The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-11-13
incidents
,,uu,. azo observations
f1y II. l.. GRAY.)

Law were following each other indian
file down steen path that laI
through golden November woods aloiS
the side Of one of the steep mus tnat
bind in the yellow Neuse near
"Rogers Cross Roads, Dear Shot Wa
host and he was felllng ms reSo t l,,,
bility. 1t was in fact his fault tnat our
little company was now making us
way along in what was almost de-
Snondent silence--the fault, rather, OF
the too great cheer that had peeii
provided for our entertainment the
evening proceeding. Distinctly we. fei'
than this was the morning AFTER.
We had arrived after dark. cold
and shivering after twelve mile
drive. to back luXuriously before q
raging fire of pine knots that cracked
and splrked with an almost explo-
sive ioy of burning. While we slipped
n weIl-made 'toddy' and got ac-
quanted with the girls-ot Whom
there were six all destined soon TO
be lost TO Dead Shot-and patted the
dogs and talked of the next day S
hunt and yarned of hunts that We're
passive smeled the supper. sup
per of spare ribs, and sausage ana
back bone with hot corn bread ana
barbecued squirrel and all the trim
mings' that go to make a county l,.
supper on cold day an affair that
would have thrown LuculluS INTO Il
poetic transport!
After supper, when the pipes h'iu
been lit, there walked in heS'taIiflsly
q long, raW-bOned, frank-taced ana
well dressed country youth VINO
looked yearningly at one particular
girl while he MADE aSSlduous ana SuS-
melons conversation with everybody
else. He was joined in moment by
another of the same type and theh
they commenced to troop IN III lWoS
and threes Soon the room was full
TO overlooking and the capac1ous Ola
house was resounding with unaffected
neighborlv chatter. Dead Shot cougned
apologetically and Mrs. ID. 5. appeared
with glasses and a bowl of sugar. Ola
Vet. in the corner was telling q story
Of camp life on the Potomac, SprlS
O, the Law had isolated the pretuieSt
girl in the room and the Son OF the
House was staggering in with fresh
lightwood, when suddenly someone
pulled a-not a gun for Sprig o the
I.aw-but q fiddle! Instantly anoth-
or fiddle came into sight. there fol-
lowed q harmOnica. a harp ana Il
guitar, The game was up in hurry.
Dead Shot stroked his long, red beard
and laughed. Plainly now we saw
that there was little of the long night s
rest and the steady-nerved shooting
on the morrow that we had counted
on-for us, The casual visitors were
all involved in kindly conspiracy or
which we. from town." were the
subjects Old Vet had lead the quad.
rifle in his day with the falrest OF
bellies before the war and Sprlg
the Law had danced the german with
later daughters of the South who had
Inherited all their mothers old-tme
errace-but we knew when we saw
those fiddles that here we were out
classed. And such music as IL was.
Rollicking, happy, free-hearted music
that echoed through tho big rooms
and the spacious hall with the MAD
melody of the long-ago: The spirit
of the almost forgotten times, at once
the dearest memory of the old and
the most cherished heritage OF the
Young, was in the air! Almost one
could hear the slaves leaving the de-
serted cabins in the lot ana see lneI,i
peering with wide white eyes through
the windows or applauding with ivory
grin from the half-open doors
For a brief space no one moved ana
then Old Vet got up suddenly from
his chair His eyes flashed and his
wfiskers quivered with excitement.
With arms akimbo, his left foot caught
the quick rhythm of the tune and
scraped in an Infectious semi-circle
on the floor; in another second his
right leg was in commission and he
had gained the centre of the stage.
With arms extended he pirouetted
efore that half circle of red-cheeked
country girls with all the grace of a
peacock with a tail of an hundred
purple eyes, And then, without paus-
ing for the fraction of a second, he
gave his invitation with a bow that,
despite his shooting jacket, would
have put Beau Brummel in his laceS
to shamei Sweet Sixteen came up
smiling; they bowed, advanced ana
broke away: at one moment their nm
gers touched as lightly as a humming
bird might touch a flower at the next
they bowed archly from opposite cor
nersi The room shouted its applause.
Another couple swung forward, an
other, and another. They whirled and
danced in and out through the two
big rooms and overfiowed into the
hall. The violins were going like mad,
the players, their cheeks laid flat upon
their instruments, gazing at the ceiling
with the moody abstraction of the
''natural-b born fiddler" The house
rocked in sympathy. The very Win
dow-panes ratified in harmony. Only
Sprig o the Law and one of the girls
remained seated; he was looking on
in panied and envious modesty; she
began to pat small foot in nervous
Impotence 1t was too much even for
Sprig o the Law: he beckoned clumsi-
ly to the waiting girl. she cOufteSled
with inimtable grace and joined him
in a whirl that took away his breath.
There came a sudden merry inter-
ruption: louder and more insistant
humping rose above the noise of the
revelry Peals of laughter rang from
the whirling rout The fiddles We're
literally running away. The one thing
needed had been added to the fun
the advent of Dead Shot and his jo-
vial wife! His six feet two of bone
and muscle lowered above the throng,
his heavy boots beat ponderous time,
his shock of red beard stood straight
out from his head as he spun the one
one hundred and eighty pounds of
jolly Mrs. Dead Shot irresistibly on
her courSei
So it was thus that the hours fled
until we lay down finally to sleep at
two in the morning to be awaked at
the dark hour of six to go after ducks
on the lake. And this was why as
we walked down the path that Old
Vet spoke despondently of his failing
oversight because he had missed his
second bird--Old Vet whose black
eyes had a keenness that made him
one of Lees best sharp-shooters, and
that will still let him spot unerrine y
match of rigid white that mark