Page:Cornish feasts and folk-lore.djvu/192

 i8o Cornish Games. Should she have guessed correctly, all the party courtesy, and say — " The ball is yours and not ours, You must go to the garden and gather the flowers." And the child who had the ball takes the queen's seat, whilst she retires with the others ; but should she have made a mistake, the same party go out again, saying as they courtesy — " The ball is yours and not ours, (Repeat) We," etc. Mr. Halliwell Phillips, in his book before quoted, has shorter versions of this, with different rhymes. Another game which has descended from generation to generation is — Old Witch. The children chose from their party an old witch (who is supposed to hide herself) and a mother. The other players are the daughters, and are called by the names of the week. The mother says that she is going to market, and will bring home for each the thing that she most wishes for. Upon this they all name something. Then, after telling them upon no account to allow anyone to come into the house, she gives her children in charge of her eldest daughter Sunday, and goes away. In a moment, the witch makes her appear- ance, and asks to borrow some trifle. Sunday at first refuses, but, after a short parley, goes into the next room to fetch the required article. In her absence the witch steals the youngest of the children (Saturday), and runs off with her. Sunday, on her return, seeing that the witch has left, thinks there must be something wrong, and counts the children, saying, " Mon- day, Tuesday," etc., until she comes to Saturday, who is missing. She then pretends to cry, wrings her hands, and sobs out — " Mother will beat me when she comes home." On the mother's return, she, too, counts the children, and, finding Saturday gone, asks Sunday where she is. Sunday answers, " Oh,