The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-03-20
GEORGIA SCENES
NO. 1.-THE DANCE
A PERSONAL ADVENTURE OF THE AUTHOR.

Some years agoAI was called by busi- ness to one of the frontier counties, then but recently settled. It became nee- essary for me, while there, to enlist the services of Thomas Gibson, Esq, one of the magistrates of the county, who re- sided about mile and half from my lodgings; and to this circumstance was I indebted for my introduction to him. had made the intended disposition of my business. and was on the eve of my de- parture for the city of my residence, when l was induced to remain a day longer by an invitation from the squire to at tend a dance at his house the follow ing day. Having learned from my land- lord that l would probably "be expected at the froic," about the hour of 10 in the forenoon, and being desirous of sec ing all that passed upon the occasion, l went over about an hour before the time.
 The squire's dwelling consisted of but one room, which answered the threefold purpose of dining room, bedroom and kitchen. The house was constructed of logs, and the floor was of puncheons-a term which in Georgia means split logs, with their faces a little smoothed with
  ters, Polly and Silvy, the old gentleman and his lady had consented to camp out for day and to surrender the habitation to the girls and their young friends.
 When I reached there I found all things in readiness for the promised amusement. The girls, as the old gentleman informed me. had compelled the family to break fast under the trees, for they had com- pletely stripped the house Of its furniture before the sun rose. They were already attired for the dance in neat but plain habiliments of their own manufacture.
 "What!' says some weakly, siclkly, del icate, useless affected, charming crea- ture'' of the city-"dressed for a ball at 3 in the morning!' Even so, my deleeta- ble Miss Octavia Matilda Juliana Claudia Ipeeacuanha; and what have you to say against it?' If people must dance, is it not much more rational to employ the hour allotted to exercise in that amuse- ment than the hours sacred to repose and meditation? And which is entitled to the most credit-the young lady who rises with the dawn and puts herself and whole house in order for a ball four hours be- fore it begins or the one who requires fortnight to get herself dressed for it?
 The squire and l employed the interval in conversation about the first settlement of the country, in the course of which picked up some useful and much interest ing information. We were at length in- terrupted, however, by the sound of a violin, which proceeded from thick wood at my left The performer soon after made his appearance and proved to be no other than Billy Porter, a negro fellow of much harmless wit and humor, who was well known throughout the state. Poor Billyl His harp is now upon the willow; and I would not blush to offer a tear to his memory. for his name is as- sociated with some of the happiest scenes of my life, and he sleeps with many dear friend who used to join me in pro- voking his wit and in laughing at his eccentricities: but 1 am leading my read CT to the grave, instead of the dance, which I promised If. however, his mem ory reaches F years back, he will excuse this short tribute of respect to Billy Porter.
 Billy. to give his own account of him self had been taking a turn with the brethren (the bar: and, hearing the la dies wanted to see pretty Billy had come to give them a benefit" The squire had not seen him before; and it is no disrespect to his understanding or polite- ness to say that he found 1t impossible to give me his attention for half an hour after Billy arrived. l had nothing to do therefore, while the young people were assembling but to improve my knowledge of Bi1ly's character. to the squire's amusement, I had been thus engaged about 90 minutes when l saw several fine bouncing, ruddy-cheeked girls de- scending a hill about the eighth of a mile off. They, too, were attired in manufactures of their own hands. The refinements of the present day in female dress had not even reached our republic an "cities" at this time; and, of course the country girls" were wholly ignorant of them. They carried no more cloth up on their arms or straw upon their heads than was necessary to cover them, They used no artificial means of spreading their frocl1-tails to an interesting extent from their ankles They had no boards laced to their breasts, nor any corsets laced to their sides; consequently they looked, for all the world, like human beings, and could be distinctly recognized as such at the distance of 200 p2ces. Their move ments were as free and active na- ture would permit them to be, Let me not be understood as interposing the least objection to any lady in this land of liberty dressing just as she pleases. If she choose to lay her neck and shoul- ders bare, what right have l to look at them, much less find fault with them If she choose to put three yards of mus lin in a frock sleeve, what right have I to ask why a little strip of it was not put in the body? If she like the pattern of a hoisted umbrella for a frock, and the shape of a cheese cask for her body, what is all that to me? But to return.
 The girls were met by Polly and Sivy Gibson at some distance from the house, who welcomed them-"with a kiss, of course?" Oh, no; but with something much less equivocal-a hearty shake of the hand and smiling countenances, which had some meaning.
 CNote.2Ths custom of kissing, prac- ticed in these days by the amiabes, is borrowed from the French, and by them from Judas)
 The young ladies had generally collect ed before any of the young men appear ed. It was not long, however, before a large number of both sexes were assem- bled and they adjourned to the ball room.
 But for the snapping of fiddle-string the young people would have been en- gagged in the amusement of the day in less than three minutes from the time they entered the house. Here were no formal introductions to be given, no dra wing for places or partners, no pa rade of managers, no ceremonies. It was perfectly understood that all were Invited to dance, and that none were invited who were unworthy to be danced with; con sequentiy no gentleman hesitated to ask any lady present to dance with him. and no lady refused to dance with gentle man merely because she had not been made acquainted with him.
 In a short time the string was re- paired, and off went the party to a good old republican six reel. I had been thrown among fashonables so long that had almost forgotten my native dance. But it revived rapidly as they wheeled through it's nazes. and with 1t returned many long-forgotten, pleasing recollec- tons. Not only did the reel return to