AMONG THE TRANSYLVANIAN SAXONS. 101 



ing about this intelligence, having no reason to suppose the bringing 

 in of oats to be in any way more interesting than the carting of pota- 

 toes or wheat ; and to the majority of land-owners the thought of to- 

 morrow's work is chiefly connected with dry, prosaic details, such as 

 repairing the harness and oiling the cart-wheels ; but there are others 

 in the village on whom the announcement has had an electrifying 

 effect, and for whom the words are synonymous with love and wed- 

 ding-bells. 



Five or six of the young village swains, or maybe as many as eight 

 or ten, spend that evening in a state of pleasurable bustle and excite- 

 ment ; busying themselves in cleaning and decking out the cart which 

 is to fetch the oats to-morrow, furbishing up the best harness, groom- 

 ing the work-horses till their coats are made to shine like satin, and 

 plaiting up their manes with gaudy-colored ribbons. Early next 

 morning the sound of harness-bells and the loud cracking of whips 

 causes all curious folk to rush to their doors ; and as every one is 

 curious, the whole population is soon assembled in the street, to gaze 

 at the sight of young Thomas, all attired in his bravest clothes, and 

 wearing a monstrous nosegay in his cap, riding postilion on the left- 

 hand horse, and cracking his whip with ostentatious triumph while 

 behind, in the gayly decorated cart, is seated a blushing maiden, who 

 lowers her eyes in confusion at seeing herself the object of general 

 attention at least this is what she is supposed to do, for every well- 

 brought-up maiden ought surely to blush and hang her head in grace- 

 ful embarrassment when she first appears in the character of a bride ; 

 and, although no formal proposal has taken place, yet, by consenting 

 to assist the young man to bring in his oats, she has virtually con- 

 fessed her willingness to become his wife. Her appearance on this 

 occasion will doubtless cause much envy and disappointment among 

 her less fortunate companions, who peep out furtively through the 

 chinks of the wooden shutters, at this sight of a triumph they had 

 hoped for themselves. 



" So it is the red-haired Susanna, after all, and not the miller's 

 Agnes, as every one made sure," the gossips are saying. "And who 

 has young Martin got on his cart, I wonder ? May I never spin flax 

 again, if it is not verily the black-haired Lisi who was all but promised 

 to small-pox Peter of the red house ! " and so on, and so on, in endless 

 variety, as the carts go by in procession, each one giving rise to mani- 

 fold remarks and commentaries, and not one of them but leaves disap- 

 pointment and heart-burnings in its rear. This custom of the maiden 

 helping the young man to bring in his oats, and thereby eignifying 

 her willingness to become his wife, is prevalent only in a certain dis- 

 trict in the north of Transylvania, called the Haferland the land of 

 oats a broad expanse of country covered at harvest-time by a billowy 

 sea of golden grain, the whole fortune of the land-owners. 



In other parts of the country various other bridal customs are preva- 



