The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-04-20
FROLICS OF LONG AGO
HOW WESTERN SETTLERS MADE
THEIR LOG HOUSES MERRY.

| lrcln LO1 TOooco WInH'.
Old Time Songs and Catches % Whiol
Gallant SWANS woosd Their Biushinl
Partner--whsre All Were Aristocrat
In = True Sense.
kind All in the house took part In th'
games and amusements Of 90 years ago
There were no members of the early set
Elements Of the west who were too elevates
To attend the social parties held In the cot
tiers log houses.
There was the quilting frollc and thu
frolic without the quilting, attended b,
the young folks In the evening. The spor,
opened by the play Of 'snap and oatof
'em," with rhymipg catch, as
Come. Phiiander, let's be a-marchins.
Every one his true love searching.
These parties werc called "bussine
bees, F" because Of the many kisses stolen
during tho play. The music was all vocal
songs or rhymes for the occasion.
When tho old folks had retired for the
night, the fiddler made few passes Of his
bow across the strings. This was signal
for the company to bow gracefully a. they
tripped to places In line across the room.
Meanwhile,
| In shirt Of check and tallowed hair.
The fiddler sits in his bulrush chair
| Like Moses basket standing there
| On the bank Of the Father Nile.
| The dignified maiden aunt would now
and then DO snapped up" or judged to
kiss'or to be kissed by some young man.
Swapping up" was the swapping OF tho
fingers by player mt another and was .
challenge for the person to chase him or
her. They chased each other around .
group standing in the center OF the room.
The young lady was always kissed. Some-
times an old settler snapped mp" his
wife, or was snapped up by her, whom
there wonld be q race Of an unusually
amusing character.
The evening party continued In this
way: A young man would ask . young
lady TO take his arm, and they would
march around the room. Two and two,
other couples followed about the floor,
Ginning In the catch which the first cou-
pie sang:
We're all a-marching to Quebec;
The drums are loudly beating.
The Americans have gained the day,
And the British are retreating.
The wars are DER. and wei turn back
To the place from whence he started,
30 open the ring and choose couple in
To relieve the broken hearted.
Round and round the room went the
song till they came to
Open the ring and choose couple In.
when all Joined hands, fell back and FORM
I'd large circle. Some one was then de-
puted TO go into the ring and choose .
partner from among those Of the circle, ut
which all chimed in:
Green grow tho PUSHES, o!
Kiss her quick and let her goi
But don't you muss her rufiie, OF
At another the frolickers march two BY
two around the room, young man stand
ing In the center Of the floor. The prone
naders sing:
The miller he lived close by the mill.
And the wheel went round without his win.
With hand in the hopper and one In the bag.
As the wheel goes round, he cries out, Grabi
AT the word Grab" the young man In
the ring seized hold of a young lady's arm,
while her partner caught the arm Of tho
young lady ahead Of him; thus it went
round till they caught or stole each others
girls while hurriedly marching about the
room. This made very lively and anus
ing confusion.
A livelier game was called "hurly bur
~" Two went round and gave each one,
secretly, something to do. This girl was
to pull young mans hair; another TO
tweak an eur or nose, or trip some ono,
etc. When all had been told what to do,
the muster OF ceremonies cried out, "Hufly
burlyP' Every one sprang up and hasten
ed to do rs instructed. This created a
mixed scene Of a ludicrous character and
was most properly named "hurly buriy."
People lived by the maxim, Earn what |
you get and pay as you 60" All Glasses |
worked for % living and thrived. Aristoc-
racy, the offspring of wealth, was not In |
those regions-yet In n true sense every /
settler was an aristocrat-one Of the true /
nobility, who had earned his title IN tho /
noble school of labor.
The OK team carried the merry loads
through the woods TO the house of the set
Tier who gave tho party. u seems like non
sense to US now, but they were harmlesn
recreations. There were no churches and
20 preaching, save an occasional sermon
In settlers house by some wandering |
minister; there were no newspapers, few !
books, no public lectures or any public Il
meetings for entertainments or instruction i
All were neighbors and true friends-a
OF first brotherhood. There
we're no purse proud families. They all
lived In log houses and were bound together
BY bonds made strong by continued acts
'f neighborly kindness. The $50 boOts'
Ind the 900 bonnets'' had not got into
he new settlements; neither had Mrs.
with her ,'coach and four At
very single log cabin tho latchstring was
always out. 1t was fashionable then to
i've within your means, and the best suit |
u clothes one could afford to wear was the |
fashionable one. The pioneer made his
'wn cloth out OF his own raw material.
made his own soap and dipped his own
andes. A boy was never prouder of any,
hing than new suit woven by his own
Mothers hands and on her own loom.
When they butchered, thcy sent piece Of
neat to their noighbors, and they In turn
lid the same The shoemaker and tailor.
With their kit Of tools, made their annual
ounds to make winter shoes and winter
oats
People may boast OF their fancy dishes
'otten up ON "a morning glory stove, but
I've me corn bread baked before the cabin |
Ire and the barbecued saddle Of vepisop.
ig or turkey. in preference to all the sciep.
lido cooking OF the present day. --Phiiadel-
hia Times.
CONDOLENCES.