Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 15, 1904.djvu/94

 jS Collectanea.

" Why yes, me dear," said Mrs. Pryce, " t'was old So-and-so ; " and with that she gave me her whole pedigree. " An' many a time have I seen that mark," said she. " Oh, Jenkyns always punished people when they stole things ; there was those folk down to Pen-y-van, they had a bad time of it, I'll tell you about that. There was a farmer down by Pen-y-van, an' 'e 'ad a lot o' cider, but that all got stolen by four people. So 'e went to old Jenkyns to see what was to be done. But ole Jenkyns, ' 'Tisn't no good,' says he, ' the cider's drinked ; I can't get it back for you, 'cos it's all drinked; but I'll tell you what I'll do,' says 'e ; 'you come along to the green at six o'clock to-morrer evening, an' I'll make 'em dance ; ' an' sure enough he coom'd, an' there was these four people dancin' away on the green, men an' women. An' they couldn't help it, 'cos old Jenkyns 'ad put a spell on them, an' they danced for two hours for punishment, till 'e tooked the spell off. An' there was hundreds o' people watchin' 'em. Old x^nn Griffiths, she told me all about it, how they was dancin' and jumpin' about, an' all the time ready to drop. Old Jenkyns, 'e was a watchin' quite pleased like for some time ; then 'e got tired, tooked the spell off an' went home."

" An' it's not the first time 'e's punished people like that," said Mrs. Briton. " Don't you remember that 'ooman at the public down to Grosmont ? " and she started on her story, Mrs. Pryce now and then putting in a nod of approval.

" One day old Jenkyns was going down town, an' 'e stopped at a public, ' The Cock and Feather,' to get some refreshment. 'E asked for bread an' cheese an' beer ; when 'e'd finished 'e asked 'ow much it was. ' Oh,' says the landlady, ' let's see, six an' four's ten, that's tenpence, please.' Jenkyns said, ' twas too much, but 'e paid 'is tenpence an' went off.

" Presently the 'ooman came back into the room an' went up to the place where Jenkyns had been sitting, an' calls out,

" ' Six an' four's ten, Here's off agen.'

" An' she started runnin' round the table, an' when she came back to Jenkyns' place she called out again,

" ' Six an' four's ten, Here's off agen.'