The Monticellonian., 1918-12-20

begln and might be kept up almost indefinitely though, for his part, Washington never went trs- yond second glass of wine, and it his usual custom to leave the table within d few minutes after his wife had gone.
 ToastS in those days. wer~ never drunk until afer the laeies had left the table and no beauty's health was ever pledged in this fashion while she was present. But when the men found them- selves alone, it the proper thing for Il young gentleman to get upon his feet--vhich, if is to be hoped were still steady-and to saS. T give you Betty LomaX, the most beautiful girl in West moreland county" Or perhaps if might he Susln Lee of Rappahannoek. Such q toast was custom arHy drunk standng-with all the honers, as the phrase was
 Indeed Christmas great day of festiv- fly in the Virginia of that epoch Breakfast wHs at eight or nine o'clock unless if had been de cided to go a-hunting in the morning-fn which ease the meal was eaten by cande-light. If there Was q foN-hunt-a sport of which Washington was very fend-the host were brilliant red waist coat trimmed with gold lace, and the ladies w,.o rode were beautiful in scarlet habits On such occasions Mrs. Washington would go out in her chariot apd four. keeping as close to the hunt as the roads would permit. Not until 17S5 were the Mount Vernon kennels abolished and the dogs sold.
 Those were days when meals were ample. but were not multiplied. Eating when undertaken was no mere frivoty but serious business This b. IH.f been no lunch. and there supper to come After dinner there were games-blind mans buff hunt the slipper and the lille-wfth much romping and more or less kissing A sprig of mistletoe was hung up in convenient place. and if a girl happened to be kissed under il hy d young man she dd not faint or call for help In fact it might he suspected that she did not seriously ob- jeet.
 Never and nowhere, in this world were there more capable and expert makers of love than the young men of NQShnston's day in old Virginia Nobody jollier fellows than they were If they loved fereey, they proved their sincerity by marrying e2rly and. when one of them was so unfortunate to lose his wife he would in- Yariably marry again. Marriage was considered just about the most important duty of life and the love affairs of the gentefoik were freely conttded even td 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 it was the same way with the girls.
 So il may easily he imagined that on festive occasion such this Christmas celebration il 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, wis 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-
  of carls, and probably on this Christmas evening he indnlged in some such amusement. in company with the older people, while the young folks seamPered 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. Ii k easy 10 imagine the part they took in the romps on Christ mas day John and Martha, their names were but everybody knew them aS Jaeky and Patsy Patsy died in 1773, when just budding into won- anhood. while her brother married young. and had four children, two of whom. George and Nel- lie Custis. 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 F. Lee.
 On Christmas eve there was dance, to which all the heighbors 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 old slave on the place white-hared negro who kept the time and helped on the tune by pounding on the floor with lis big foot.
 All the young ladies wore low-necked dresses making q brave display of pretty shoulders and the men were in knee-hreeehes and silk stockings Mrs Washngton's gown. cut V-shaped and filled in with ruehing, 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
 FROM THE HEART