Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1916-10-07
BACK TO OLD FARM DANCES.
Quaint Memories of the "Choo-o-se
You'ur Partners for a Quad
drille" DAYS.

Grandpa Tyler looked around. He
says; "Well 81, where's them there
fiddlers O yourn? Amt It bout time
they was turnin' up?"
!. Ny father says, Il don't know, but
tits bout time for EN-"
We hear a great jingling Of bells.
Johnny says, u bet that's them" He
runs to the door. He says, yah, here
they come, sure's you're alive"
We hear them stamping and taking
off their things, and we hear my
brother taking the horses to the barn.
Then they come in. Addie is with
them. One of the fiddlers is her ia
Their. The other is sort of cousin.
They have their fiddle boxes in their
hands. Their cheeks are red; they be-
gin to warm their hands at the stove.
Grandpa Tyler says: Hey, Len,
what you got in that there box1 A
baby"
Everybody laughs. Some one al
ways says that, and they always
laugh. .5 ...s
Len plays first fiddle, and old Led
ley plays second. They always play
together at dances. Len is younger
He calls off while he plays.
Grandpa Tyler says: well, Len,
amt it bout time to tune up? Seems
to me them fingers o yourn ort to be
limbered up by this time, ortn't theyi"
Len says: "Jes as you folks say.
Maybe It's time" He says to old Led
ley, "All right, Ledley, s'posen' we 60
up"
Pretty soon we hear them up there
tuning up. They pick the strings. We
can hear the pegs snap. Then we
hear a lot OF broad strokes on the
two big strings and lot Of little
notes up and down on the little
strings. They are getting their fin
gers used to 1t.
Len calls out: "A-a-all right, John
ny! Form onp
Johnny jumps up, and says so ev-
erybody can hear all over the house,
"Choo-o-se you-u-ur partners for a
quadriller'
Quite few go up. Johnny goes up,
too. Pretty soon we hear him call
again: -Four more couples wanted!
Form onl' A few more go up, and
then Johnny calls, Zone more couple
wanted"
They tune up a little more, and then
they stop and wait. Then Len raps
the back of the fiddle with his bow
and calls out: "Pla-a-ccs ALL" Every
body stands ready. Len calls, "A-a-all
dancep and begins The Campbells
Are Coming" Everybody begins to
tread up and down. Petty soon Len
calls, "Sa-lu-ute you-u-ur pardners!"
Then everybody bows. The partners
bow to each other and then to the
rest. Then Len calls, First couple
lead up to-o-o the right" '..
They all looked good-natured and
happy. Their eyes sparkle. They do
a lot Of different things. There is
right hand round" and left hand
round" and "do-see-do,' and "alle-
mend left" and grand right and lat"
and "a-all sash-a-ay," and promenade
all" and Swing your pardners," and
cheat"
The music and the tread of the feet
make me feel warm and happy.
wish | could dance, too. Everybody
is laughing and smiling. They like
Lens tunes and his calling off. Every
time they are through with figure
they stand still a minute. They look
at one another and laugh. Then Len
begins new tune. This time he
says, Balance allP' instead of "All
dancer but it means the same thing.
When they are through with the
last figure, Len calls out, "Se-e-at
you-u-ur pardners!' Then everybody
sits down on the benches. Grant
Slovenian, in Century Magazine.