3. The Country Hoe-Down
It was some weeks after the barbecue that Mark Bonamy, now a Whig candidate for representative in the Indiana legislature, set out to electioneer. He was accompanied on this expedition by Major Tom Lathers, who was running for sheriff. Both the young politician and the old one had taken the precaution to dress themselves in country jeans, of undyed brown wool, commonly known as butternut. Lathers was a tall, slim, fibroid man, whose very face was stringy. He sat straight up on his rawboned, bobtailed horse and seemed forever looking off into vacancy, like a wistful greyhound. Mark had not succeeded in toning himself quite down to the country standard. He did his best to look the sloven, but there was that in his handsome face, well-nourished physique and graceful carriage that belied his butternut clothes. He was but masquerading after all. But Lathers was to homespun born ; his gaunt, angular, tendinous figure, stepping when he walked as an automaton might when worked by cords and pulleys, was not unbecomingly clad in brown jeans and "stogy " boots.
The two were riding now toward Tanner Township, the wildest corner of the county. Here on the head-waters of Rocky Fork there was a dance appointed for this very evening, and the experienced Lathers had scented game.
" I tell you what, Bonamy, there's nothing like hoedowns and the like. Everybody is good-natured at a dance. I went to church last Sunday. I always go to church when there is an election coming on. People think I am in a hopeful state and the like, you know, when they see that, and they vote for me to encourage me."
Here Lathers gave his companion a significant look from his small, twinkling gray eyes and then diving into his pocket he drew forth a plug of tobacco and bit off a large corner of it, which he masticated for a while with all the energy of a man of serious purpose.
" You see," he proceeded, " a man's mind is always on his own business even in meeting and the like, at least mine is when I'm running for anything. Well, I heerd Whittaker read something from the Apostle Saul, I believe. No, I ain't jist right shore, now. Now I come to think, I believe he said it was from the first apostle to the Corinthians, an' I swear I ain't well 'nough up in Bible to know who was the tirst and who was the second apostle to the Corinthians."
Here Lathers spat meditatively, while Mark turned his head away.
" Well, never mind. It was either Saul or Paul, I think. He said something about a feast, or big goin's-on and the like, at Jerusalem, that was to come off sometime shortly. And he said that a great and effectooal door was opened to him. Well, I says to myself, that old Saul Saulomon his full name was, I reckon understood his business mighty well. He took folks when they was a-havin' a good time and the like. Them was my meditations, Mark, in the house of the Lord."
And Major Lathers stopped to laugh and wink his gra^ eyes at Mark.
" An' when I heerd they was a good, ole-fashioned hoe-down over onto Rocky Fork, I says a great and effect ooal door -- a big barn-door, it 'peared like -- is opened to me and Mark Bonamy. Tanner Township is rightly Locofoco, but if you show your pnrty face among the women folks, and I give the men a little sawder and the like, you know, we'll use them up like the pilgrim fathers did tho British on Bunker Hill that fourth of July."
About sunset the two arrived at Kirtley's double cabin. Already there were signs of the oncoming festivities.
" Hello, Old Gid," said Lathers, who knew just when familiarity was likely to win, " you alive yet, you old sinner ? How air you, any way ? It's mighty strange you an' me haint dead and done fer, after all we've been through. I wish I was half as hearty as you look."
" Well, Major, is that air you ? " grinned Kirtley. " Howdy, ole coon ? " and he reached out his hand. " I'm middlin' peart. Come over this way to get some votes, I reckon ? 'Taint no use. Dernedest set of Locos over here you ever see."
" Oh, I know that. I tho't I'd come along and shako hands and the like with a ole friend, and quarrel with you about Old Hickory, jist for fun. You always hev a bottle of good whisky, and you don't kick a ole military friend out-doors on account of politics and the like. Blam'd if I don't feel more at home when I'm inside your door than I do in ary 'nother house in this county. How's the ole woman and that doggoned purty girl of yourn? I was afeard to bring Bonamy along, fer fear she'd make a fool an' the like out of him. But I told him you was a pertie'ler friend of his father, the colonel, and that you'c pertect him."
" Wal," said Kirtley, hesitating, "I wish I could make you comfortable. But the folks is got a hoe-down sot fer tonight, an' you-aL wont git no sleep ef you stop here. "
"A hoe-down!" cried Lathers, with feigned surprise, " Wal, ef I'd knowed that, I'd a fixed things so as to come to-morry night, seein' as I want to have a square, old-fashioned set-down and the like with you." Here he pulled a bottle of whisky from his pocket and passed it to Hartley. "But next to a talk with you, I'd enjoy a reel with the girls, like we used to have when I was a youngster." Saying this, Lathers dismounted, without giving Kirtley (who was taking a strong pull at the bottle) time to object. But Mark hesitated.
" 'Light, Mr. Bonamy, 'light," said Kirtley ; " ef you kin put up with ns we kin with you. Come right in, gentlemen, and I'll put your hosses out."
" Pshaw ! ' : said Lathers, " let me put out my own. Bonamy and me knows how to work jist as well as you do. You Becky Fork folks is a little stuck-up and the like, Kirtley. You don't know it, but you air. Blam'd ef you habit, now. You think they haint nobody as can do real tough work an' sich like but you. Now Bonamy, here, was brought up to that sort of thing, and as fer me, I was rocked in a gum stump."
The major instinctively spoke more improperly even than was his habit, in addressing Kirtley and others of his kind, though Tom Lather's English was bad enough at any time.
The old man grinned at the flattery, and Lathers passed the bottle again.
An h3ur later the dancers were assembling ; the beds had been cleared out of the largest room in the cabin, and the fiddler a plump and reprobate-looking man was tuning his instrument, and scratching out snatches of " Hi Betty Martin " and " Billy in the Lowgrounds " by way of testing its condition.
Major Lathers went jerking and bobbing round among the guests, but Mark was now the leader. Quick-witted and adroit, he delighted the young women, and by shrewd flattery managed not to make the young men jealous. He ate eagerly of the potatoes roasted in the ashes, which were the popular " refreshment." He danced a reel awkwardly enough, but that gave him a chance to ask some of the young men to explain it to him. Major Lathers knew the figure well, and was so proud of it that he jerked his slender legs up and down like a puppet in all the earlier dances. Bonamy might have captured half the votes on Rocky Run, if there had been no Nancy Kirtley. Nancy was at first detained from the room by her household cares, but it was not in Nancy's nature to devote herself long to the kitchen when she had a chance to effect the capture of the young man from town. About eight o'clock, when the dancing had been going on an hour, and Bonamy had made a most favorable impression, he observed a look of impatience on the face of the green country girl who was talking with him. Turning in the direction which her eyes took, he saw half-a-dozen young men gathered about a young woman whom he had not seen before, and who now stood with her back to him. He asked his companion who she was.
" Oh ! that air plague-goned Nance Kirtley. All the boys makes fools of theirselves over her. She likes to make a fool of a man. You better look out, ole hoss ! " said she with a polite warning to Mark.
Mark was curious to see Nancy's face, but he could not get away from his present companion without rudeness. That young lady, however, had less delicacy. For when a gawky youth, ambitious to cut out the " town feller,* came up with "Sal, take a reel with me?" she burst into a giggle, and handed over the roast potato she had been eating to Bonamy, saying, " Here, feller, hold my tater while I trot a reel with this 'ere boss."
Taking the potato as he was bidden, Mark made use of his liberty to seek the acquaintance of the belle of Rocky Fork.
Nancy had purposely stationed herself with her back to the stranger that she might not seem to seek his favor. On his first approach she treated him stiffly and paid more attention than ever to the rude jokes of her country beaux, though she was in a flutter of flattered vanity from the moment in which she saw him approaching. Such game did not come in her way more than once.
Mark on his part was amazed. Such a face as hers would have been observed in any company, but such a face among the poor whiteys of Rocky Fork, seemed by contrast miraculous. There was no fire of intellect in it ; no inward conflict had made on it a sino-le line. It was simply a combination of natural symmetry, a clear, rather Oriental complexion and exuberant healthfulness. Feeling there was sensuousness, vanity, and that good-nature which comes of self-complacency. Nancy Kirtley was one of those magnificent animals that are all the more magnificent for being only animals. It was beauty of the sort that one sees sometimes among quadroons the beauty of Circassian women, perhaps, perfect physical development, undisturbed and uninformed by a soul.
From the moment that Mark Bonamy looked upon this uncultivated girl in her new homespun and surrounded by her circle of hawbuck admirers, he began to forget all about the purpose of his visit to Rocky Run. Major Topp Lathert, as he flung himself through a Virginia reel with a gait much like that of a stringhalt horse, was still anxiously watching Bonamy, and he mentally concluded that Mark was as sure to scorch his wings as a moth that had caught sight of a candle.
" "Will you dance the next reel with me ? " Mark asked somewhat eagerly of Nancy Kirtley.
"Must give Jim his turn first," said the crafty Nancy, " Give you the next chance, Mr. Bonamy, ef you keer fer it."
It was in vain that Mark's former companion, wdien she returned for her half-eaten potato, sought to engage him again in conversation. He did nothing but stand and wait for Nancy and look at her while she whirled through the next reel as Jim McGowan's partner. In fact, everybody else did much the same ; all the young men declaring that she was some, sartain. She danced with a perfect abandon, for there is nothing a well-developed animal likes better than exercise and excitement ; and perfect physical equilibrium always produces a certain grace of motion.
While Mark stood looking at Nancy, Major Lathers came and touched him on the shoulder.
" Mark," he whispered, " if you don't take your eyes off that air creature you're a gone tater, shore as shootin'. Don't you see that Jim McGowan's scowlin' at you now, and if you cut him out he'll be dead ag'inst you. Come, old feller, you'll git used up as bad as Julias Csesar did when he went down into Egypt and fell in love with Pharaoh's daughter and the like, and got licked by it. Let an ole friend pull you out of the bulrushes and the like. Don't you have no more to do with that girl, do ye rear ? "
" But I've promised to dance the next reel with her," pleaded Mark, feeling the force of Lathers's remark and feeling his own powerlessness to resist the current upon which he was drifting.
" The devil you have ! " cried the major. " Then you're a goner, sure enough. Saltpeter wont save you. All the young men'll be ag'inst you, because you've cut 'em out and sich like, and all the ^irls'll be down on vou. because you run after the purtiest one. Don't be a fool, Mark. Think of my interest as well as your'n."
" Wait till I've had one reel," said Mark. " I'm only in for a little fun, you know. Isn't she a splendid creature, Major ? "
" Splendid ! the devil ! " muttered Lathers, turning away and shrewdly meditating how to cut loose from Mark.
Mark danced his reel with Nancy, and then devoted himself to her. Having no further use for Jim, she snubbed him, and Jim swore that Eonamy shouldn't git a vote on the Fork. Nothing but Bonamy's excellent muscle prevented McGowan's taking a more summary revenge.
When at midnight the company marched out-of-doors and stationed themselves around a table made of rouo;h boards supported by stakes driven in the ground, they found a rude but substantial supper of bacon and hominy, corn-bread, sweet cake and apple-pies. For luxury, there was coffee in place of the sassafras tea with which Rocky Fork was accustomed to regale itself, and, for a wonder, the sweet'nin' was " store sugar " of the brown New Orleans variety instead of " country," or maple molasses, such as was used on ordinary occasions. The cake, however, was made with the country molasses.
Mark, whose infatuation seemed to increase, devoted himself at supper to his Hebe, whom he would have liked better had she been entirelv silent. It taxed his gallantn ; to laugh at her awkward and bearish pleasantries.
" I say, Bonamy," whispered Lathers, " ef you don't flop round into the channel almighty quick, I shan't lash flatboats weth you no longer. I'll cut mine locse and swing around and leave you high and dry onto the san'-bar."
" I'll be a good boy after supper, Major," said Mark. Lathers saw that he was hopelessly enchanted by the siren of Rocky Fork, and he proceeded straightway to execute his threat. He sought out Jim McGowan, and told the irate fellow how he had done his best to keep Mark from makin' a fool of hisself.
" I'll pay him back," said Jim.
" I know'd you would," answered Lathers.
" He wont get no votes on Rocky Fork," said Jim.
" I tole him so," said the major. " He might know you'd hurt him, severe like, when he comes in and spiles your game an' the like. I'll git him away first thing in the mornin'. Then the girl'll find she's throw'd away her beau and got nothin' but a fool an' the like for one dance. She'll come back to you meeker'n Moses when the Philistines was after him. He'd orter know you could keep anybody from votin' fer him here, and git Whigs to trade iff somewheres else. Now, for instance, ef you should git a lot of Rocky Forkers and the like to trade with Whigs to say to some of my friends that ef they'd vote ag'inst Mark, you-all'd vote for me or the like, you might hit a enemy and do a good turn fer a friend. Besides you know I'm dead ag'inst the dog law, and dog law is what Rocky Fork don't want."
From Jim the major proceeded to talk with " old man Kirtley," to whom he said that he didn't blame Mark fer gittin' in love with sich a girl. He might do worse'n to marry sich a spleudid creature and the like. Fer his part he'd tell Mark bo in the mornin'. He also assured Mr. Kirtley that fer his part he was dead ag'inst the dog law. Dogs an' sich like was one of the things a man had a right to in a free country. Poor men hadn't got many comforts, and dogs was one of 'em. The chief product of the Pocky Fork region, as the major knew, was dogs.
Latfiers then talked to the " women folks." He said ne didn't think so much of a pnrty face and sich like as used to. What you wanted in a woman was to he of some account ; and girls too good-looking got to be fools, and stuck-up like and got into trouble, like Cleopaytry, and the like, you know. He also took occasion to tell the ladies of Rocky Fork that he was dead ag'inst the dog law. Poor folks had as much right to dogs and sich like as rich folks to sheep and sich like.
To the young men Tom Lathers said he didn't believe m a man dancin' with one girl all the time, perticuler when he didn't mean to marry her and sich like. It was scandalious. When he come to Rocky Fork ag'in he wouldn't bring no town fellers and the like along, He believed in country folks himself, and besides he was dead ag'inst all your dog laws and the like. If he got to be sheriff he'd show 'em that dog laws couldn't be crammed down people's throats in this county. Didn't the Declaration, which our fathers signed on Bunker Hill, declare that all men was born free and equal ? Wasn't a dog and sich like, as good as a sheep and sich like, he'd like to know ; and if taxin' dogs wasn't taxation without representation, he'd jist like to know what was, now you know, hey?
With such blandishments Lathers spent the time until the party broke up with a final jig, when at length he succeeded in getting Mark away, but not untv after nearly all of the guests had departed.