The Irish standard., 1895-11-02

entering under it is the future husband
or wife Of the lassie or lad who hangs IT
there. ss.t s.tsE Il
The good wife sat at the fire and laid
nuts on the logs, each nut being named
for lad and lass, and laid in pairs as
the old woman saw it. OF course She al
ways laid together the nuts named for a
couple supposed to have a mutual liking;
and as thesnuts burned steadily or rolled
apart with the heat Of the flame, the
future was outlined. If a nut popped
open with a report, it meant the namesake
would develop such a temper as would
make things very inconvenient for hus-
band or wife, whichever it might be.
Girls took a candle and went alone to
the mirror, eating an apple. Some tradl-
tions say that she must comb her hair
while looking intently in the glass; but 1t
would seem she must make selection be-
tween the fruit and the toilet attention.
Anyway, as she looked there-if she had
patience to look long enough-the face
of her future spouse would peer over her
shoulder, and she would recognize his
features. But she must not turn about,
or, the spell would be broken:
n Meg fain wad to the barn haze gaen,
1 i u Will 41CS WOtAlS " AQVkA1AAS
But for to meet the dell her lane, :
She put but little faith In. ~
She gies the herd a pickle nits,
And twa red-cheekit apples,
!. To watch while for the barn she sets,
In hopes to see Tom Kepples
'e- That vera night.
This refers to another most popular
belief of the western SCOTS. The girl
must go to the barn entirely alone, open
all the doors, and usually take off the
hinges, as the apparition she summons
may close them otherwise and spoil her
charm Then, standing in the middle OF
the thrashing floor, she must hold a vessel
high in the air, as If pouring oats, for
the wind to winnow. At the third pour
ing the figure of her future husband will
come in at the windward door, and pass
out at the opposite. He will go swiftly
and silently and will be accompanied by
the train which measures his station in
life.
Another Halloween custom was to go
to a south running stream or spring where
three lords land met, and there dip the
sleeve Of the dress or coat in the water.
Then go to bed In sight of fire, hanging
the moist garment before the blaze to
dry. And sometime about midnight the
ghostly figure Of your future life partner
would appear, go to the hanging garment
and turn it, as if to dry the other side,
Brush tells how Lizzie, a widow, went
to the spring in accordance with the GUS
tom, and there, while in the act of dip
ping the sleeve of her "sark,' was grasp
ed by some unexpected being-probably
human, though shesbelieved it to be the
evil one-and was so frightened that she
fell into the pond and wet not only her
left sleeve but all her clothing.
And the poem tells how the night winds
up in Burns land, and Burns day:
WI merry sangs and friendly cracks,
wat they did ma weary,
And unco tales and funny jokes,
Their sports were cheap and CHEEKY;
Till buttered SONS, with fragrant lunt
Sets their cabs a-steer.n,
Syne, wi social glass O. strunt,
They parted off careerin
Fu' blithe that night.
Sons or sowens, was a dish Of oatmeal,
eaten with butter instead of with milk,
and it was especially a Halloween dish
with the Scotch.
And so from distant Rome and dim
seventh. century, all we have is a night
Of frolic and a. glimpse of a fairyland.