The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1931-03-27

Buffalo gals are comm out to-
night; first couple lead to the couple
on the right; jaybird scoldin' up in
tree; gents stand around and ladies
dose; If you catch a yeller jacket
let 'er go; ladies stand back and
gents do-se-do. On to the next and
do it some more; make them COW
hides hit the floor.
Back to your places hathaway;
grab them heifers and all chaw hay"
Or it might be in a sort Of remi-
niscent and sentimental vein that he
would call:
First gent lead to lady on yer
right and watch yer step now, mind
yer; back to yer place and swing
tibet gal, the gal yer left behind
yer"
Dunes physical endurance appar-
emily was as inexhaustible as his
power Of improvision. Hour after
hour the old fiddle would screech,
and hour after hour the voice of the
fiddler would drone on while his foot
kept time without intermission. OF
course there were occasional periods
of irrigation. though Dune never
seemed to be effected by his potions,
and when at last the dance broke
up it was near the hour Of blushiag
morn.
Similarly a writer in the Louisville
(Ky.) Court SRI ournal told of old-time
dances and old-time fiddlers in tina
state as follows:
Some of the old-time Kentucky I'D
dlers had more Of variety of tune
full breakdown melodies in their rep
ertoire than others, but there was
one accomplishment in which fewer
excelled. That was the calling of the
dance figures, which some of them
could do in an original and novel
way.
The figures Of the old-time square
dances were called off in the quaint
vernacular couched in loose rhyme,
and the variations that took wide
range occasioned much merriment.
Following is sample Of one of the
characteristics dance calls of the
period:
"S'lute yer pardner and let her go;
Balance all and do-se-do.
Swing yer gal and run away;
Right and left and gents sashay.
Gents to right and swing or cheat;
On to next gal and repeat
Balance next and don't be shy;
Swing yer pard and swing her high.
Bunch the gals and circle round;
Whack yer feet until they bound.
Form a basket and break away;
Swing around and all get gay.
All gents left and balance all;
Lift you hoofs and let 'em fall.
Swing yer opposite, swing again;
Ketch the sagehens If you kin.
Back to pardner, do-se-do;
All jine hands and off you go.
Gents salute yer little sweets;
Hitch and promenade to seats."-
The time-honored square dance, or
quadrille, included other figures, one
of them being called "bird-in-the-
cage" Others were made up and
interpolated, such as Swing Yer
Long Cornstalk," which had its
origin in Arkansas. Usually the
dance caller of other days had a
foghorn voice and he contributed
much to the "shindlgs" of the period
that often lasted until daylight be-
fore the final strains of Home,
Sweet Home" broke up the party.
All of which offers rather conclu-
sive evidence that it's not yet time to
write 'finis' to the old-time fiddler
and his dance tunes. He will hold
sway at the Virginia music festival
at Charlottesville this month, accord
Ing to the information accompany the
picture shown above, and judging by
reports of fiddlers' contests in other
parts Of the country which have ap-
peared in the newspapers recently, it
seems likely that he viii pursue his
calling" for some time yet to come
GO By Western Newspaper Union.,