Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 5, 1894.djvu/203

 FiLvther Notes from County Lett rim. , 195

One Hallow-evc, as a young fellow was going home, he chanced to pass a fort, and heard the most beautiful music he had ever listened to in his life. As he stopped to listen, a grand castle seemed to appear before him, and he was invited to enter. Inside he found full of little men running about, and one of them came to him and told him on no account to take any refreshment there or it would be the worse for him, so, although many pressed him, he took nothing. By-and-bye he saw them all trooping out. He followed, and noticed that they all dipped their fingers in a large cask outside the entrance door and rubbed their fingers across their faces. He accordingly dipped his finger in the liquid and rubbed it over one of his eyes. In an instant there was a fine horse ready for him, and away with him and the others over the country, and over the whole world.

Towards morning he found himself lying on the butt of an old haystack, about half-a-mile from his own door, and getting up, he made his way home. The next day he had occasion to go into the market town, and whom should he see there but all his friends of the night, mingling with the people of the place, and going up and down through the market. What must he do but up and speak to some of them, and asked them how they did. Said one to him, " How can you see us ?" So he told them that he had dipped his finger in the barrel before the castle door and rubbed it over his right eye. That instant as he spoke the little man struck his eye with a stick he had, and took the sight from it, and it was no more he saw either of the " good people" or anything else with that eye.

There are the usual games in the evening, such as pour- ing molten lead through a key into water, bobbing for apples, and ducking for money ; but the chief amusement is the attempt to find out the name of the person who will be your future partner. A cake is made called barm-breac, with a nut and a ring therein. Whoever gets the ring will be married first, and the nut brings a widow (or a widower)

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