448 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
a privileged character. He had his time pretty much to 
himself, and no one pretended to interfere with its disposal, 
as his master humorously styled him a “necessary nuisance” 
to the neighborhood, because he kept the darkies in a good 
humor by his fiddle. Now Dick had most strongly developed 
the stropgest and most marked traits of the fiddler, the world 
over, namely, punctiliousness and punctuality. Upon either 
of these points he was peculiarly irritable, nay even ferocious. 
With all the proverbial timidity of the “child of genius,” 
Old Dick was yet as savage as a hyena at any improprieties 
of etiquette which might chance to turn up during the sable 
orgies over which he presided; but nothing caused him to 
so far forget ‘the proprieties’’ in his own person, as the 
intervention of any unusual or accidental causes of delay 
which prevented his being on hand in time! Poor Dick !— 
but the story I have to tell of him will explain ! 
On the occasion of a grand wedding festival among the 
colored gentry of a neighboring plantation, some six miles 
distant, Old Dick was, of course, expected to officiate as 
master of the ceremonies. It had been an unusually severe 
winter, and a heavy snow lay upon the ground on the event- 
ful evening, when, having donned his “long-tailed blue,” 
with its glittering gilt buttons, and mounted the immense 
shirt collar, by the aid of which the dignity of his official 
character was properly maintained, the ancient Apollo 
sallied forth, fiddle in hand, to dare the perils of the distant 
way alone: for the younger darkies had all gone to the frolic 
hours ago, with a haste and eagerness altogther keene 
his importance. 
The moon was.out, and the stars twinkled merrily over 
head, as the spry old man trudged away over the crisp and 
crackling snow. The path, which was a very narrow one, 
led, for the greater part of the way, through the dark shadows 
of a heavy bottom forest, which yet remained as wild as 
