Each girl in succession leads a boy to a position to dance a reel.
First girl then says to first boy, “This is my flower to decorate the
table,” and she gives him a flower which he puts in his buttonhole.
Second girl to second boy, “This is my flower to decorate the table,”
and she gives him a different flower, which he puts in his buttonhole.
Third girl to third boy, “You tread clams for dinner,” and the boy must
make the motion of treading clams.
Fourth girl to fourth boy, “You catch trout for dinner,” and the boy
makes believe he is a fly-fisherman.
Fifth girl to fifth boy, “You get lamb to roast,” and the boy calls,
“Bah! bah!”
Sixth girl to sixth boy, “You get the turkey to roast,” and the boy
gives the call of a turkey-gobbler.
Seventh girl to seventh boy, “You shoot the duck for roasting,” and the
boy calls, “Quack! Quack!”
Eighth girl to eighth boy, “You are my pigeon to bake in a pie,” and
the boy flaps his arms in imitation of wings.
Ninth girl to ninth boy, “You are a baker and must bake our cake,” and
this boy pretends to beat eggs.
Tenth girl to tenth boy, “You are the young man who grinds good
coffee,” and he makes believe he is turning the crank of a coffee-mill.
As soon as the tenth boy responds, a couple of good whistlers whistle
Yankee Doodle, all the others dance a reel, repeating their calls and
motions while dancing.