Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-12-16

week what everybody else meant '" siNo
and get. As the names are read two or
three OF the more muscular young TEL.
lows snatch them from the reader ana
hustle away 70 where the recipient stands
wedred In the throng. Doorand windows
are wide open, yet the heat ana stench
are oyerpowering. Outside, gazing
through the windows, or over tho crossed
arms OF the two burly doorkeepers, stana
the uufortunates who have bankruptea
themselves In town. or by Ill hap nave
not got hold OF the necessary nickei.
They wait with patience, seeing and hear
Ing by snatches the glories their iuchier
fellows make q part OF. BY ana py, when
the tree, In which they have no par
or lot, Is stripped OF It's many manner "
fruit they know that they can oouse
..,S. and get a share of the marching
"a after ALI marching Is the real emu
| of the festival. .,
I, does not begin until well on 10 IL
o'clock. The babel has not died away,
but a big fellow stands very straisn. !"
the middle OF the floor, shouting aloud:
march, March! Gentlemuns! L@dies'
| Who gwine march wild me-?
| A, his words the throng somewhat
| narts and packs until there is a roundisn'
| clear space about him. He STANDS WIN
I arms half ahimbo, his feet set soiidly on
| the floor, his eye ranging the huauieu
! women's faces. The younger ones gies'e
| and cry out. pushing one another 10 a
| feInt of sending some one to the caller
| side. Each is burning to be CHOSEN out
| nobody wants TO seem so indicate as
| 10 maize individual a general invitation
| TO march. While they waver II Is again
| proved that she who hesitates is lost.
| Aunt 'Riah Winston, who Is tall ana
| stout. and so, II she Is a day. has taken
| her ponderous stand at the mans einow'
| and says with a little disdainful snin'
| pear lex ter me. y'alI young sais
| amt got de sense you oughter been borneu
wild. Let anybody stan an baig an
baig fer pardner, lex dat, amt whut you
| done come yerc fer ter be-"
| "Come 'long-de res er y'all." the man
| shouts impatiently. "Me an Aun' Riah'
| US kin set you de fine step" -,
Don you cross yo' laigs. Tom saily'
| Aunt 'Riah admonishes. ease ef you
does. / sho' Is gwine set down an lei
YOU by yo'se'f. Dat whut make de dit
| f'unce in marchin', an dat dar daincin
| us ulster do when US all wus sinners
| still in de caul er bitterness, an de gobs
| Of iniqulty I not gwine ter lose my
| 'ligion fer none er yo' festibuls."
Slowly, solemnly, timed by droning
| chant that might beht death dance
| Tom and Aunt 'Rlah make almost the
| round of the floor before a foot st!rs to
| follow them. The others ere measuring
| the pace. In two breaths they catch ~.
| and are off after the leaders The chant
| IS wordless-a sort Of wild unduiation,
| running into minors, then shrillinG up
| to keen. piercing blasts of sound.
| Momentarily II quickens. Fast, faster,
| faster fly the feet. Now to the watching
| eye the march is a phantasmagorial pro-
| cession, ever hasting, never resting. Now
| and again a pair drop out, hasten 10 the
| side table, and gulp down big glasses OF
| lemonade or cider or ginger beer. Then.
| II his pocket permits, the man buys some
| thing edible, which the two Of them de-
! your as they sit upon one OF the benches
| outside. When the last crumb has disap-
| peared they are ready to march again
| Sometimes. though rarely, there is a
| change of partners In such interludes
| The march itself never halts 1t is broad
| daylight-quite o'clock in the morning
| before the assembly breaks. It's compo-
| nent parts stream home TO bed, sleep UNI
| til noon, then get up and go hunting or
| to n quilting, or to the CROSSROADS store
| for bit Of fine gossip.
TURKEY WALKING.
Though not peculiar to the holiday time
| the turkey walk Is one OF its faYorite
sports. Sometimes the participants are
| white: sometimes. though more rarely,
| black. In exceptional cases "a black fell
| low is asked 10 join the game with the
| whites, whom he has known Familiarity
| all his life, and toward whom he cherishes
| n friendliness that is warmly reciprocated
Usually the scene is the neighborhood
! store; the time an afternoon In Christ
mastide Turkeys will not sell at any
~. tn nrx In those
| have more than they care 20 eat are put
| to IL as TO how they shall proftably dis
| pose Of them. The s;orekeeper agrees Il
| take them in trade, and soon has COOP
| crammed with fine. fat birds. Then, as
| the young fellows straggle in, he expa-
| tiates upon their plumpness. Before Iona
| some one cries out:
| ooh, l say, fellowsl Let's have er tur-
| key walk an er supper after it,"
| Soon preliminaries are arranged. They
| are Of the simplest-merely settling where
| the stake shall stand and driving 1t firm
in earth; then deciding upon what the
| entrance money shall be.
Dime entrance when We walk fer hens;
fifteen for gobblers." the leader Of the
sport at last announces. Cit er blind
rag. somebody: that yonder ole sun is
beginnin' ter nod"
PRELIMINARIES.
big handkerchief is routed out. The
best whittier among them Is chipping
away for life at a lot of pegs. The stake
stands twenty yards from the starting
| mark. AS many starters as Will make
up in entrance money y fair price fol
the fowl are TO be blindfolded and walk
as near TO the stake as their sense OF
direction will lead them. Each steps
| twenty yards. then sticks his peg ir
| IVh a 10 WI
nearest the mark is declared winner oil
the bird.
Draw straws for first 60" the leader
says, nodding toward the storekeeper
who has the straws already in hand
The five who are TO walk for the plumI
hen flutterng in the grasp Of an enthu
sastic bystander snatch at their lots
note the length Of them. then line VI
beside the mark. waiting for the start.
The walker, after his eyes are blinded
IS turned three times around, then bid
den TO go straight TO the stake. Wher
he starts exactly away from It n laugh
ing shout warns him OF his mistake.
Listening. he grows more than eve
confused. All sense OF direction leave.
him, he turns at right angles TO his frs
course. and at last sticks his peg nearly
the whole twenty steps away from tn
stake.
| Inc Wink EOc5 ON tll n COEen blrdS ar
won. Then there is n cry for blacl
Simon, known the countryside through
| as the best hand at n turkey supper
He gathers up the fluttering prizes anC
bears them off In triumph About mid
night. by help and grace of Aunt Dinah
his wife. he will serve them to a bachelo
company. roasted to a turn. brown, ten
der. juicy. bursting with savory stufine
and flanked by such light, sweet no
biscuit. such steaming. fragrant coffee
that In the face of them gluttony be
comes both duty and a virtue.
BEEF-SHOOTING.
There are other Christmas hazards, IN
vorites from time immemorial. Shootln,
for beef Is one of them. In essence. II 1
a rattle, where the tickets are rlfe-bul
let's the element of chance, or rather IN
. determining factor. the marksman's skill
or lack of II. The beef, still on foot
appraised by his owner at such a sum
The amount IS portioned In chances, o
| which each takes as many as please
him. Each chance means so many shot
at the target. He who first pumps tn
centre takes any of the five choices.
which are hind quarters. fore quarters
hide, and tallow.
The store or the blacksmith's shop I
usually the scene of It, For target Their
is bare board, chalked in circles abou
the bulls eye. Sometimes blass ball
| h,,+ ~