Page:A hairdresser's experience in high life.djvu/265

Rh walls of the dairy, and then in the pans of cream and milk, bnsybusy [sic] sucking it. I took a good laugh at them and then went on to a kind of old shanty, where I heard the noise of fiddles and banjoes.

In here were several old men laughing and talking over the fun they anticipated to have at night. One of them said to me, "Lor', child, just you stay over here to night and see the fun. I played my banjo at the wedding of this child's grandmother and her mother, and now I'm gwine to play for herself and husband that-is-to-be; he says he will take me to Ohio State and set me free."

I said, "Uncle, you will be too old; you won't be able to earn your living." His answer was, "Lor', child, I will die free, any how."

While I was talking to the old man, there was a scream from the house for uncle Bob, as if the whole place was on fire, or some other dreadful occurrence had happened; I started to see what was wrong, when I found the little boys, tired of drinking the cream through their straws, had turned off the cider barrel, which was placed on the porch, and surrounded by old fashioned jugs of old Bourbon, and the best brandy. The boys not daring to drink so much of the cider as they did of the milk, turned it off to see the fun, and before they were found out, had the barrel nearly left empty. I asked one of the little urchins what they did it for. He told me they were promised they should have all sorts of fun when Ann was married, and he says, sure, that is fun.

I then went to my work, and promised when I was through dressing their hair, I would set the table for them. After combing them, I went to get the things