Excerpt from The Play-Party in Indiana a Collection of Folk-Songs and Games With Descriptive Introduction, and Correlating Notes But preparations had also been going on at the farm house. In the Spare-room the rag carpet had been lifted, not because it was too smooth for the games, but because the rough boots and coarse shoes Of the players wore it out. Around this same room, heavy blocks of wood held up long boards, which made a bench for the lookers-ou. In the kitchen a roaring fire was kept in the fireplace; here the parents and children were to stay. Usually there were fewer Old people than young; yet there were enough men to discuss the prospective crops, the coming election, the slavery question and predestination; and plenty of women there were to pop the corn over the coals, crack the walnuts, wash the winesaps, cut the cakes, and watch the babies. About dusk the first players arrive. The girls at once retire to the bedroom to slip off their long black calico riding skirts and to leave their heavy wraps. The boys' overcoats and caps, too, are piled on the bed and now all are ready to play. There is no need to wait for ceremony. Thaddeus knows Josie, and Josie knows Hiram. Receiving line and formal introductions are far from the spirit of the play-party. The first four players are not Slow in starting the games with the Old drinking song, All GO Down to Bowser's. Others arrive, and in Spite of the dim candle-light and the increasing confusion, each boy can easily pick out the favorite girl, in the fairest muslin dress, to be his partner for the next set. A few rounds Of Old Dan Tucker are immediately succeeded by Needle's Eye, Skip-to - My Lou and We're Marching Down to Old Quebec. Several couples Silently drop out when Weevily Wheat is named as the next, for it is played like the dance Virginia Reel, and offends the more scrupulous consciences. A stanza from a Texas version echoes this feeling. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.