Page:The Folk-Lore Journal Volume 7 1889.djvu/117

Rh Little mistress, Kitty, Kate, Proudly Kitty clothed herself. Proud and stately is her gait, Oh! what stockings of Saràtof! Oh! the shoes so high of heel, Six the stripes upon her shirt, Flounces ten on her kaftán, Shirt adorned with rose of dawn."

A shirt ornamented with six stripes is the proudest dress of Mordvin girls. They are sewn in patterns with different coloured worsteds, especially red, green, and blue, upon a white linen shirt on three sides from the shoulder to the skirts. The collars and skirts are similarly adorned. A mark of the highest degree of pride is to have a girdle of twelve pieces of linen. They usually sew on their girdles a number of worsted fringes, or the shells called "snakes heads," or silver coins. If a Mordvin girl is in her smartest dress she arranges twelve pieces of fine linen, a good half ell in width, to hang behind her below the the girdle, so that the lower piece overlaps the one above, and the lowest of all reaches to the knee. These flounces (rutsyat) are also ornamented with worsted, or by the rich with gold thread and thread fringes. The second song of thanks is as follows:

The third runs as follows: