The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-04-07
FROLICS OF LONG AGO
HOW WESTERN SETTLERS MADE
THEIR LOG HOUSES MERRY.

THEIR LOG HOUSES MERRY.
Old Time Songs and Catches to Which
Gallant SwnIns wooed Their Flushing
Partncrs-Whero All Were Aristoorats
In q Truo Sonse.
Mankind must have recreation Of somo
kind. All In tho house took part in tho
games and ninusemcnts Of 90 years ago.
There were no members of the carly SGT
Elements of tho west who were too elevated
to attend tho social parties held in tho scc
tlors' log houses.
There WAS tho quilting frolio and tho
frolio without thp quilting, attended by
tho young folks In tho evening. Tho sport
opened by tho play Of 'snap and catch
EN-, with rhymisg catch, rs
Come, Phl!snder, let's DO n-marching,
Every one his truc love searching.
These parties were called "bussing
during tho play. Tho music was oil vocal
songs or rhymes for the occasion.
When tho old folks had retired for the
night, the fiddler mado fow passes Of his
bow across the strings. This was n signal
for the company to bow gracefully rs they
trippcd to places in limo across tho room.
Meanwhile,
In shirt Of check and tallowcd hair,
Tho fiddler sits in his bulrush chair
Like Moses basket standing there
On tho bank of the Father Nile.
Tho dignifcd maiden aunt would now
and then DO snapped up or Judged to
kiss or to DO kissed by some young man.
Swapping up" was tho swapping of the
fingers by player ut another and was u
challenge for tho person to chase him or
her. They chased each other around n
group standing in tho contcr OF tho room.
Tho young lady was always kissed. Sons
times IN old settler snapped up his
wife, or was snapped up" by her, whom
there would BIO race Of IN unusually
amusing character.
Tho evening party continued in this
way: A young man would ask young
lady to take his arm, and they would
march around tho room. Two and two,
othor couples followed about tho floor,
Ginning in the catch which tho FIRST oou-
plo sang:
We're oil n-marching to Quebec:
The drums are loudly beating.
The Americans have gained the dry,
And the British arc rctrpating.
The wars are DER and we'll turn back
To the place from whence he started.
So open the ring ene choose % couple in
To relieve the broken hearted.
song till they emo 10
Open the ring and choose a couple IN,
when ell jeined hands, fell back md form
cd largo eirsie. Some one WINS then de-
putod to go into tho ring and choose n
partner from among those Of the circle, at
which all CHM cd In:
Groom grow tao ru.hes, o!
kiss her suick md let her Eoi
But don't you nfuSs her ruffie, O!
AT another the fsslickors march two BY
two around the room, young man stand
ing III che ccnter Of the floor. The promo
nadcrs sing:
The miller he lived close by tho mill,
And the wheel went round without his will.
With n hand m the hopper and one in the bag
As the wheel goes round, he cries ont. Grab!
At the word Grab tho young man In
tho ring seized hold OF ayeung lady's arm,
whilo her Pertoer onught tho nrrn of the
young lady ahead of linn; thus it went
round till they caught or stoio each others
girls while hurriedly marching about the
room. This mado very lively and anus
ing confusion.
livclier gaInc was called "huriy bur
ly." Two went round and gave each one,
secretly, something to do. This girl was
to pull II young Ihan's hair; another To
twcak an car or nose, or trip some one,
etc. When all had been told what TO do.
tho master Of ceremonies cried out, "Hurly
burly" Every ono sprnng up and hasten
cd to do rs instructed. This created "a
mixed scene of q ludicrous character and
was most properly named "hurly burly."
People lived by tho maxim, Earn what
you get and pay rs you 60" All classes
worked for u living and tllrivcd Aristuc-
racy, tho offspring of wealth, was not in
those rcgions-yct in truc sense every
settler was an Grstocrat-onc of tho true
nobility, who had earned his tito in the
noblo school Of labor
Tho OK team carried tho merry loads
through tho woods to the house Of tho set
tier who gave tho party. 1t seems like non
sense to us now, but they were harmless
recrcations There wero no churches and
no preaching save an occasional sermon
In settlers house by some wandering
minister; there were no newspapers few
books, no public lectures or any public
meetings for entertainment or instruction
All were noighbors and true fricnds-a
community OF first brotherhood There
were no purse proud families. They all
lived in log houses IN were bound together
by bonds madc strong by continued acts
of tcighborly kindness. The $50 boots
and tho $500 bonnets" had not got into
the new settlement; neither had Mrs
Struckile, with her coach and four" At
every single log cabin tho latchstrinS was
always out. IL was fashionable thei to
1.-Two within your means, and the best suit
of clothes enc could afford to wear was the
fashionable one. The pioneer made his
own cloth o::t Of his own raw material,
made his own soap and dipped his own
y ff n