grasped them round the waist, but yielded
with a natural grace which betrayed far
less guile than the pseudo-sensitiveness
of your dreadfully proper city belle. Free
and easy and innocent was the familiarity
between these rustic lasses and lads; the
familiarity of those who have grown up
together, and who live far from the
corruptions of great populations.

Best of all were the hearty " country
dances," which afforded the coveted
opportunity to jig and jump, and were repeated
oft and again. The figure was, however,
merely the outline, the skeleton of the
dance; it was filled in by the countless
gyrations which the boys and girls had
learned or invented. Now, Josh would
come rushing down with a complicated jig
which kept perfect time with the music,
short quick steps and sudden salutes; then,
Ike would follow with a series of long
strides brought up abruptly, and ending in
a jump into the middle of the figure; next,
Seth would tide on sideways, working arms
and legs like an ingenious piece of
machinery in a hurry; then, Nancy would
treat us to a self-taught pas seul, quite as
amusing as any seen on the boards in
town. And all chattering, laughing,
whispering, coquetting, love-making, and hand
squeezing, at the same time. Tom and
I were infected, we in turn tried
impromptu antics, which generally elicited a
roar of laughter at the clumsiness of our
imitation, but doubtless made us somewhat
more popular, as showing that polite
society had not driven all the spirit out of
us. At the end of one of the dances,
exhausted by our exertion, we descended to
the bar-room, and there, while refreshing
ourselves, we were amused by the group of
sturdy farmers and shop-keepers who were
gathered about the great round stove, and
earnestly discussing, now the affairs
of the nation, now the farming prospects
of the next year. There, sat the oracle of
the village, Squire Forbes, who was laying
down the law in a most dogmatic way,
and to whom the others listened as if he
were the embodiment of enlightened
wisdom; the squire was quite in his glory
below stairs, with his glass of flip by his
side, as his daughters were above, flirting
gaily.

In a corner of the bar-room were several
fathers of families, who were deeply engaged
in a game of dominoes, and who joined in
the general conversation now and then;
here, in short, were gathered those who did
not care for the dancing, and preferred a
quiet homely chat, a modest pipe, and a
steaming glass.

The party were not half wearied with
dancing, when good Dame Hodges emerged
from the lower regions, with a face hot
from long contact with the stoves, and
announced that supper was ready.

Each young man must— so went the
rule and custom—  escort the young woman
to supper, with whom he had come to the
ball; so Tom delightedly sought out Ellen
Maria, and snugly tucked her round chubby
arm under his, while I performed the same
service for the younger sister. What a
hastening, crowding, hustling, there was on
the stairs! What hurry to get down and
secure the best seat for one's own damsel;
what little tender delays, on the part of
loving couples, happening, oddly enough,
in the very darkest part of the stairway,
whence came ominous sounds, and
suppressed tittering and whispering! And
when at last we reached the supper-room,
how bright and savoury seemed the homely
feast, lighted up by ancient newly-burnished
candelabra, and hardly less by the cheery
shining face of mine hostess, who looked as if
her hour of triumph were now come. After
the due amount of pushing and screaming
and crowding, we all got fairly seated at
last, with Hodges at one end and the dame
at the other; the old folks sitting together
above, and the young folks together below.
The covers were lifted by a number of
Yankee damsels who " waited" at the
tavern, assisted by some of our own party,
who did not at all disdain to " lend a hand."
A repast it was for no delicate, worn-out
palates; viands as lusty as the eaters, as
the landlord and his dame, as the
granite-ledged country in which we were, as the
rough old Boreas who howled without,
and down the chimney. There were beef
and mutton, the traditional Yankee " pork
and beans," hot corn-cakes, and bouncing
loaves of home-made bread; there were
fowls and sandwiches; great generous
pumpkin, apple, and mince pies; winter
apples and stored-up nuts, cider, and punch,
and home-brewed beer. Long and noisily
we sat at the feast, and the country lads
made burly love as they helped Susan and
Jane to pork and beans, and took to
themselves long quaffs of the homely and hearty
potables. Supper over, it was in order to
get out the sleighs, and take the girls on a
rollicking musical ride for a mile or two;
then, returning, we were ready to resume
dancing; and, in between the dances, we
got up many a good old-fashioned country