The representative., 1894-12-26

| bons completing a ball costume-wel, you
ought to see it
Seven and one are. Come down. Come
| down.! are the cries that mingle with the
| shuff1ing of cards and sounds of knuckles
| in the next room. It's your cut Jack
! and deuce! Here, come down with your
| dust! Queen and tray. Come down." cries
another dealer. 'Twenty-five on the deuce
I'll break the bank or it'll break met
And then Fiddler Bob as he notes the
| hour of u, calls for the closing number
| "Old Dan Tucker" He warns all those al
| the card tables that playing must be closed
! with the present game, as per agreement.
! ''Od Dan Tucker" is a characteristic
dance in mining camps. No entertainment
can be properly brought to an end without
odd Dan Tucker a final clincher.
Now for Your opera dance! Toe the
'front.'" yells Bob, mounting his keg and
| wabbling his head in the direction of his
| four assistants. Bob is too hoarse from
! calling off, to give other instructions to
F.! the artists and with mad rush everybody
not engaged at the card tables makes for
the middle of the room. Noses are counted
by Sam, and to pair off. men selected to
play lady have handkerchiefs tied about the
arm. Bright buttons glisten. spurs click,
COW hide boots dig their heels into the floor,
moccasined feet are not behind in their
thud, thud, thud, as they come down on
the pine floor, soaped over so skillfully for
the occasion.
Filing away there.' The couples ioin
hands and form one mad dancing half in
toxicated circle about the lonely old Sam
who is personating "Old Dan Tucker in
the middle of the ring.
Every eye is on the fiddler "Swing
your partners, don't be afraid" Now
every man leaves his lady and secures
another by the right hand. whrls her
ring to be Dan Tucker again. When the
cry comes from the master of ceremonies
TO ''swing rartners,' he must fight like a
good fellow to get girl swing her around
three times and hoot at the miner who
wasn't spry enough to keep her
To be three times Dan Tucker nro-
nounces one doomed bachelor for the
ensuing year.
The dance ends. Cries loud and iovous
rise, ending in three wild hurrahs when for
the third time Jim Mason is alone in tho
center of the ring.
And will Jim stay bachelor? Maybe:
if he doesn't get married tomorrow. Per-
haps Susie isn't superstitous.
One by one the loungers leave, withdra W.
ing to the different tents and shanties pro-
Vlded Tor their accommodation by old Jarvis
lin says, as a parting word, that Santa
Claus has sent him telegram stating that
he will visit Pineboard Shanty between ,
and o'clock in the morning and all thosa
wishing to receive his bounty could hang
up their stockings in the ball room any
- 'NA SioNh' He SUCKS, boots
pantaoons with legs tied. even shirts. f1our
sacks, coffee sacks, feed boxes and tin
buckets are hung up nailed up or propped
up against the walls with names of the
owners written on pieces of paper to insure
Santa Claus of the Importance of the per
son he was to favor
1t was a funny sight to see the antics
OF the miners, as each appears in turn to
put something in his brothers Christmas
stocking. Sam with sack of potatoes
makes great showing
Good night says Violetta, as Jim at
last made a move to leave them II am
sorry you are doomed for another year as
Old Dan Tucker"
But l don't believe he is
c. NJ. WESTOVER