The Pulaskian. (Pulaski Heights [Little Rock], Ark.) 1915-1929, 1918-12-20


begin, and might be kept up almost indefinitely,
though, for his part Washington never went be-
yond second glass of wine, and 1t was his usual
custom to leave the table within few minutes
after his wife had gone.
Toasts, in those days, drunk until
after the ladies had left the table and no beautys
health was ever pledged In this fashion while she
was present. But when the found them
selves alone, 1t was the proper thing for young
gentleman to get upon his feet--which, it Is to
be hoped, were still steady-and to say, II give
you Betty Lomax, the most beautiful girl In West
moreland county," Or perhaps it might be Susan
Lee of Rappahannock. Such a toast was custom
artly drunk standing-with all the honors, as the
phrase YVES.
Indeed, Christmas was a great day of testify
fty in the Virginia of that epoch Breakfast was
at eight or nine o'clock, unless 1t had been de-
cided to go ahunting in the morning-in which
case the meNl was eaten by candlelight. If there
was foxhunt--a sport of which Washington was
very fond-the host a brilliant red waist
coat trimmed with gold lace and the ladies who
rode were beautiful in scarlet habits On such
occasions Mrs. Washington would 90 out in her
chariot and four keeping as close to the hunt
the roads would permit Not until 1885 were
the Mount Vernon kennels abolished and the dogs
sold
Those were days when meals were ample but
not multiplied Eating, when undertaken,
mere frivolity, but serious business This
Christmas dinner at 3 80 p. M; there had
been no lunch, and there no supper to come
After dinner there were games-blind mans buff,
hunt the slipper, and the like-with much rompng
and more or less kissing. sprig of mistletoe
was hung up In a convenient place, and If a girl.
happened to be kissed under ii by young man
she did not faint call for help. In fact it
might be suspected that she did not seriously OBJ
ject.
Never, and nowhere, in this world were there
mr. nd prt alyo Of Iowa +bo
young men of Washingtons day In old Virginia.
Nobody ever saw jollier fellows than they were.
If they loved 1ercely, they proved their sincerity
by marrying early; and when of them was
so unfortunate to lose his wife, he would in
variab1y marry again Marriage was considered
just about the most important duty of life and
the love affairs of the gentlefolk were freely
confded to the servants. Black Tom knew
that Mars James "gong after" Miss Sale
Lee, and would talk the matter over with his
young master. And it was the way with
the girls.
SO it may easily be imagined that on a festive
occasion such as this Christmas celebration
good deal of incidental love-making, some of it
serious enough was accomplished. But the
Master of the Revels, though he himself had been
sufficiently ardent in his YOUTH was in later life
no eager sympathizer with such follies.
Though Mr.. Washington took no part in the
romps that followed the dinner he heartily en-
joyed the fun Occasionally he relished game
of cards. and probably on this Christmas evening
he INDUCED In some such amusement, in company
with the older people, while the young folks
scampered and romped. He played for money.
but the stakes were small.
There We're two young people at Mount Vernon
IN those days-the son and daughter of Mrs.
Washington by her first husband. 1t is easy to
imagine the part they took in the romps on Christ
mas day. John and Martha, their names were
but everybody knew them as Jacky and Patsy.
Patsy died In 1773, when just budding into wom-
anhood while her brother married young and
had four children, two Of whom George and Nell
lie Custis, were adopted by Mr.. Washington. To
George he left the famous Arlington estate, oppo-
site the city of Washington, which afterwards
fell by inheritance to the wife of Gen. Robert e.
Lee.
On Christmas there dance, to which
all the neighbors for many miles around were,
as matter of course, invited. The party began
before eight, and was by ten o'clock.
Young ladies' beauty In those times was not
spoiled by late hours For music there was a
single fiddle played By an old slave on the place
"a whitenaired negro who kept the time and
helped on the tune by pounding on the floor with
his big foot
All the young ladies wore low-necked dresses,
making a brave display OF pretty shoulders, and
the men were in kneebreeches and silk stockings.
Mrs Washington's gown. cut V-shaped and filed
In with ruehing, was Of French silk but the
clothing she ordinarily wore was of domestic
manufacture, being woven at Mount Vernon where
no fewer than sixteen. negro women were kept