Quincy Adams Sawyer and Mason's Corner Folks: A Picture of New England Home LifePidgin, Charles Felton
General
Quincy Adams Sawyer and Mason's Corner Folks: A Picture of New England Home Life
Pidgin, Charles Felton
New England -- Fiction
The Professor took one of the pans and Robert Wood the other.
"The ladies wall please form in line," cried the Professor; which was
done. "Now will each lady," said the Professor, "as she marches between
us, throw one wrister in one pan and t'other wrister in the other pan?
Give us a good, lively march, Abner," he added, and the music began.
The procession passed between the upheld pans, one wrister of each pair
thrown right and the other left, as it moved on.
The music stopped. "Now, will the ladies please form in line again,"
said the Professor, "and as they pass through each one take a wrister
from the pan held by Mr. Wood."
The music started up again and the procession moved forward and the work
of selection was completed.
Again the music stopped. "Now will the gentlemen form in line, and as
they march forward each one take a wrister from the pan that I hold,"
said the Professor.
Once more the music started up. The line was formed, the procession
advanced, 'Zekiel and Quincy bringing up the rear. As Quincy took the
last wrister from the pan that the Professor held, the latter turned
quickly away and beat a tattoo on the bottom of the pan with his
knuckles and cried out, "Gentlemen will please find their partners. The
wristers become the property of the gentlemen."
Then a wild rush took place. Screams of laughter were heard on every
side, and it was fully five minutes before the excitement subsided, and
in response to another tattoo upon the milk pan by the Professor, the
couples, as arranged by the hand of Fate, formed in line and marched
around the great kitchen to the music of a sprightly march written by
the Professor and called "The Wrister March," and respectfully dedicated
to Miss Hulda Mason. This announcement was made by Mr. Stiles from his
elevated position upon the kitchen table.
The hand of Fate had acted somewhat strangely. The Professor and Mandy
Skinner stood side by side, as did 'Zekiel Pettengill and Mrs. Mason.
Lindy Putnam and Huldy by a queer twist of fortune were mated with
Cobb's twins.
But Fate did one good act. By chance Quincy and Alice stood side by
side. She looked up at him and said to her partner, "What is your name,
I cannot see your face?"
"My name is Quincy," said Sawyer in a low voice.
"I am so glad!" said Alice, leaning a little more heavily on his arm.
"So am I," responded Quincy ardently.
After the procession had made several circuits of the great kitchen,
Professor Strout gave a signal, and it broke up, each gentleman being
then at liberty to seek the lady of his own choice.
"What games shall we play fust?" asked Strout, taking the centre of the
room, and looking round upon the company with a countenance full of
smiles and good nature.
"Who is it?" "Who is it?" came from a dozen voices.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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