The San Francisco call., 1896-12-25
Dnc'e Bsn'g
StanaaYa o5 valoe
A Christmas Episode of Old
Virginia

James Yelverton, Esquire, of Essex
County, Va, was personags of uncom-
mon dignity, both as regarded his appear-
ance and in the matter os demeanor. He
was stately old gentleman, which means
that he was tall and erect, handsome of
face, though austere of expression, and he
lived in the early part OF the present CEN
tury. What also contributed not a little
to the awe in which he was he'd by all
was the fact that he retained the yester
fashions of his fathers o. knee breeches,
stock and queue. The negroes, who were
attached to him for his kinoness, yet trem-
bled i'll his presence, and he was revered
of the "po white trash" and 'half-train-
ers' of the vicinage who occasionally had
dealings with him in his capacity of
Magistrate. 1t was his custom to dis
pense judicial advice from the porch of
his manor, his petitioners standing below.
hat in hand, ouaking inwardly under the
stern gaze of their oracle.
1t happened in time that the Squire, as
he was called, was sent to Congress, where
he represented his State with the honor
and probity becoming Virginian of the
old school. 1t was before the days OF rail-
roads, of course, and legislators that came
J
I to remain in Washington throughout the
year. Squire Yelverton's home, how
ever, being near at hand, he always in
vited some of his less fortunately situated Z
confreres to spend the Christmas holidays
with him at Cedarwood. where he enter-i
tanned them right royalty in the spa
cious old porticoed manor built n hundred
years before of bricks that had been
| hr0uC from
/ 1t was on one of these occasions that
| the Squire outdid himself in hospitality.
The Christmas dinner was the best that
had ever been seen at Cedarwood. The
host had ''carved" the turkey with the
skill of past master in the art; there had
been flow of anecdote, political and
otherwise; the subject Of agriculture had
| been wisely discussed; the gentlemen, as
was then the pleasing custom, had taken
wine-fine old Madeira-with the ladies';
the great plum pudding which had been
prepared by the mistress of the manor
was pronounced delicious by the whole
company, and contentm was in the
| heart of the Squire, albeit he did not un-
bend his accustomed dignity more than TO
| smile at the saIiles of his friends or ven-
| ture a dry witticsm of his own now
| and then.
| After the dinner the gentlemen repaired
TO the stables to look at the horses and a
| visit was paid to the kennels to inspect
| the hounds, and many an anecdote OF the
chase was told, and perhaps a story or two
| of pistols and twenty PAGES. When at last
the guests mad assembled in the drawing
room the Souire's daughter sang and ac-
companied herself on the harp, Cousin
| Louis played Believe Me if All Those En-
dearing Young Charms" on the flute and
a number of negroes came and sang their
| melodies beneath the windows. 1t was
| then that the Squire, thinking TO give his
/ guests q bit OF homely amusement, sent
Tor Uncle Ben, who had a certain talent
J for the fiddle, and bade him play. The
old fellow asked nothing better, and after
| som. excruciating tuning was soon under
/ way drawing forth more or less discordanE
| sounds in his best manner. Oblivious to
all, saye that keen love of music charac-
teristic OF his tribe, Uncle Ben sawed with
ardor, swaying his body the while in uni
/ son with the air
| The divine afflatus might have rested
with him. such was the enthusias m-the
| fervor he displayed; rocking away as if
actuated by machinery and making his
bronze fingers dance along the arm OF his
instrument with astonishing alacrity. The
company looked on amused and the Squire
approved. AS the music waxed liveIier,
however he grew restless. He had been
| great dancer i'll his younger days, num-
bering among his terpsichorean accom-
plishments the traditional ''pigeon wing''
in all its classic perfection. Uncle Ben's
music, though lacking in purity, pos.
sessed that verve and life which the negro
is so capable of educing and after bril-
liant passage achieved with the most ex-
aggerated contortions on the part of the
performer he dropped into q sprightly ig
that would have made the foot of a Pill
grim Father twltcn with the envy to dance.
1t was too much for the Squire whose
pristine valor on 1.-The light fantastic toe''
came back to him with lneluctabie force.
In moment he was footing it featly in
the center OF the room. His coat-tails
few out behind him, his queue bobbeI I'D
and down and his shoe buckles flashed un-
til like Dickens Mr.. Fizziwig, "he an
peared to wink with his legs" Uncle
Ben's ardor grew TO frenzy and the erst-
while austere Squire Yelverton accom-
plished marvels of agility while his as
tonished guests stared in amaze. Above
the chimney piece portrait of the Squire
by Jarvis looked down severely upon the
scene, which finally ended by its apostate
original falling exhausted in a chair amid
a tumult of laughter ana applause. When
the merriment had subsidized, Uncle Ben,
finding his tongue with some difficulty
after his exertions, faltered with salts
fed chuckle and shake of his old gray
head-"Bress Gawd! sem' men, l tell yo.
me play de fiddle an Mars Jimmy darnce
de ieeg, we can whop any two NIGGERS
in de who United States
=
Each saIroon nro1uces about % O00 ooo