and stranght anes.

Hallowe'en p. 39

The best-laid schemes o' mice and men,
Gang aft a-gley,

And lea'e us nought but grief and pain,
For promised joy.

Still thou art blest, compared wi' me!

The present an!-

go oft wrong

A noted cavern near Colean House, called the Cove of Colean; which, as well as Casilis Downans, is famed in country story for being a favourite haunt of fairies.-B.

S The famous family of that name, the ancestors of Robert, the great deliverer of his country, were Earls of Carrick.-B.

Then, first and foremost, through the kail,
Their stocks maun a' be sought ance;
They steek their een, and graip, and wale,
For muckle anes and straught anes.
Poor hav'rel Will fell aff the drift,

And wandered through the bow-kail.
And pou't, for want o' better shift,
A runt was like a sow-tail,

Sae bow't that night.

Then, straught or crooked, yird or nane,

They roar and cry a' throu'ther;

The very wee things, todlin', rin

Wi' stocks out-owre their shouther:
And gif the custoc's sweet or sour,

Wi' joctelegs they taste them;

Syne coziely aboon the door,

Wi' cannie care they've placed them
To lie that night.

The auld guidwife's weel-hoordet nitst
Are round and round divided,

And mony lads' and lasses' fates
Are there that night decided:
Some kindle, couthie, side by side,
And burn thegither trimly;

Some start awa wi' saucy pride,
And jump out-owre the chimlie
Fu' high that night.

Jean slips in twa wi' tentie ee;
Wha 'twas, she wadna tell;

But this is Jock, and this is me,
She says in to hersel':

make, go sometimes

cabbage [choose close, eyes, grope, big, straight ones

fool cabbage pulled

stem

BO crooked

earth

tottering

over, shoulder if, pith

knives

then comfortably above

gentle

well-hoarded

kindly together

away

over, chimney

two, watchful

The first ceremony of Hallowe'en is pulling each a stock or plant of cabbage. 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 people whom chance brings into the house are, according to the priority of placing the runts, the names in ques

tion.-B.

+Burning the nuts is a famous charm. They name the lad and lass to each particular nut as they lay them in the fire, and accordingly as they burn quietly to gether, or start from beside one another, the course and issue of the courtship will ber-B.