The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1894-12-22

uoiludys. III the evening we had a
great feast indeed. Sir Walter asked
us if we had ever read 'Christabel.,
and, upon some of us admitting with
shame that we never had seen it, he
offered to read it, and took chair in
the midst of all the party in the IL
brary. He also read to us
the famous poem on Thomas the
Rhymer's Adventure with the Queen
of the Fairies There was also much
pleasing singing; many old ballads,
and many ballads pretending to be
old, were sung to the harp and piano
forte"
We note this programme for it is
suggestive. The reading and sing
ing of old historic ballads is worthy
entertainment for the evenings of the
Christmas holidays.
The mood of Scott, at this time, is
thus pictured by Hall, in the descrip-
ton of a breakfast after the holidays:
cat breakfast, to-day, we had, as u.s.
ual, many stories.
81 quite forget all these stories but
one. My cousin, Walter Scott said
he, was midshipman some forty
years ago, in ship at Portsmouth;
he and two companions had gone
ashore and had over-staid their leave,
and spent their money, and run up
an immense bill at the tavern on the
point.
"'The ship made signal for sail
ing, but the landlady said, "No gen.
tlemen, you shall not go without pay
ing your reckoning" But they had
nothing wherewith to pay. "I'll give
you one chance" said She II am so
circumstanced here that | cannot
carry on my business as single wo-
man, and | must contrive, somehow
to have husband. You may go, if
one of you will marry me. I do not
care which it is, but one of you shall
have me, or you shall all go to jail,
and the ship sail without you"
"'They agreed to comply. The mar
riage ceremony was performed, and
the three sailed away, including the
husband. Some months after, at ia
maica, file of papers reached the
husband, and, looking them over
carelessly, he suddenly jumped up,
and exclaimed in ecstacy, "Thank
heaven, my wife has been hangedp"
We give the story with slight abridge-
ment.
Hogmanay, 1924.
Yesterday being Hogmanay," says
Hall, in his journal, Jan. 1, 1925,
''There was constant succession of
Guisards, that is, boys dressed up in
fantastic caps, with their shirts over
their jackets and with wooden swords
in their hands," About one hundred
boys, in FOOLS costumes, used to visit
Sir Walter on this Daft Day. They
sometimes acted masque or panto-
mime.
Sir Walter used to give each boy
and girl who visited him on Hog
manay, penny apiece" and an oak
en- cake
The memories of the Christmases
at Abbotsford were delight to the
people of Melrose for many years.
There are some yet, living, who re-
member them, with their celebration
of the old lost holiday of Hogmanay:
"a Christmas gambol oft would cheer
poor mans heart for half the yeav."
The picture of the gracious face
of Sir Walter Scott at the doors of
Abbotsford, with his dogs, the hills
showing above the clustered towers
of the great mansion, and the Tweed
rolling below; the pipers with their
bagpipes, the gathering children on
the grounds, with their harlequin
caps, and shirts over their jackets,
and wooden swords; the funny play,
the distribution of the pennies and
oaken cakes is one worthy of poet
or artist, and one in which any reader
will love to remember the Wizard of
the North.
The spirit of it, too, has a Christ
mas lesson for all-the happiness
that makes happiness, and the equal
ity Of love that the herald angels
sang
Centuries ago"