Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-12-20
THE HusklNes.
N nHE HU8NJNGSs
4 Picture Of Pleasant Life in North
Carolina.

Carolina.
Like farmers everywhere, the North
Carolina mountaineer finds the leisure
time of his year between the gathering
Of the crops in the autumn and the
sowing of the seed in the spring. There
is always the chopping and hauling OF
wood and the mending of fences to be
done, but as he has no farm machin-
cry. OF only the simplest, he does not
have b spend any energy in it's repair.
And as the winters have no prolonged
cold id store for him he does not think
it necessary to fortify his house
against 1t, being able to endure the
brief snaps that come with a courage
born of his knowledge of their short
life.
After fodder pulling the older boys
have time to attend to their education,
and they join the younger children at
school; and then, too, begin the OPEN
ing festivities of the gay season-the
huskings.
Perhaps no other parties give more
pleasure than these same huskings. for
they are the first of the season, and
so have the charm of novelty. The
weather, too, is at it's loveliest of the
whole year. even in this land of lovely
weather Under brilliant moon, over
roads still free from mud, young people
and old walk together, singing snatches
of songs to the picking of a banjo.
Near their hosts cOrncrib they find a
huge pile of unshucked corn awaiting
them. They kneel around it in half
circle, Jack taking pains to secure a
place next Jill, and Romeo slipping in
to the shadow where he can perhaps
find chance of squeezing Juliets hand
unseen by the rest. The line does not
entirely surround the corn, because the
ears, as they are shucked, are tossed
over the mound and form new pile of
their own on the other side. AS the
work advances the host goes down the
line refreshing his guests with black
berry wine or with the less palatable
but more exciting corn whisky.
Tongues are listened, the singing grows
more lively and fingers fly faster when
they are encouraged by it's stimulus.
The songs are usually hymns, for there
is no banjo now to set the tongue to
gaiety. and so they naturally sing the
music that they know best without
accompaniment, but the laughter that
breaks out almost constantly shows
that their thoughts are not religiously
turned.
AS the pile diminishes the line draws
nearer and nearer, and wild squeals
announce that some ones head has
been hit by flying ear of corn. After
every ear has been stripped of its COW
ering the men perch their host upon
their shoulders and carry him to the
house, where his wife claims the as
sistance of the young girls in serving
the supper--saucers of sorghum to be
eaten with slices of light bread" cake,
canned peaches, apples. For hours
they eat and sing and laugh, and it is
only when the moon is sinking that
they begin to think of going home.
They part lingeringly, with cries of
Don't forget" Don't you tell what
I told you. Mamie!" 'Goodby. Remem-
Der Lissie's poke party"
The next Thursday finds the same
people gathered at Lissies to enjoy her
party. The number of huskers is aug
mented by the presence of sundry
young mothers, who were not able to
take their babies to an outdoor party
at this time of year. but who have
brought them to Lissie's and laid them
on the bed in one of the two rooms
which constitute the house. Occasion
ally the infants interrupt the festivi-
ties by lamentations, but the right
mother always recognizes the voice of
her offspring, and quietly leaves the
room to silence the cries.
A poke is bag, the same thing you
buy pig in if you are not "a judicious
purchaser, hence a poke party is a bag
party. 1t is a function usually given
for the enrichment of the hostess. She
prepares a certain number of suppers
corresponding to the probable number
Of her guests, sandwiches of various
kinds, cake, fried chicken and puts
them into brown paper bags. Every
lad buys one for his lass and they sit
side by side and eat them, and perhaps
he tells her that he wishes they might
do it all the rest of their lives, and she
says Lori" and giggles nightly.
After supper they dance, as Lissie is
not a member of a denomination that
disapproves. Some of the boys and
girls are Baptists and Methodists, how
ever. and they Circumvent the religious
difficulty by not crossing their feet in
the intricate steps with which they
ornament the "cOtilliOn," or quadrlle.
A fiddler who plays anything that is
whistled 10 him makes the feet of even
the matrons tap the floor in sympathy
with his tunes, while the young men
bow and prance and stamp and &C.
casionally pat" a rhythmic accompani-
ment, and the girls laugh and bend and
swing with an abandon and an enjoy
ment pleasant to see.
"A few weeks later some one-perhaps
Bud Rickman's wife. Bertha-gives
party of some kind that affords so
much amusement that there is always
at least one OF them during the season
This function involves a great deal of
preparation on the part of the guests
and is called a 'tacky party" Then
Century Dictionary defines "tacky" as
an Ill fed and neglected or rough and
bony horse or person. The more fire.
quent use of the word describes a per-