..Under the crown, American history; . THE GAME OF CUDGELING. was a costly articlein those days, worth as much as fifteen dollars. The horn sounds again to summon the gallantfiddlers of Hanover to a trial of their skill, theprize being a new violin, brought from Londonby the last ship. It is proposed that a violin be played for bytwenty fiddlers, no person to have the liberty ofplaying unless he bring a fiddle with him. After the prize is won, the fiddlers are all toplay together, each a different tune, and are tobe treated by the company. COLONIAL MERRYMAKING. 107 Next, the boys are to have a
..Under the crown, American history; . THE GAME OF CUDGELING. was a costly articlein those days, worth as much as fifteen dollars. The horn sounds again to summon the gallantfiddlers of Hanover to a trial of their skill, theprize being a new violin, brought from Londonby the last ship. It is proposed that a violin be played for bytwenty fiddlers, no person to have the liberty ofplaying unless he bring a fiddle with him. After the prize is won, the fiddlers are all toplay together, each a different tune, and are tobe treated by the company. COLONIAL MERRYMAKING. 107 Next, the boys are to have a turn. Twelveboys, twelve years of age, run a race of onehundred and twenty yards, the winner of whichreceives a new hat worth twelve shillings. At the public diversions in Virginia the song-singers of a county often competed for a prize,. GIRLS, ROSY, BLUSHING AND EXPECTANT. such as a new song-book, or something of thekind, each singer in turn singing his best songto the company. Then might follow a wrestling-match for aprize of silver buckles, or a dancing-match fora pair of elegant shoes. The entertainments sometimes concluded witha diversion that excited extraordinary interestamong the young men. A pair of silk stockingswas exhibited on the platform, to be given tothe prettiest girl in the field. 108 COLONIAL MERRYMAKING. We can fancy the bevy of rosy girls, all drawnup in a line before the judges stand, blushingand expectant, and the judges descending to thefield to scrutinize more closely the charms ofthe competing damsels. At the close of the exercises a repast wasserved upon the field, not indeed for the wholecrowd, but, as the program expressed it, forthe subscribers and their wives, and such of themas are not so happy as to have wives may treatany other lady. It was in some such simple and innocent wayas this
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookidundercrownam, bookyear1909
