Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 2, 1891.djvu/316

 260 tha reckoned as a ma'ade th' yarth, an' brout th' good an ill chances an' a do'ant know what ahl. A can't tell 'ee reetly what they b'leeved; fur 'twor afore ma gran'ther's toime, ahl that; an' that's more'na hunnerd 'n fifty years agone, seest-tha; but a reckon tha made nigh iverythin' as they seed 'n heerd into sort o' gre'at bogles; an' tha wor alius gi'un 'um things, or sa'ayin' so't o' prayers loike, to keep um fro' doin' th' fo'ak anny evil.

Wa'al that was a long toime agone, as a said afore, an' twor no'on so bad i' ma gran'ther's da'ay; but, natheless, 'tworn't furgot, an' some o' th' foak b'leeved it ahl still, an' said ther au'd prayers or spells-loike, o' th' sly. So ther wor, so to sa'ay, two cho'ches; th' wan wi' priests an' can'lles, an' a' that; th' other jist a lot o' au'd wa'ays, kep 'oop ahl onbeknown an' hidden-loike, mid th' fo'ak thersels; an' they thowt a deal more, ma gran'ther said, on th' au'd spells, 's on th' sarvice i' th' cho'ch itsel' But 's toime want on tha two got so't o' mixed oop; an' some o' tha fo'aks cudn't ha' tould thee, ef 'twor fur won or t' other as tha done th' things.

To Yule, i th' cho'ches, thur wor gran' sarvices, wi' can'lles an' flags an' what not; an' i' th' cottages thur wor can'lles 'n ca'akes 'n gran' doin's; but tha priests niver knowed as mony o' th' foak wor on'y wakin' th' dyin' year, an' 'at tha wine teemed upo' tha door-sil to first cock-crow wor to bring good luck in th' new year. An a' reckon some o' th' fo'ak thersells 'd do th' au'd heathen wa'ays 'n sing hymns meantime, wi' neer a thowt of tha stra'angeness o't.

Still, thur wor many 's kep' to th' au'd wa'ays ahl togither, thoff tha done it hidden loike; an' a'm goin' to tell ee of wan fam'bly as ma gran'ther knowed fine, and how they waked th' spring wan year.

As a said afore, a can't, even cf a wud, tell'ee ahl th' things as tha useter do; but theer wos wan toime o'th year 's they p'rtic'larly want in fur ther spells 'n prayers, an' that wor th' yarly spring. Tha thout as th' yarth wor sleepin' ahl th' winter; an' at th' bogles—ca'all um what ee