The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1893-07-08

very famous bookseller-and it con-
tanned in its list great many items
that particularly wished to have. But
when had marked them off with nv
pencil, and finally went over them and
added up their total, was annoyed at
the sum they represented. felt that
could not afford them, that ought not
to afford them, and in consequence 1
felt horribly ill-used, and that the
world was bad world, which suffered
SO many millionaires to exist while /,
the student of languages, the lover of
linguistics, could not afford to buy the
few miserable books which so ardent
~ longed for.
AS sat in this sullen mood heard a
great noise and shouting and the sound
OF clashing instruments rising from the
street On looking out perceived the
cause OF the unwonted tumult. Oppo-
site to my quiet lodgings there is a
large stable-yard, which is cut off from
the road by high yellow wall, pierced
In the center by lofty, Roman-look-
ing, red arch, which towers above the
wall and affords the only entrance into
the court. This court, usually the
undisturbed domain of grooms and
ostlers, of horses and hay carts, was
now in possession of motley and garish
crowd. Itwas crowd of Nav mum
mers, pranked out in clean splendor
and busily occupied in making those
noises which had first attracted nv at
tention. ! remembered that it was the
first OF May, and | began to feel the in
terest that student of Folklore al
ways feels in any survival of old time
customs The girls, who were in the
majority in the little band, glittered in
the cheap finery of pink and blue print
dresses All the members of the merry
fellowship bore on their heads gaudy
wreaths of paper flowers with many
colored streamers, and in their hands
they brandished Gathering tambourines
or fiourished painted striped sticks,
which they ratified against the ground,
and so swelled the din. They were
shouting and rushing about the court
as If possessed of some midsummer mad
ness, and their movements lent an un-
usually gay air to the somewhat somber
courtyard.
Round the archway fringe of dullv-
clad humanity had halted --passers-by.
postmen, loafers of many kinds. From
windows round about servants thrust
4 out their capped heads, and doors OPEN
ing in all directions off the yard dis
closed the stablemen smiling in good
humored amazement upon the mer-
rymakers. In little while the rev.
elers whirled out into the street.
shouting and shaking their sticks and
tambourines, their streamers floating
and their childish voices shrilling loud
in glee. The gaping knot of idlers hud-
died together and moved SLOWLY after
them, gazing with surprise which had
in II something of the true town mock
cry for anything odd and bright and
pleasant. Yet, it seemed to me, look
ing down from my window, there was
something almost lika awe, too, in the
minds OF those hangers-on at the fan
tastic gladsomeness of the little crea-
lures.
] decided, as / watched. that there
was something pleasingly Pagan about
the whole scene. 1t was like some old
Roman rustic festival thrust suddenly
into the gloom of a London street. II
might almost be some procession of
lads and lasses singing and dancing for
very lightness OF hearth honor of Ceres
or Pales, or the god OF the gardens. Sure.
~ these tiower-bound dancers are about
to welcome the Kalends Of May with
cracking sulphur and salt, and flour
Eprinkled upon the altar flame of the