Page:Lyrics of Lowly Life Dunbar (1896).djvu/233



An 1 he made us cleah de cabin fu' to dance dat suppah down.

Jim, de fiddlah, chuned his fiddle, put some rosum on his bow,

Set a pine box on de table, mounted it an' let huh go!

He 's a fiddlah, now I tell you, an' he made dat fiddle ring,

'Twell de ol'est an' de lamest had to give deir feet a fling.

Jigs, cotillions, reels an' break-downs, cordrills an' a waltz er two;

Bless yo' soul, dat music winged 'em an' dem people lak to flew.

Cripple Joe, de ole rheumatic, danced dat flo' f'om side to middle,

Th'owed away his crutch an' hopped it, what 's rheumatics 'ginst a fiddle?

Eldah Thompson got so tickled dat he lak to los' his grace,

Had to tek bofe feet an' hol' dem so 's to keep 'em in deir place.