
Jim with his ban 10. take their places and
tune up. Matt Bean must open the dance
with breakdown. The music strikes up
Chicken in the Bread Tray" and Matt
shakes one foot and then the other. an
parentiy 10 see that the hinges are III good
order. Now he Is cit.
Back step and double shuifiel Cut de
pigeon on wing! Rock de cradle, and
tipety toe!
'Js as easy! Git erong dar, nieger!"
Chicken in de bread tray, peck, peck,
peck
Lady in de narlor step, step, step"
'tmphu, chilun. GIN me room -
The white folks clap their hands, sit
ting in chairs around the stove. The
darkies pat time, siapping their knees and
rolling their eyes up 10 the rafters The
music grows faster and wilder; Matt reels
ana rocks and keeps up a chanting under
tone OF words 10 the tune.
Mass Willie comes in sleek and smiling.
with fiakes Of lint in his back hair and on
his clothes.
No one notices him.
Matt carries the day.
The sweat rolls of his ebon face, and the
chant comes only in broken pants.
Times up, cries some one ana the mu-
sic stops.
Then up jumps Ole Massa
Give us Dixie. 'Nezar." he cries, "and
az clear the floor"
lie seizes Ole Miss round the waist and
commands the boys TO choose their part
ners. Ole Miss resists with all the Ian. h
ing might Of her lS5 pounds. but TO no
purpose. She is lugged 10 her place and
the Young couples I'll up the cotiIion.
''slu;e yo' partners an balance all ="
cries Ole Massa obey have had au egg-nog
and cherry bounce since the bows came
from town this atternoont tapping his
coat-tails nearly over his shoulders and
singing with the fiddle:
On, away down yandey IN &c land of cotton,
Cinnamon see an "a sandy bottom,
LOOK away, away away in D.xiel
''Fus; four forayd an back agin! !" he goes