MERRY MAY. 



" Ye'll be bonnie the hale year through 

 Gin ye wash yer face wi' sweet May dew." 



AY dew is supposed to have the 

 virtue of preserving the skin from 

 wrinkles, and it is also said to 

 be a preventative against freckles. 

 Whether it is like somebody's soap 

 keeps off chaps, is not chronicled, 

 but we know for a fact that very 

 few marriages take place in May, 

 it being considered unlucky to 

 marry in May, although I have no doubt there 

 are those of certain years who would take all 

 risks if an opportunity were given them. The 

 first of May is, or rather was, a day of rejoic- 

 ing in many countries. The Maypole is now 

 a thing of the past, and the only relic left of 

 the old Roman custom is the gathering of dew 

 34 



