e to his lips, and took a dram of raw whiskey. He
then handed it to his next of kin, and so the bottle passed through the
whole company. It is to be supposed that the young women did not burn
their throats with very copious drafts of the poisonous fire-water.

When they arrived at the house, the brief ceremony of marriage
immediately took place, and then came the marriage feast. It was a very
substantial repast of pork, poultry, wild turkeys, venison, and bear's
meat. There was usually the accompaniment of corn-bread, potatoes, and
other vegetables. Great hilarity prevailed on these occasions, with
wonderful freedom of manners, coarse jokes, and shouts of laughter.

The table was often a large slab of timber, hewn out with a broad-axe,
and supported by four stakes driven into auger-holes. The table
furniture consisted of a few pewter dishes, with wooden plates and
bowls. There were generally a few pewter spoons, much battered about
the edges, but most of the spoons were of horn, homemade. Crockery, so
easily broken, was almost unknown. Table knives were seldom seen. The
deficiency was made up by the hunting-knives which all the men carried
in sheaths attached to their hunting-shirts.

After dinner the dancing began. There was invariably some musical
genius present who could play the fiddle. The dances were what were
called three or four handed reels, or square sets and jigs. With all
sorts of grotesque attitudes, pantomime and athletic displays, the
revelry continued until late into the night, and often until the dawn
of the morning. As there could be no sleeping accommodations for so
large a company in the cabin of but one room, the guests made up for
sleep in merriment.

The bridal party stole away in the midst of the uproar, one after
another, up a ladder into the loft or garret above, which was floored
with loose boards made often of split timber. This furnished a very
rude sleeping apartment. As the revelry below continued, seats being
scarce, every young man offered his lap as a seat for the girls; and
the offer was always promptly accepted; Always, toward morning, some
one was sent up into the loft with a bottle of whiskey, to offer the
bridegroom and his bride a drink. The familiar name of the bottle was
"Black Betty." One of the witticisms ever prominent on the occasion
was, "Where is Black Betty? I want to kiss her sweet lips." At some
splendid weddings, where the larder was abundantly stored with game,
th