Page:Cornish feasts and folk-lore.djvu/190

 178 Cornish Games. She Said, and She Said. This required a confederate, who left the room. The other in the secret asked a person inside to whisper to him whom she (or he) loved, then called in his companion, and the following dialogue was carried on : — " She said, and she said ! And what did she say ? " " She said that she loved." " And whom did she love ? Suppose she said she loved ?" " No ! she never said that, whatever she said." An indefinite number of names were mentioned before the right one. When that came, to the surprise of the whisperer, the answer was — "Yes! she said that." The secret was very simple, the name of a widow or widower was always given before that whispered. The two next are played everywhere, but the words I believe are peculiar to Cornwall. Drop the Handkerchief. This is much too common to require a description. I will therefore only give the doggerel, which is recited by the holder of the handkerchief as he walks around the ring: — " I sent a letter to my love, I carried water in my glove, And by the way I dropped it. I did so 1 I did so ! I had a little dog that said ' Bow ! wow ! ' I had a little cat that said ' Meow ! meow ! ' Shan't bite you, shan't bite you. Shall bite you." Throws the handkerchief, and chases the girl.