Jack-o'-lanterns

　　From the Celtic religion come the custom of masquer ading（化装舞会） and the Symbols of Halloween：ghosts，skeleto ns，devils，witches， black cats， and owls． The jack-o'-la ntern is also of Celtic origin．It was an lrish custom t o hollow out turnips or potatoes and place lighted cand les inside them to scare evil spirits away from the hou se． In the United States，the native pumpkin is used to make a jack－o'－lantern．Holes are cut in the pumpkin she ll to make the eyes， nose and mouth and jack-o'-lantern s are usually placed by the window．

　　The hollowed－out pumpkin got its name because of th e tale of one Jack， a notoriously stingy drinker，who ne arly lost his soul one Halloween nightwhen he ran acros s Old Nick in a pub．Jack was about to die and Old Nick was about to claim his doomed spirit，when he managed to convince the Devil that，if he could have one last drink ，he would follow him happily to the hell．“The trouble i s I have no more money．So if you'll just change yoursel f into six pence，I can have my drink，and we can be on o ur way．" Old Nick， happy to demonstrate his shape－shift ing prowess（超凡的技能），agreed．Jack popped him into a purse and refused to let him out until he promised not to cla im his soul for ten years．

　　That wasn't the end of the story．Ten years later, J ack was walking in the country near an orchard when Old Nick came to collect his spirit．But Jack had another pl an．"Before you carry me to the hell，would you be the ge ntleman I've heard that yon are and fetch me one of tho se apples？ You can standon my shoulders to reach it.”Th e Devil；who obviously learned little from their last me eting，climbed upon Jack's shoulders．Jack whipped out（突然 抽出）a penknife and carved a cross in the tree trunk， whi ch left the Devil in the air． As a condition of getting him down，Jack made him promise that he would never agai n ask for his soul．

　　But, of course，Old Nick had the last laugh．When Jac k finally died，he was turned away from Heaven for his s ins， and when he then applled for entrance to Hell，the Devil said，"I can not break my words．"So poor Jack had no where to go and was condemned to become a wandering ghost．"Give me at least a light to find my way," he ple aded with the Devil who obllged him by hurling in his d irection a coal from the fires of Hell．According to tra dition，Jack placed it inside a turnip and the jack-o'-l antern was born．