Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 25, 1914.djvu/378

 346 Collectanea.

Fairies.

In the same glen of Cushnie one old man never passed the P'airy Hillock there without holding his cap on, as he always declared the proximity of the hillock made his hair stand on end.

Commu?ting with the Dead.

At CouU an old couple lived on a croft — "a sma' croft wi' twa coos." They lived happily together. On the man's death his wife kept on the croft, but whenever she bought or sold anything she always went to the old man's grave and explained the whole matter to him. He had been a great user of snuff, and on these occasions she always deposited a little heap of snuff on the grave, so that he might regale himself with it till her next visit. (Told me by H. R., aged 75, as having occurred in his youth.)

At Tarland, as a boy, the same narrator was badly scared while coming through the kirkyard at night by "something white" moving about below a flat gravestone supported on four short pillars. Investigation proved this to be a woman whose husband had been buried there some time previously. She had been a "bad 'umman," and her regret made her come there nightly -to commune with the dead.

"An old story is still in remembrance about one of the tenants of the ale-house kept at the churchyard of Birse, Aberdeenshire. It is said that having had the misfortune to lose his wife, he, after having her decently buried in the churchyard behind his house, invited his neighbours who had attended on that melancholy occasion to partake of some refreshment before leaving. This they all agreed to, and after consuming a good dinner and several "cups of nappie ale" each, they naturally conjectured that a "jine" would not be out of the question, and as they were now in good spirits, and had been so handsomely treate^d, before parting they were willing to be their "pint a piece." But the landlord was a man of modesty and feeling, and would not consent to this pro- posal. However, the cash was collected and laid on the table, and of course he soon gave way to the majority, upon condition of having the liberty to enquire of his wife, and if she gave her consent he would make no objection. This they all agreed to.