Traditions and Hearthside Stories of West Cornwall, Second SeriesBottrell, William
General
Traditions and Hearthside Stories of West Cornwall, Second Series
Bottrell, William
Cornwall (England : County) -- Social life and customs; Legends -- England -- Cornwall (County)
"At no great distance from the dancers there was a wrestling
ring, where many little ladies were looking on, betting on their
favourites and helping them with their good wishes and applause.
Farther on, some were shooting with bows and arrows at a
target. Others were playing at keals (bowls). Every here and
there the lilly-bangers (raffle-keepers) with their tables and dice
kept a great noise calling out, 'Come hither, sweet ladies and
gentlemen, and try your luck! One in, two in, three in; who
will make four in for this nice cake?' Farther off, nearly out of
sight, a great number were 'hurling to the gold' (goal). She
knew what was going on from hearing the old cry of 'Well done,
Santusters, one and all, comrades; fair play is good play' and,
every now and then she saw the little hurling-ball, as it was cast
from side to side, shine like a shooting star. By that means they
contrived to hurl by night.
"All games, which used to be played at fairs and merry-makings,
were there carried on. Still, great part of the small folks diverted
themselves in parading up and down, on the green, between the
standings and dancing-ground, examining the pretty things
displayed. They didn't seem to have any money amongst them
to buy anything, yet they often bartered their trinkets and
changed them from stall to stall.
"The old woman determined to have some of the pretty things
glistening before her, but, among so much that was beautiful,
she couldn't make up her mind what to take. Whilst An' Pee
was considering, she saw approach the standing a little lady, tired
with dancing, leaning her head on her partner, who with his arm
round her waist supported her steps. The gentleman taking from
the hands of a little dame who kept the stall a golden goblet of
the size and shape of a poppy head (capsule) held it to the faint
lady's lips. Sipping the contents she recovered in an instant,
and, choosing a fan, made of a few goldfinch feathers stuck into
a pearl handle, her partner took a pair of diamond buckles from
his knees and placed them on the standing by way of pledge.
The little couple having tripped off again to the dance, An' Pee
thought how well the bright little buckles would look, fixed as[163]
brooches, on her Sunday's cap-ribbon or in her neckatee, and
determined to secure them at once, fearing they might be gone
with the next small body that saw them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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