room, like skeletons of india-rubber, their legs bowed out, and sometimes tripping over each other. Rousing, solid girls bounded around, up and down like pots of jelly, and "all went merry as a marriage-bell."
By and by the old folks made their appearance "just to see the boys and gals enjoy themselves." The fiddler at this moment shot off on the "Devil's Dream." A timid elderly lady stepped up to him, and touching him softly on the shoulder, asked:
"Isn't that a profane tune?"
"No, it's Old Hundredth with variations—don't bother me," replied the performer, relieving his mouth of a quantity of tobacco juice at the same time.
"Supposing we try it for a moment, aunt Hannah," said the minister with a sly look.
The two stepped out on the floor, the fiddler commenced another tune, and they disappeared in the whirling mass. In a few moments nearly all of the old folks who had come just to "see them a minute," followed, and the way in which several elderly gentlemen and ladies executed some of the reels of a half-century's memory, was a lesson to the younger folks.
The company kept up their revelry until far beyond midnight. But by and by they commenced withdrawing. It was proposed by several to visit the different bridegrooms in bed, but fortunately the good taste of the others prevailed, and they departed quietly homeward.
Slumber, with the exception of the sentinels at the blockhouse, fell upon the village. Perhaps the Indians had no wish to break in upon such a happy settlement, for they made no demonstration through the night. Sweetly and peacefully they all slept; sweetly and peacefully they entered upon life's duties on the morrow; and sweetly and peacefully these happy settlers ascend and went down the hillside of life.
THE END.
