The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-12-23
CHRISTMAS EVE IN A MINING CAMP,
Ccopyright)

JACK and duce" and sounds Of knuckles
IN the next. Here. come r5ov-D v-it5
your dust! Queen and trayi Come down.
cries another dealer. TWENTY-FIVE on the
deuce. III brake the bank or i'm break
met
And then Fidler Bob. as he notes the
hour OF z. calls for the closing number.
Clu Ian tucker" He warns all those at
me card tables that playing must be
ment.
Old Dan Tucker is a characteristic
dance in mining camps. No entertain
fnent can properly be brought TO an end
without odd Dan Tucker as a final
Now for your opera dancei Toe the
front. yells Bob. mounting his keg and
waOollng his head in the direction Of his
Tour assistants. Bob is TO hoarse from
Gazing on to give other instructions to
the artlsts and with mad rush everybody
not engaged at the card tables make for
tie middle Of the room. Noses are counted
by sam, and 10 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 hoor mOccasined feet are not behind
IN their thud, thud, thud as they come
down on the pine floor. soaped over so
skllltully for the occasion.
Fling away thereP The couples ioin
hands and form one mad dancing, half
intoxicated 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 afraidv Now.
every man leaves his lady and secures an
other by the right hand, whirls her about
!nree umes. And one is left in the ring
10 be Dan Tucker again. When the CRY
comes from the master of ceremonies to
swing partners" he must fight like a good
iellow TO get girl, swing her around
three times and boot at the miner who
wasn't spry enough to keep her.
To be three times Dan Tucker pro-
hounces one doomed bachelor for the
ensuing year
The dance ends. Cries loud and Joy
Gus rise ending in three wild hurrahs
when for the third time Jim Mason
Is alone in the center of the ring.
Ana viii Jim stay a bachelor? May
pe' II ne doesn't get married tomorrow.
perhaps Susie isn't superstitious.
one by one the loungers leave with
drawing to the differents tents and shan
ties provided for their accommodation
by old Jarvis. Tim says, as a parting
word that Santa Claus has sent him a
telegram stating that he will visit Pine
board Shanty between and 4 O'Clock in
the morning, and all those wishing to re-
celVe his bounty could hang up their
stockings in the ball room any time after
: o'clock. The socks. boots pantaloons
with legs tied even shirts, fiour-sacks.
conee-sacks, feed-boxes and tin buckets
are hung up, nailed up, or propped up
against the walls with names of the own
ers written on pieces of paper to insure
Santa Claus of the Importance of the per
son he was to favor
1t is funny sight to see the antics
or the miners as each appears in turn
to put something in his brothers Christ
mas stocking. Sam with a sack of DO
tatoes makes great showing.
Goodnight" says Violetta as Jim at
last made move to leave them, Il am
sorry you are doomed for another year
as old Dan Tucker"
But l don't believe he is.
c. NJ Westover.