XX He roar'd a horrid murder-shout, An' young an' auld cam rinnin out Till stop! she trotted through them a'; Asteer that night! XXI. Meg fain wad to the barn gaen, To win three wechts o' naething;" To watch, while for the barn she sets, That vera night. XXI. She turns the key wi' cannie thraw, An' owre the threshold ventures; But first on Sawnie gies a ca', Syne bauldly in she enters: A ratton rattled up the wa', An' she cried, L-d preserve her! An' ran through midden-hole an' a', An' pray'd wi' zeal an' fervour, Fu' fast that night. XXIII. They hoy't out Will wi' sair advice; They hecht him some fine braw ane; It chanced the stack he faddom'd thrice 12 Was timmer-propt for thrawin: He taks a swirlie auld moss-oak, For some black, grousome carlin; An' loot a winze, an' drew a stroke, Till skin in blypes came haurlin Aff's nieves that night. XXIV. A wanton widow Leezie was, As canty as a kitlen; But, och! that night, amang the shaws, She through the whins, an' by the cairn, Was bent that night. XXV. Whyles owre a linu the burnie plays, XXVI. Amang the brachens, on the brae, Poor Leezie's heart maist lap the hool; Wi' a plunge that night. XXVII. In order, on the clean hearth-stane, In wrath that night. XXVIII. Wi' merry sangs, an' friendly cracks, An' unco tales, an' funnie jokes, Their sports were cheap an' cheery; Till butter'd so'ns,'5 wi' fragrant lunt, Set a their gabs a steerin; Syne, wi' a social glass o' strunt, They parted aff careerin Fu' blithe that night. NOTES ON HALLOWEEN. 1 Certain little, romantic, rocky, green hills, in the neighbourhood of the ancient seat of the earls of Cassilis. 2 A noted cavern near Colean-house, called the Cove of Colean, which, as Cassilis Downans, is famed in country story for being a favourite haunt of fairies. 3 The famous family of that name, the ancestors of Robert, the great deliverer of his country, were earls of Carrick. 4 The first ceremony of Halloween is, pulling each a stock, or plant, of kail. They must go out, hand in hand, with eyes shut, and pull the first they meet with its being big or little, straight or crooked, is prophetic of the size and shape of the grand object of all their spells-the husband or wife. If any yird, or earth, stick to the root, that is tocher, or fortune; and the taste of the custoc, that is the heart of the stem, is indicative of the natural temper and disposition. Lastly, the stems, or, to give them their ordinary appellation, the runts, are placed somewhere above the head of the door; and the Christian names of the people whom chance brings into the house are, according to the priority of placing the runts, the names in question. 5 They go to the barn-yard, and pull each, at three several times, a stalk of oats. If the third stalk wants the top-pickle, that is, the grain at the top of the stalk, the party in question will come to the marriage-bed any thing but a maid. 6 When the corn is in a doubtful state, by being too green or wet, the stack-builder, by means of old timber, &c. makes a large apartment in his stack, with an opening in the side which is fairest exposed to the wind: this he calls a fause-house. 7 Burning the nuts is a famous charm. They name the lad and lass to each particular nut as they lay them in the C fire; and accordingly as they burn quietly together, or start from beside one another, the course and issue of the courtship will be. 8 Whoever would, with success, try this spell, must strictly observe these directions: Steal out, all alone, to the kiln, and, darkling, throw into the pot a clue of blue yarn; wind it in a new clue off the old one; and, towards the latter end, something will hold the thread. Demand, 'wha hauds?' i. e. who holds? an answer will be returned from the kiln-pot, by naming the Christian and surname of your future spouse. 9 Take a candle, and go alone to a looking-glass; eat an apple before it, and some traditions say you should comb your hair all the time; the face of your conjugal companion, to be, will be seen in the glass as if peeping over your shoulder. 10 Steal out, unperceived, and sow a handful of hempseed, harrowing it with any thing you can conveniently draw after you. Repeat, now and then, Hemp-seed, I saw thee, hemp-seed, I saw thee; and him (or her) that is to be my true-love, come after me and pou thee.' Look over your left shoulder, and you will see the appearance of the person invoked in the attitude of pulling hemp. Some traditions say, 'come after me, and shaw thee;' that is, show thyself: in which case it simply appears. Others omit the harrowing, and say, 'come after me, and harrow thee.' 11 This charm must likewise be performed unperceived and alone. You go to the barn, and open both doors, taking them off the hinges, if possible; for there is danger that the being about to appear may shut the doors, and do you some mischief. Then take that instrument used in winnowing the corn, which, in our country dialect, we call a wecht, and go through all the attitudes of letting down corn against the wind. Repeat it three times; and the third time an apparition will pass through the barn, in at the windy door, and out at the other, having both the figure in question, and the appearance or retinue, marking the employment or station in life. 12 Take an opportunity of going, unnoticed, to a bear |