family, or dyed with blue-lit, old man skrottie, korkalit, or yellowin' girs, as suiting to the goodman of the house or dresses for the females.
Perhaps some neighbour lad has called to “hadd him oot o' langour,” to hear the old man's klak news, or what is more likely, to spend the evening in sweet companionship with the oldest lass. The common pastime for such occasions was “layin' up guddiks,” i.e., propounding riddles. The simple pastimes were of native origin, but considerable ingenuity was shown in weaving out of the scant material at hand a programme for an evening's entertainment.
I shall here record a few guddiks (riddles) and other fireside amusements that were used by our forefathers in their social gatherings, to while away the long winter evenings. I believe the only specimen of the kind now extant, and of Norse origin, is that mentioned in Dr. Jacobsen's “Shetland Dialect.” I remember hearing
