“Mammy, the quarter folks are goin’ ter play to-night; can’t we go look at ’em?” pleaded Diddie one Saturday evening, as Mammy was busy sorting out the children’s clothes and putting them away.
“Yer allers want ter be ’long er dem quarter-folks,” said Mammy. “Dem ain’t de ’soshuts fur you chil’en.”
“We don’t want ter ’soshate with ’em, Mammy; we only want ter look at ’em play ‘Monkey Moshuns’ and ‘Lipto’ and ‘The Lady You Like Best,’ and hear Jim pick the banjo, and see ’em dance; can’t we go? PLEASE! It’s warm weather now, an’ er moonshiny night; can’t we go?”
And Diddie placed one arm around Mammy’s neck, and laid the other little hand caressingly on her cheek; and Mammy, after much persuasion, agreed to take them, if they would come home quietly when she wanted them to.
As soon as the little girls had had their supper, they set out for the quarters. Dilsey and Chris and Riar, of course, accompanied them, though Chris had had some difficulty in joining the party. She had come to grief about her quilt patching, having sewed the squares together in such a way that the corners wouldn’t hit, and Mammy had made her rip it all out and sew it over again, and had boxed her soundly, and now said she shouldn’t go with the others to the quarters; but here Dumps interfered, and said Mammy shouldn’t be “all time ’posin’ on Chris,” and she went down to see her father about it, who interceded with Mammy so effectually that, when the little folks started off, Chris was with them. When they got to the open space back of Aunt Nancy’s cabin, and which was called “de play-groun’,” they found that a bright fire of light-wood knots had been kindled to give a light, and a large pile of pine-knots and dried branches of trees was lying near for the purpose of keeping it up. Aunt Nancy had a bench moved out of her cabin for “Marster’s chil’en” to sit on, while all of the little negroes squatted around on the ground to look on. These games were confined to the young men and women, and the negro children were not allowed to participate.
Mammy, seeing that the children were safe and in good hands, repaired to “Sis Haly’s house,” where “de chu’ch membahs” had assembled for a prayer-meeting.
Soon after the children had taken their seats, the young folks came out on the playground for a game of Monkey Motions.
They all joined hands, and made a ring around one who stood in the middle, and then began to dance around in a circle, singing,
“I ac’ monkey moshuns, too-re-loo;
I ac’ monkey moshuns, so I do;
I ac’ ’em well, an’ dat’s er fac’—I
ac’ jes like dem monkeys ac’.
“I ac’ gemmun moshuns, too-re-loo;
I ac’ gemmun moshuns, so I do;
I ac’ ’em well, an’ dat’s er fac’—I
ac’ jes like dem gemmums ac’.
“I ac’ lady moshuns, too-re-loo;
I ac’ lady moshuns, so I do;
I ac’ ’em well, an’ dat’s er fac’—I
ac’ jes like dem ladies ac’.
“I ac’ chil’en moshuns, too-re-loo;
I ac’ chil’en moshuns, so I do;
I ac’ ’em well, an’ dat’s er fac’
I ac’ jes like dem chil’ens ac’.
“I ac’ preacher moshuns, too-re-loo;
I ac’ preacher moshuns, so I do;
I ac’ ’em well, an’ dat’s er fac’—I
ac’ jes like dem preachers ac’.
“I ac’ nigger moshuns, too-re-loo;
I ac’ nigger moshuns, so I do;
I ac’ ’em well, an’ dat’s er fac’—I
ac’ jes like dem niggers ac’.”
The song had a lively air, and Jim picked the accompaniment on the banjo. Many of the negroes had good voices, and the singing was indeed excellent.
While the dancers were singing the first verse, “I ac’ monkey moshuns,” the one in the middle would screw up his face and hump his shoulders in the most grotesque manner, to represent a monkey.
When they sang “I ac’ gemmun moshuns,” he would stick his hat on one side of his head, take a walking-cane in his hand, and strut back and forth, to represent a gentleman.
In the “lady moshuns,” he would take little mincing steps, and toss his head from side to side, and pretend to be fanning with his hand.
“I ac’ chil’en moshuns” was portrayed by his pouting out his lips and twirling his thumbs, or giggling or crying.
When they sang “I ac’ preacher moshuns,” he straightened himself back, and began to “lay off” his hands in the most extravagant gestures.
“I ac’ nigger moshuns” was represented by scratching his head, or by bending over and pretending to be picking cotton or hoeing.
The representation of the different motions was left entirely to the taste and ingenuity of the actor, though it was the rule of the game that no two people should represent the same character in the same way. If one acted the lady by a mincing walk, the next one must devise some other manner of portraying her, such as sewing, or playing on an imaginary piano, or giving orders to servants, or any thing that his fancy would suggest.
The middle man or woman was always selected for his or her skill in taking off the different characters; and when they were clever at it, the game was very amusing to a spectator.
After one or two games of “Monkey Moshuns,” some one proposed they should play “Lipto,” which was readily acceded to.
All joined hands, and formed a ring around one in the middle, as before, and danced around, singing,
“Lipto, lipto, jine de ring;
Lipto, lipto, dance an’ sing;
Dance an’ sing, an’ laugh an’ play,
Fur dis is now er halerday.”
Then, letting loose hands, they would all wheel around three times, singing,
“Turn erroun’ an’ roun’ an’ roun’;”
then they would clap their hands, singing,
“Clap yer han’s, an’ make’ em soun’;”
then they would bow their heads, singing,
“Bow yer heads, an’ bow ’em low;”
then, joining hands again, they would dance around, singing,
“All jine han’s, an’ hyear we go.”
And now the dancers would drop hands once more, and go to patting, while one of the men would step out with a branch of honeysuckle or yellow jessamine, or something twined to form a wreath, or a paper cap would answer, or even one of the boys’ hats—anything that would serve for a crown; then he would sing,
“Lipto, lipto—fi-yi-yi;
Lipto, lipto, hyear am I,
Er holdin’ uv dis goldin’ crown,
An’ I choose my gal fur ter dance me down.”
Then he must place the crown on the head of any girl he chooses, and she must step out and dance with him, or, as they expressed it, “set to him” (while all the rest patted), until one or the other “broke down,” when the man stepped back in the ring, leaving the girl in the middle, then they all joined hands, and began the game over again, going through with the wheeling around and clapping of hands and the bowing of heads just as before; after which the girl would choose her partner for a “set to,” the song being the same that was sung by the man, with the exception of the last line, which was changed to
“An’ I choose my man fur ter dance me down.”
“Lipto” was followed by “De One I Like de Bes’,” which was a kissing game, and gave rise to much merriment. It was played, as the others were, by the dancers joining hands and forming a ring, with some one in the middle, and singing,
“Now while we all will dance an’ sing,
O choose er partner fum de ring;
O choose de lady you like bes’;
O pick her out fum all de res,’
Fur her hansum face an’ figur neat;
O pick her out ter kiss her sweet.
O walk wid her erroun’ an’ roun’;
O kneel wid her upon de groun’;
O kiss her once, an’ one time mo’;
O kiss her sweet, an’ let her go.
O lif’ her up fum off de groun’,
An’ all jine han’s erroun’ an’ roun’,
An’ while we all will dance an’ sing,
O choose er partner fum de ring.”
At the words “choose de lady you like bes’,” the middle man must make his selection, and, giving her his hand, lead her out of the ring. At the words “walk wid her erroun’ an’ roun’,” he offers her his arm, and they promenade; at the words “kneel wid her upon de groun’,” both kneel; when they sing “kiss her once,” he kisses her; and at the words “one time mo,” the kiss is repeated; and when the dancers sing “lif’ her up fum off de groun’,” he assists her to rise; and when they sing “all jine han’s erroun’ an’ roun’,” he steps back into the ring, and the girl must make a choice, the dancers singing, “O choose de gemmun you like bes’;” and then the promenading and kneeling and kissing were all gone through with again.
Some of the girls were great favorites, and were chosen frequently; while others not so popular would perhaps not be in the middle during the game.
“De One I Like de Bes’” was a favorite play, and the young folks kept it up for some time, until some one suggested sending for “Uncle Sambo” and his fiddle, and turning it into a sure-enough dance. Uncle Sambo was very accommodating, and soon made his appearance, then partners were taken, and an Old Virginia reel formed. The tune that they danced by was “Cotton-eyed Joe,” and, the words being familiar to all of them as they danced they sang,
“Cotton-eyed Joe, Cotton-eyed Joe,
What did make you sarve me so,
Fur ter take my gal erway fum me,
An’ cyar her plum ter Tennessee?
Ef it hadn’t ben fur Cotton-eyed Joe,
I’d er been married long ergo.
“His eyes wuz crossed, an’ his nose wuz flat,
An’ his teef wuz out, but wat uv dat?
Fur he wuz tall, an’ he wuz slim,
An’ so my gal she follered him.
Ef it hadn’t ben fur Cotton-eyed Joe,
I’d er been married long ergo.
“No gal so hansum could be foun’,
Not in all dis country roun’,
Wid her kinky head, an’ her eyes so bright,
Wid her lips so red an’ her teef so white.
Ef it hadn’t ben fur Cotton-eyed Joe,
I’d been married long ergo.
“An’ I loved dat gal wid all my heart,
An’ she swo’ fum me she’d never part;
But den wid Joe she runned away,
An’ lef’ me hyear fur ter weep all day.
“O Cotton-eyed Joe, O Cotton-eyed Joe,
What did make you sarve me so?
O Joe, ef it hadn’t er ben fur you,
I’d er married dat gal fur true.”
And what with Uncle Sambo’s fiddle and Jim’s banjo and all of those fresh, happy young voices, the music was enough to make even the church members want to dance.
The children enjoyed the dancing even more than they had the playing, and Diddie and Dumps and Tot and all of the little darkies were patting their hands and singing “Cotton-eyed Joe” at the very top of their voices, when Mammy appeared upon the scene, and said it was time to go home.
“No, Mammy,” urged Dumps; “we ain’t er goin’ ter; we want ter sing ‘Cotton-eyed Joe,” hit ain’t late.”
“Umph-humph! dat’s jes wat I ’lowed,” said Mammy. “I ’lowed yer wouldn’t be willin’ fur ter go, er set’n’ hyear an’ er patt’n’ yer han’s same ez niggers, an’ er singin’ uv reel chunes; I dunno wat makes you chil’en so onstrep’rous.”
“Yes, Dumps, you know we promised,” said Diddie, “and so we must go when Mammy tells us.”
Dumps, finding herself overruled, had to yield, and they all went back to the house, talking very animatedly of the quarter folks and their plays and dances.
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