New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1844-12-12
THE TRIRUN e:
auanuo,y. Eve in wales.


these festivals are there kept up with their an
cient eee and FIRE, hness. Old Polly Lewis would
as soon pass over Chrsmas Day itself as All HAL
loas Eve.
"It is now All Hallows Eve. and twenty
time, during the dsy h every nook and come
of her ample farm kitchen been swept and tustet;
the hearth cleaned up, the crocAeryware and
kettles and pans washed and rubbed TIL they
shine again The ocx LOOKS brighter and ticks
more saarply than ever clock licked before -
Evergtcens arc spread here and the Christ
mas, aad t4steluIy iniermingled with The china
and kitchen ware IN the shelves TIA n1w twi.
high. and her vigor becomes supernatural. The
huge bowl is installed on the black and shining
oak table; the hearth is built up WITH legs, and
the fire b!szes most cheeiiuliy through - The
ample range Of the capacious chimney. What
a store of apples AID raisins and tea, and hot
cakes! Mistress and maids at length sit down
and watch the clock and the weather. The
clock shows that the time is come for the arrival
of the visitors; the weather blusterous night,
which only renders the light OF The blazing wood.
FIRE still more c1e,rful.
cat leogth tap a, the door, and Miss Lzzy
Jones enters: a pretty SMILING iaes, accompanied
of course by her beau, fat rudy. checked
Welsh youth. Next comes Fir. Thomas Sbenklo,
the tailor, and his sister, u BONNER and plumper
lass then succession If farmers with then
wives and daughters. Next, the nursery maid
and hocse. mid ffoin the Hail. as smart as rlh
bons and new gowns cen make them. They
are escorted by the icotmaa IN livery, vino looks
ns great as the Duke of Wellington receiving
the Queen on parade. Next pretty Rachel the
beauty CT the village, accompanied also by her
beau, William, the young carpenter. The room
al. ba,, no ffr{f a
them is lump ny for the apple, large apple su:
pended by suiDg from the baccn-rack in &c
middle Of the ceiling; each Of the young men
lump in turn ,Host of them miss 1t, and some Ct
them get fall, which SEES the company in a'car
Young William al lis. gels good Bite cut OF
it, and his reward is the apple itself, snd kiss
from the lass he likes b,st, OF course his own
Rachel After jumpiug for apples as long as
apples could make them jump tof Joy, tie mex,
sport comes, which is tub Fl led With water,
into which a si1pence is dropped. Each OF The
Young men dips his head ioto it by turns, and
again eyc;tes the roar OF the company by his
failure and queer looks. One OF them q! length /
gets the sixpence, and this sport ends. Next
follow the tea and cakes, and the merry rustic !
Jokes and the simple gailantry which they pro-
duce. Next the wassail bowl, composed OF ale,
spices, fruits, mixed with wire, and due Por-
ton of some stronger liquor, roas. apples and
sweet cakes floating ct The top. All this over,
& Well says cid Polly, let Us now see who Will
be spared for next Hallows Eye.' She takes
fine smooth nut, and throws it into the fire. She
ga1es ut it with intense eagerness until bright
blaze issues, when she exclams with smile OF
delight, Yes, may reckon upon another merry
meeting in these old walls The smart footman
throws his into the fire; il dies without any baze
he affects 10 laugh it off, but looks pale and i'll
satisfied. Young william next throws his nut
into the fire and says, Shall have my wish y
The nut blazes cheetfully, the youth smiles and
looks meaningly at pretty Rachel.
"Oid Polly Lewis is now in her full glory
abe wolks up TO he: hieh-backed atm chair by
the FIRE side, takes her seat, and prepares 10 re-
late one of those tales which she knows is ex-
pected from her. Her thin shriveled face looked
out from hedge of irill, and her keen gray eye
twinkled strangely beneath ber wrnkled brow,
whist few white hairs hung straight over it.
Tho black cat had leaped from little Marys lap
10 that Of the old women, and added to her sybl
like appearance. 1t was just the night and
place Tor tales to set the hair on end,-rough and
black without, with bright fire within. The
candle was put out, the whole party had taken
their seats in profound attention, and Old Polly
thus began:
WELSH STORY.
"'Wel', my kind friends, many of you are
too young to Know what wonderful sights have
been ssen ON Al Haloas Eve. will tell yau
what happened to myself some sixty years ago.
You must know that we Welsh women rave got
WAYS OF finding out nat we are most DESTROYS
TO know, and particularly on this right whtn the
saints and spirits ere about us more than any
other night OF The year well, some sixty years
ago l and two other young women sat up to-
gether and waited for twelve o'clock. We put
every thing in ORDER and all sat down by the fire.
light TO watch. 1t an awful thing, my dcsrs,
to sit up 20 late, as sill as death, not daring to
speak, turning your eyes from tic clock to the
door, and from the door t. the clock, counting
the minutes and looking for arpifit Ii he comes.
There we sat, getting paler and paer as the hand
of the CLOCK got er and nearer to twelve. 1t
was a very oluste,ing night jest like this, the
doors and windows creakiug with the wind. AT
length the clock struck. started ut the door; |
saw it move, then slowly open; then mans
hand, than his arm, and then his whole figure
should have screamed, bat was afraid; so
stared with all my eyes, for could not help it.
The spirit 10 jked at me very pleasantly. He
had ON u blue Goa, and yellow buttons, and
vary smart frill 10 his shirt, with collar and
handkerchief as stiff Us starch could make them
After a minute or two smiling again at me, he
went out at the door, which closed after him.
Well, for many weeks could make nothing of
it; had never seen any thing like the man, and
began to fancy that All Haiiows Eve was no
moro than any other eve after all. But SOON
found out that 1t was worth all the other evenings
of the year put together; md twiil tell you how
found it out. One Sunday, before TIE close OF
the year, and two or tho girls that watched
with mo went 10 chapsl. happeaed to look 4,
the Halw pew. and there l saw the very man
looking as pleasantly at mo as on All Hallows
Eve. The family at the ' Halt'' happened to
bring down new butler, aud Re was the man.
He went out of chapel first, and wh'n came
out I found him waiting outside, and he began
to talk TO ne at oroe quite natural
What, without being introduced ? inter
rspted the footmau. Ay, to be sure and WHAT'S
raore, before that day three months we were man
and wife and there never was happier couple
We lived together nigh sixty years; aud no has
bean dead, poor man, five years come mex. Janu