Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1908-03-06
lcopyrLght, 1901. By Joseph B. Bowles.l

for the dancing. AS the kitchen is al
most always the biggest room In a
farm house, this necessitates the TAX
ing away Of the stove and the stove
pipe, and removing any tables and
chairs In the room. The ones who are
not dancing stay in the other rooms
until their names are called for the
sets and only the fiddler. king of
the ceremonies, Is allowed to sit in
the room where the dancing is going
on. This rule is broken sometimes,
but no well-regulated dance cares to
have the floor interfered with by in
vading chairs or spectators. Dresses
are too apt to catch in n chair, or the
sweep of Swing your pardners" be
interfered with when there is any
thing In the way of chairs or seats
In the room. The fiddler, of course,
must be comfortable for the stress OF
saving away on. "Arkansaw Travel
ler," THE Goose-Kick," "Whar Did
You Come From" Don't | Wish
I Was Out OF the Wilderness" THE
DEVILS Dream" Prairie Queen"
Speed the Plow," THE Cuckoo"
Money Musk" Turkeys in the Straw"
THE Irish Washerwoman," "Joe-Dad's
Hornpipe," and dozens of other tunes
with and without names, for hours at
a stretch, requires lots of muscle and
good staying lung power for the call
ing" besides.
The boys who get up the dance"
as 1t is termed, usually select the
- h. rxybn a n
occupy places in the SETS" and they
announce these names, and the par
ties selected begin at once to get
busy In hunting up partners. When
the sets" of four couples are all fill
ed, the set" for the dance Is then
| ready and the caller" commences on
his work, as the fiddle gives the sig
nal for hostilities. First four for
ward and back" drones the caller, ri
tiddy. UNI tiddy, Q, tee, tee" goes the
fiddle; "cross over" shouts the call
Ter, "tiddy um, tiddy UNI, tiddy ee, tee,
tee," continues the music. Second
couple forward, cries the caller, It'd
die iddle UNI tum, tee, ee, ee,'' follow
the piercing notes OF the violin. All
is now hustle and confusion" as the
chronicles would say. Plenty of bus
tie, however. and no confusion to
speak of. 1t is rhythmic. shutting
measured and inspiriting. Ladies
change" tiddy UNI tum, tum, Swing
your partners" and a sudden swirl OF
skirts and figures follows the com
mand. Salute your pardners." and
the men bow to the girls. ri, ri, It'd
dy,--tiddy UNI, tee, tee" and figure
follows figure and set" follows set.
the calls" being given at regular In
tervals, marking the end of the pre-
vious figure.
The picture as an entirety, is typi
cally American; the accessories al
plain as possible. Merely countr!
kitchen, devoid Of ornament, 1ow-ceil
inged and bare of wall, and lighted
with usually two or three bracke
lamps against the walls. Ii the nigh
is warm, the male dancers may be II
shirt-sleeves and be quite within thu
proprieties. Everyone is dressed II
their best, and for the most part, thu
men are fine physical specimens o
: manhood. The pretty girls are not al
ways SO eagerly sought out as the.
might be, unless they are good dane
ers. To be able to intuitively gras
: the intricacies OF new figure" :
, be on the alert, to keep perfect time
! to the calls and the music, Is some
thing more OF desirability than
mere pretty face in these countr
dances.
The lights wink on the wall, an
the steady pounding of the dancers
5 feet makes weakened window-fas
enings creak and jar to the time KEEP
. by the violin and the dancers. In th
1 other room gossip among the womei
I folks, crops and neighboring AFFAIR
5 among the men, fill in the time unit
r the next "set" is called. Sometime
!, the girls and boys wander out into tn
e yard and watch the dancers throug
!, the windows, or sit on the porche
= waiting until their time comes to Joi
n the sets"
g AS a rule, and good one, babies al
p barred from the dances, although 1t
no uncommon sight to see a bal
d placid1y sleeping in some inner roo
e while It's mother trips the light, ia
s tastic toe in the kitchen adjoinin
e But wherever possible infants are lie
r, at home with the rest of the famil!
It as it is no "child's play" to start
e at nine in the evening and keep 1t I
Is persistently until say five o'clock Il
Is next morning. / did see woman
It one dance years ago on the prairie
Is dance the sets" out with wide-ey
u baby staring at the other dancer
E. She was graceful girl, at that, al
Ie manipulated her goggle-eyed infa
a from arm to arm and from set"
Ig set" with a determination not to
Ig little thing like maternity preve
re her from enjoying herself.
n Outside Of farmhouse. on the
a. occasions, are dozens OF rigs" sins
ie and double, and saddle-horse or tV
n hitched to the fences. the hitchir
e. posts, or perhaps long pole viii
a | xvfJJ immediate aayaral huRRit