82 Transactions. 



No aslips or sweepinj^s were allowed to be taken out on New- 

 Year's Day, for there was u danger of taking out the luck for th^ 

 year with them. To meet an ill body on the morning of this 

 particular day was looked upon as unfortunate, but to meet a 

 " glide body " was " muckle worth." Flat-footed people, again, 

 were supposed to possess a peculiarly baneful presence at this 

 season, and all such were carefully avoided. Another curious 

 belief was that work commenced in the old year should upon no 

 account be left unfinished till the new, else its resumption would 

 be attended by disastrous consequences. 



Leaving the New- Year and its associations, we have now to 

 glancf somewhat hurriedly at a variety of beliefs which could not 

 be conveniently referred to elsewhere. Some of these may be 

 considered puerile in character, but they at least serve to show 

 how the ordinary everyday occurrences of life may be trans- 

 formed and magnified by the superstitious imagination until they 

 become signs and omens of weiglity import. Stones are occasion- 

 ally found fashioned by skill or accident into some unusual shape. 

 These the credulous invest with superstitious importance ; and I 

 have in my possession a stone, with the impress of five fingers on 

 its surface, which the devil is said to have hurled in anger at 

 some one who had outwitted him. Pins, although insignificant 

 to look at, have long occupied an important place in folk-lore. 

 Thus we have the rhyme — 



See a pin and pick it up, 



All the day you'll have good luck. 



In Glencairn we have a saying— " Every tenth step find either a 

 hoise hair or a pin " — which may also be intended to convey the 

 idea of luck. Black pin.s, however, are most unfortunate, and 

 woe awaits the bride in whose dress a black pin finds a place. 

 Among the numerous superstitions connected with clothing per- 

 haps the most prevalent is that the clothes of the dead never 

 wear long. It is another wide-spread belief that should a new 

 dress be either burned or torn the first time it is put on some 

 misfortune is sure to befall the wearer before the dress is worn 

 out. When the new moon is seen, the apron is turned to ensure 

 luck throughout the month. Money is sometimes similarly 

 treated ; and it is always considered lucky to have money in the 

 pocket when the new moon makes its appearance. Most people 

 are familiar with the notion that when the right ear tingles some 



