TRANSCRIPT

The Country Dance
A short story from 'Pioneer Tales and Other Human Stories'
By H.B. Adshead

Part 1

I have stated that another form of our social life, where we met each other and exchanged views and got acquainted, was the country dance or surprise party. When it is considered that often our nearest neighbors were a mile or more distant, and rural telephones were not in existence, it will easily be seen that any legitimate form of recreation that caused neighbors so far distant, to get together, to get to know each other better, to roll the mists away, and also to keep settlers who were more or less tied to their land, from getting into ruts, did good service and encouraged a community spirit.

Modern dances, such as fox trots, dog trots, turkey trots, and other trots, tangos or shimmies were unknown to us. The majority of the dances were square dances, cotilion, quadrilles, with a waltz or military schottische thrown in by way of variety.