Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1892-05-03
WHITSUNTIDE.

eidered by the Irish as very fatal anc
unlucky time-for the people hold thai
fairies and evil spirits have then great
power over men and cattle, both by sea
and land, and work their deadly spells
with malign and mysterious efficacy,
Children born at Whitsuntide, II Is said,
are foredoomed; they will either have
the evil eye, or commit a murder, or die
O violent death. Water, also, Is very
dangerous; no one should bathe, OF 60 q
journey where stream has to be crossed,
or sail in boat, for the risk is great OF
being drowned, unless, indeed, bride
steers, and then tho boat Is safe from
harm. Great precautions are necessary,
likewise, within the house; and no
one should venture to light a candle
without making the sign Of the
cross over tho flame to keep of
evil; and young men should be very
cautious not TO be out late at night, for
all the dead who have been drowned In
tho sea round about come up and ride
over tho waves on white horses, and hold
strange revels, and try to carry of the
young men or TO kill them with their
fiery darts and draw them down under
the sea TO live with tho dead forever
more. A story Is told Of man named
Murrey, who stayed out late fishing one
Whitsuntide, quito forgetting 1t was tho
night of the death ride. But at last he
neared the shore and drew up his boat to
unload the fish and then make his way
homo with all speed. Just at the mo-
ment, however, he heard great rush
Of tho waves behind him, and looking
round he saw q crowd OF the dead on
their white horses making over to the
boat to seize him; and their faces were
pale as tho face Of corpse, but their
eyes burned like fire. And they stretched
out their long skeleton arms to try and
lay hold Of him, but he sprang at once
from the boat to the shore, and then he
knew he was safe, though one Of them
rode over close TO him by the edge of the
rocks, and he knew him as q friend
| Of his own, who had been drowned
tho year before; and he heard tho voice
of the dead man calling to him through
the rush of the water, saying: "Hasten
hasten to your home, for the dead who
are with me want you for their COM
pany, and If once dead hand touches
you, there is no help, you are lost for
ever Hasten, or you will never see
your homo again, but be with the dead
| forever" Then Murrey knew that tho
spirit spoke tho truth, and he left the
| boat and the fish on the beach and fed
away home, and never looked back at
| the dead on their white horses. for his
heart was filled with fear. And never
again did he 20 out TO fish Mt Whitsun-
tide, though the dead waited for him to
seize Linn, but he came not, and lived
henceforth safe from harm. At this
season, also, tho fairy queens make great
efforts to carry off the fine stalwart
young men Of the country to the fairy
| palace In the cleft Of the hills. or to lure
them to their dancing grounds, where
they arc lulled into dreams by the sweet
subtle fairy music, and forget home and
kith and kindred, and never desire to
return again to their own people, or even
II the spell is broken, and they are
brought back by some strong infatua-
ton, yet they arc never the same; for
every one knows by tho dream look In
their eyes that they have danced with
the fairies OH the hill, and been loved by
one Of the beautiful but fatal race, who,
when they take fancy to handsome
mortal lover, cast their spells over him
with resistless power.
A case of this kind happened some
years ago In the county Wexford. Two
brothers, fine young fellows of the farm
ing class, were returning home one even
ing in Whitsuntide from their days
holiday, when, to their surprise, as they
crossed broad, beautiful field, lit up by
the red rays Of the setting sun, they saw
group of girls dancing, and they were
all draped in white, and their long hair
fell floating over their shoulders So
lovely was tho sight that the young men
could not choose but stop and watch the
dancers; yet, strange to say, they were all
strangers; not familiar face was among
them from the whole country round
And as they looked and wondered, one Of
the girls left tho dance, and, coming over
to the younger brother, laid her hand on
his arm, while she murmured softly In
his ear: "Come, dance with me, Brian.
/ have waited long for you. Come,
comep and she drew him gently away.
Then Brian flung down his stick on the
ground, and taking her hand, they were
soon whirling away In tho dance, the
handsomest pair that ever trod q
measure on the green sod. Long,
long they danced, till the red light
passed away, and the darkness began
to cover the hills, but still they danced
on and on, for Brian needed nothing
save the young girl with her long hair
fleating on his shoulder and tho fire Of
whose eyes burned into his heart At
last the elder brother called TO him:
"Brian. come home; leave the dance:
the mother will be waiting for us!"
"Not yet, not yet" answered Brian; ~
must finish this round. Leave me and
l will follow you" So the elder brother
left, and he and the mother watched
and waited till midnight for Brian's re-
turn, but he never came. Then. the next
morning, the brother went to see about
him, searching everywhere, though In
vain. And all that day to sunset and
the night he searched, still no tidings
could be had. No one had seen him in
,ho dance, nor the young girls with the
white dresses and the floating hair. though
when the ncighbors heard the story they
looked very solemn and said there was
no hclp for the doomed young man, for
the ia. power was strong at Whitsun-
| L. 4 a n