The Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1834-184?, 1845-01-09

"At length a tap at the door and Miss LIZ
zy Jones enters; a pretty smiling lass, ac-
companied of course by her beau, a fat rud-
dy-cheeked Welsh youth. Next comes Mr..
Thomas Shenkin, the tailor, and his sister, a
BONNER and pIumper lass; then a success
ion of farmers with their wives and daught-
ers. Next, the nursery-maid and housemaid
from the Hall as smart as ribbons and new
gowns can make them. They are escorted
by the footman in livery, who looks as great
as the Duke. of Wellington receiving the
Queen on parade. Next pretty Rachel, the
beauty Of the village, accompanied also by
her beau, William, the young carpenter.-
The room is now fall, and the sports begin.
The first oil them is jumping for the apple, a
large apple suspended by a string from the
bacon-rack in the middle of the ceiling,
each of the young men Jump in turn: most
Of them miss it, and some Of them get a fall
which sets the company in a roar. Young
William at last gets a good bite cutoff il, and
his reward is the apple itself, and a kiss from
the lass he likes best, of course bis own Ra-
chel. After jumping for apples as long as
apples could mike them Jump for Joy, the
next sport comes, which is a tub filled with
water, into which asixpence is dropped
Each of the young men dips his head into it
by turns, and again exciies the roar of the
company by his failure and queer looks
One of them at length gets the siXpence, and
this sport ends. Next follow the tea and
cakes, and the merry rustic jokes and the
simple CALAMITY which they produce. Next
the wassaii bowl, composed Of ale, spices,
@fiuits, mixed with wine, and adue portion of
some stronger liqnor, roast apples and sweet
WELL says old Polly, 'let us now see who
will be splred for next '~IIallows Eve.' She
takes a fine smooth nut, and throHsit into.
the fire. She gazes at it with intense eager
ness until a bright blaze issues, when she ex
cldims with a smile of delight, 'Yes, | may
reckon upon another merry meeting in these
old walls The smart foolman throws his
into The fire; it dies without any blaze: he
affects 10 laugh it of, but looks pale and i'll
satisfied, Young William next throws his nut
into the fire and says, Shall | have my WISH?
The nut bIazes cheerfnlly. the youth smiles
and looks meaningly at pretty Rachel.
"Old Polly Lewis isnow in her full glory
she walks up 10 her high-backed arm chair
by the fre-side, takes her seat, and prepares
to relate one Of those tales which she knows
is expected from her. Her thin shrivelled
face looked out from a hedge of frill, and her
keen gray eye twinkled strangely Beneath
her wrinkled brow, whilst 4 few white hairs
hung straight over it. The black cat had
Ileaped ron title Mafy's Tap 10 that of the
old woman, and added to her sybil- like APP
pearance. 1t was just the night and place
for tales 10 set the hair on end-rough and
black without, with a bright fire withim-
The candle was put out, the whole party bad
taken their seats in profound attention, and
Old Polly thus began:
A WELSH SroRY.-"Well, my kind friends,
many of you are loo young TO know what
I; wonderful sights have been seen on All Hal
lows Eve. | will tell you what happened to
myself some sixty years ago. You must
know that we Welsh women have got ways
of finding out what we are most DESTROYS 10
know, aud particularly on this night, when
The saints and spirits are about us more than
any other night of the year Well, some
sixty years ago | and two other young wo-
men sat up together and waited for twelve
O'Clock. We put every thing in order, and
sat down by the freight TO watch. 1t is an
awful thing my dears, 10 sit up so late, as
still as death, not daring TO speak. turning
2 your eyes from the clock to the door, and
from the door 10 the clock, coming the
minutes and looking for a spirit till he comes
There we sat, getting paley and paler as The
r hand of the clock got nearer and nearer TO
twelve. 1t was a very clustering night, just
: like this, the doors and windows creaking
! with the wind.
. Al length the clock struck. started al
, the door; Isaw it move, then slowly open;
7 then a mans hand, then his arm, and then
{ his whole figure. | should have screamed,
e but | was afraid; so | stared with alImy eyes,
for | could not help it. The spirit lookeda al
me very pleasantly. He had on a blue coat
and yellow buttons, and a very smart frIl to
his shirt, with a collar and handkerchief as
stiff as starch could make them. After a
minute or two smiling again at me, lie went
out at the door, which closed after him.
J Well, tor many weeks | could make nothing
of it; | had never seen any thing like The
man, and | began TO fancy that All tIallows
Eve was no more than any other eve ~aiterall
But | soon found out that it was worth al
The other evenings of the year put together
}, and | will tell you how / found out. One
d Sunday, before the close of the year, | anc
two or three girls lhat watched with me1wen'
:, to chapel. | happened to look al the "Haii'
d pew, and there | saw the very man looking
as pleasantly at me as on All HalIows Eve
n The fmiIy at the "Hali'' happened to bring
e down a neu buller, and he was the man.-
q He went our OF chapel first, and when | came
q outI found him waiting outside, and be be.