On the frontier, there was little entertainment available - except what you could come up with on your own. Pa's fiddle playing was both relaxing and entertainment for the family and their friends. Songs which Pa is said to have played include "Oh, Susanna", "Arkansas Traveler", "Buffalo Gals", "The Girl I left Behind Me", and "The Old Grey Mare."

'I believe this warm weather has taken the stiffness out of my fingers,' he said. 'If you will bring me the fiddle, Laura, I'll see what I can do.'

Laura brought the fiddle-box and stood close by while Pa lifted the fiddle out of its nest. He thumbed the strings and tightened the keys as he listened. Then he rosined the bow and drew it across the strings.

A few clear, true notes softly sounded. The lump in Laura's throat almost choked her.

Pa played a few bars and said, 'This is a new song I learned last fall, the time we went to Volga to clear the tracks. You hum the tenor along with the fiddle, Boast, while I sing it through the first time. A few times over, and you'll pick up the words.'
-from The Long Winter

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