The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-12-13
I z.
IIoG KILLING TIME.


three enc porkers hang from the gam
bling sticks, while Brown sits with a
pone of corn bread in his hand and broils
melts upon the Goals for his breakfast.
Brown and / arc both too old to take
an active part in hog killing, but we
never fail 20 linger around and watch
the thing going on, and Brown has never
failed 10 have a little salt tied up in Il
rag for the occasion, with a pone or two
of corn bread, and the melts he always
claims as his, and him and the children
have a fine time broiling them and eat
ing them for breakfast around the big
fire at every hog-killing. There is not
a family in all our parts but what will
have a hog-killing this winter, and the
most of them will have meat TO do them
for another year. The cribs are full of
corn, the elections are over, Christmas
is most here, and | think it would be
mighty mean man that wouldn't be cheer
ful. Even Brown smiles in these days
more than he frowns and the first time |
have heard him complain in three months
was to-day about there being only three
melts. lie said, mournfully, as he cut
his eyes around at the numerous off
springs, that three melts were hardly
taste. l rebuked him for this and told
him to be thankful for his children and
Tor their healthfulness, but he shook
his head and said woefully:
Eyes; oh, yes! Children are mighty
sweet, but there are ding dong sight
of drawbacks at having whole regiment
of them like I've got and only three
melts to go around"
But Brown win get plenty to eat be-
fore Christmas is over, children or no
children, If the cooking Of pies and cakes
and the fattening of turkeys and chick
ems means anything, and | think it does.
Ii am not fooled in the signs there will
be more weddings in our settlement dur
ing the next few weeks than was ever
known in the same length of time. ] am
pleased at this, for l am always glad to
see the young folks marry, but some of
shem are talking about taking bridal
tour and some are going to marry ct the
church, and this does not strike me so
pleasantly. / do not think that young
married people ought to spend their
money on a tour" they had better take
the money they spend in this way and
lay it up, for the day is more than aptto
come when they can turn it to much
better use, and as for marrying at the
church, I think the good old way of mar
rying at home, with cooking of good
things for a week before and upon the
day the biggest was hung to the potrack
In the old kitchen, and the whole settle
ment gathered without any written in
wife to eat, drink and make merry. This
strikes me as being much better than
marrying at the church or rushing off
over the railroads to spend the first days
of married life among strangers and
strange places.
In the good old times none but the
sskighfalutin" town folks make these
tours. The old Georgia Cracker thought
1t foolish and putting on airs and we
think so yet-nae and Brown-for we lose
a right smart, as there is seldom any big
suppers gr any infairs where they go on
these tours, and / am sure that the frolic
and fun and the joking and teasing at an
oid-time wedding far outweighed any
thing to be derived from a bridal tour of
church ceremony as practiced to-day.
These winter nights the young people
could find no better pastime than to get
some Of the old grandpas or grandmas
to tell them Of these old-time weddings
and Of the FRANKS they played and the
fun they had. As you listen to the story
Of these old times the young generation
of girls will more than apt feel that some
of the pranks were horrible, and the
young men of this age will more than apt
think that they would have used their
pistols, but | tell them that in those days
there was never a thought of harm, boys
and girls, the old and the young joined
in these innocent sports and made we'd
ding thing to be proud Of
When / think of the young people
climbing into the birth of a sleeping car
In the midst Of strangers and amid the
hustle and rattle railroad travel, cannot
resit studying upon how prosy it is as
compared with the old-time way Of put
ting the bride and groom to bed on the
night Of their marriage. In those days
after the night had advanced to a late
hour amid frolic and fun, the young girls
of the occasion would get together and
after a little whispering among them
they would slip away with the bride and
would soon have her fixed snugly away
in her own bed. There they would leave
her all in the dark to listen to the beat
of own heart and await the coming OF her
lord. She did not have to wait long, for
the young girls returning to the room Of
the guest was a signal for the young
men of the occasion to put the groom
to bed. There was pretty generally a
hot struggle over this, but numbers al
ways prevailed, and the groom vas laid
beside the bride, and | never knew any
that jumped and ran away when loosed
by the crowd
There was only but one way to escape
this putting to bed that was to buy out
OF it by assuring the young people that
they should have a big party upon the
married people getting fixed in their own
house, or the groom might escape by
pledging the boys a two-galon jug of
peach and honey. Brown got out Of being
put to bed when he was married, but in
the trade he failed to stipulate that there
should be no other pranks, and so when
he lit in beside his bride the bed cords
broke and they hit the floor co-bump-
the cords were made Of rope in those days
and the Boys had cut them just to break
at the right time.
/ bought out being put to bed by fur