Dancing For Luck

Licut. Chandler in an article on Sherman's march to the soa, ttpeaks of a halt at Shady Dale, Ga., as follows: The column halted heiefora short time to rest, and one of the bands struck up "John Brown'sBody Lies Moulderin in the Grave." To us this was nothing new; but what was new was to see a numberofnegrogirls, a dozen or more, come out from the deserted mansions and, forminga ring around the band, with a weird and plaintifll wail danced in a circle in the most solemn, dignlfied manner solong as the band played that tune. There was not a man in this dance. There wns not a word spoken to any of the girls by any ofïlcer orman in the command, because we were all too much üstonished, and as soon as the music ceased they all scuttled ofï and disappeared behind the shrubbery and in the housea. The modest and serious deportment oí these girls in thisdanco made a deep impressionon me. Tho more I thought over the matter tho more I became interested to know why they ehould have dunced, and why they had danced to that tune, but paid no attention to several better dancing tunes when the band played. "I looked about for thegirlto wbouj ï hfid spoken about the absence oí -ha white people, but she was gone, and, in her place a big, fat, comfortable- looki !!■_:, Dinah leaned on the fence, nth fat black arms and coodhumored face ehining in the declining sünlight. "'Aunty, do you know why those girls dance to that tune?' " 'Yes, sah; it's a-cos dat ar' am de weddin' tune and dem fooi gals tinks dat if dey don't dance every time dey heahs it dey'll never git marriod.' '"Why, that is no wedding tune. That is "John Brown's body.'" " 'I doesn't know nufïin' 'bout Joho Brown, nor his body either;Itells you, honey, dut am de weddin' tune what dey playa and dances down hoah at de home-a-coming' when the darkies gits married and the white folks comes out on de verandys and dances, too, et duy ia houüo hands dat's married; and ef dey is field hunds de young massar an' do gals comes down to de quartahs an' dances; and ebery fooi niggah wtínch dat ain't married y et tinks she inuss dance ebery time she hoah dat tune, 'r else her chance is gone, sah.' "Thii3 volubly the colored woman Eet my mind at rest and convinced me that the tune was older where the worda were unknown than where they wero familiar."