Carroll County democrat. (Huntingdon, Tenn.) 188?-1971, 1918-12-20


though, for his part, Washington never went be-
yond second glass Of wine, and II was his usual
custom to leave the table within q few minutes
after his wife had gone
Toaste, in those days, were never 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 men found them
selves alone, 1t was the proper thing for q young
gentleman to get upon his feet-which, 1t is to
be hoped, were still Steady-and to say Il give
you Betty Lomax, the most beautiful girl in West.
moreland county" Or perhaps 1t might be Susan
Lee Of Rappahannock. Such toast was custom
artly drunk standing-wth all the honors, as the
phrase was.
Indeed, Christmas was great day Of festiv-
ity in the Virginia Of that epoch. Breakfast was
at eight or nine o'clock, unless It had been de-
cided to 80 a-hunung In the morning-in which
case the meal was eaten by candle-light If there
was q f0x-hunt-a sport Of which Washington was
very fond-the host wore q brilliant red waist
coat trimmed with gold lace, and the ladies who
rode were beautiful in scarlet habits On such
occasions Mrs. Washington would 20 out In her
chariot and four" keeping as close to the hunt
as the roads would permit. Not until 1875 were
the Mount Vernon kennels abolished and the dogs
sold.
These we're days when meals were ample but
We're not multiplied. Eating, when undertaken,
was no mere frivolity, but serious business This
Christmas dinner was at 8 80 p. M. there had
been no lunch, and there was no supper to come
After dinner there were games-blind mans buff,
hunt the slipper, and the like-wfth much romplng
and more or less kissing. A sprig Of mlstetoe
was hung up in a convenient place, and IL girl
happened to be kissed under 1t by young man
she did not faint or call for help. In fact It
might be suspected that she did not seriously OBJ
ject.
Never. and nowhere, In this world were there
more capable and expert makers of love than the
young men Of Washington's day In old Virginia
Nobody ever saw joer fellows than they vera
If they loved lercely, they proved their sincerity
by marrying early; and. when one Of them was
so unfortunate as to lose his wife, he would in
varably marry again. Marriage was considered
Just about the most important duty Of life and
the love affairs Of the gentlefolk were freely
confded even to the servants Black Tom knew
that Mars James was "going after" Miss Sallie
Lee, and would talk the matter over with his
young master And 1t was the same way with
the girls.
SO 1t may easily be imagined that on festive
occasion such as this Christmas celebration a
good deal Of incidental love-making some Of it
serious enough, was accomplished. But the
sufficiently ardent in his youth. was In later life
no eager sympathzer 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 a 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 were 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, Gusts, 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 eve there was a dance, to which
all the nelghbors for many miles around were,
as a matter Of course, invited. The party began
before eight and was over 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
Ia white-halred negro who kept the time and
helped on the tune by pounding on the floor with
bis big foot
All the young ladies wore low-necked dresses,
making q brave display Of pretty shoulders, and
the men were In knee-breeches and silk stockings.
Mrs Washington's gown. cut V-shaped and filled
In with ruching was OF French silk; but the
clothing she ordinarily wore was Of domestic
manufacture, being woven at Mount Vernon, where
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