The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1895-12-22
CHRISTMAS ON THE BUCH0l PLANTATION.
REBECCA CAMERON.

Christmas to you, an all de family,
sir" Thank you Mingo, Merry Christ
mas to you and yours
The drinking Christmas in,' is at
last ended, the negroes returned to
the quarters, and after breakfast re-
assembled again to git Christmas, as
they phrased it, All the family gath
cred on the front piazza which was
strung with hampers filed with all
sorts of things for Christmas gifts.
Grandpa invariably gave money, fifty
cents each to the men, and q quarter
to the women. The ladies distributed
the contents of the hampers-gloves,
comforters, madras handllerchiefs,
balls, tops, knives, pipes, shawls, a
prons, cravats, caps, hoods,-all sorts
of things that experience had taught
their owners the negroes most delight
ed in. Barrels of apples, and great
walters piled high with gingerbread,
and cakes were divided out until the
last little bow-legged tot had been
made happy
From the piazza in "A straight line to
the store-room filed all the negro men
and women to draw Christmas" for
their families; which meant getting
an extra allowance of meat, rice, cot
fee, sugar, molasses, flour, dried fruit,
ANYTHING of the sort they chose to ask
for to make their holiday feasting.
The week before there had been a
great hog killing, so that fresh pork
would be in abundance for every cabin
at the quarters.
Everywhere now revelry had full
Tho headed nv
ole Master went deer hunting with
a large pack of hounds; and outsiders,
returning to IA great dining dinner"
special phrase that seemed to height
EN- the magnitude of the feast to the
negroes.
The evening closed with a dance in
the ballroom Uncle Robin dressed
in my great-grand fathers regiment
ais; and looking, of course, supremacy
absurd, was the head fiddler, and re-
markably fine one too. it was de
lightful to watch him ascend the must
clans stand, bowling with great cere-
moniousness to the friendly greetings
of the neighborhood gentry from
whom he was quite sure of Il perfect
shower of gold and silver pieces in the
pauses of the dance.
Big Ben and Cousin Hannah's
Ben" who played second and third fid-
die 10 the old autocrat, followed with
due humility behind him, quite certain
of as many re-proofs from him as they
got quarters from the young gentle
men. The banjo player was unique,
\ great, big, heavy, acknowledging
fellow, black until ne looked blue and
typical negro. The last man on the
plantation that YOU would have sus-
pected of having note of music in
him. But just give him banjo. Dan
tuned languidly with half shut eyes,
struck a chord or two to test the
strings and then-if you had one drop
of dancing blood in your veins you be-
longed to him until he chose to stop.
Ali of the negroes came over to the
house ito look on and it would have
been hard to tell which half of the
company-thos indoors or out, had
the merriest time Somewhere about
midnight there was a general distribu
ton of hot apple-toddy, and rum
punch, after that came the Virginia
reel and the ball was ended.
The second day after Christmas the
John Coonahs#" began to make
their appearance. Sometimes in the
course of the morning an ebony her
add breathless with excitement, would
project the announcements: 'De John
Coonahs' comm" and away few every
pair Of feet within nursery precincts.
There they came sure enough, A
long grotesque procession, winding
slowly over the hill from the quarters,
a dense body Of men (the women took
no part in it except as spectators
dressed in the oldest. most fantastic
garb, representing birds, and beasts
and men. Ragged and tattered until
ragged as a Coonah" was a common
plantation smile with stripes and tat
tiers of all sorts of cloth. in which
ShtHe ,r7 - lasEl fz9 q rEascu-
~ lait. aEa. : .s,.s .a<f cloths
in tufts and fringes, They were in
deed & nfI'17C7.s nEs.ts 81 Tide
M s. 80 - azs-z-4+s 80 liz
without horns, hid some faces, paste
board mails acvsfsd sozae, While
streaks and spots Of red, white and
yellow paint metamorphosed others,
and immense boards of horse-hair and
Spanish moss were plentiful.
The leader, for there seemed TO be
some regular organization among
them, though | never could persuade
any negro to explain it to me-was the
most fantastic figure of them all. 4
gigantic pair of branching deer horns
decorated his head, his arms bare to
the elbows were hung with bracelets
thicllly set with JingIing bells and
} metal rings; similar bells were fas-
tened to the fringes of rags around his
legs.
i The banjo. the horns, triangles, cas-
tanets. flies, drums. and all manner
Of plantation musical instruments ac-
companied the procession. One of the
Coonahs, generally very small and
nimble man, was dressed in woman's
clothes, and though dancing with
frantic zeal never violated the proprie-
ties supposed TO be incumbent upon
the wearer of skirts.
Once before the hall door the leader
popped his whip with a report like a
pistol shot. Everything stood still for
an instant, we dared not draw breath
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