BIRDS.

185. When you see a turkey-buzzard flying alone, repeat,—

Hail! Hail! Lonely, lonesome turkey-buzzard: Hail to the East, hail to the West, Hail to the one that I love best. Let me know by the flap of your wing Whether he (or she) loves me or not.

Note the manner of the bird's flight: if he flaps his wings your lover is true; if not, the lover is false. Tennessee.

186. When the call of the first turtle-dove is heard, sit down and remove the shoe and stocking from the left foot, turn the stocking inside out, in the heel of which if a hair is found, it will be of the color of the hair of the future husband or wife. Tennessee.

In Mt. Desert, Maine, and Prince Edward Island the same project is tried on hearing the first robin.

BUTTONS.

187. The coming husband is determined by repeating the following words, touching each button of the coat, vest, or dress in order:—

Rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief. Doctor, lawyer, Indian chief.

Or,

Doctor, lawyer, merchant, chief.

Or,

Doctor, lawyer, merchant, cheat. Ohio.

188. With reference to the habitation to be occupied:—

Big house, little house, pig-sty, barn. New Hampshire.

189. As to the wedding dress:—

Silk, satin, velvet, cotton, woolen. Massachusetts.

190. In regard to the vehicle:—

Carriage, wagon, wheelbarrow, chaise. Massachusetts.

191. The first of these button formulae is used by boys to foretell their profession in life. A friend remembers how in childhood his buttons were completely worn out by the continual practice of the inquiry.

192. With reference to the acquisition of a coat:—

Bought, given, stolen. Massachusetts.

193. "Rich man, poor man, beggar, thief, doctor, lawyer, merchant, chief." Said over by little girls on their back hair combs to find the occupation of their future husbands. New York.

FOUR-LEAVED CLOVER.

194. If a girl puts a two-leaved clover in her shoe, the first man who comes on the side where the clover is will be her future husband. Michigan.

195. Put a four-leaved clover in your shoe, and you will marry a man having the first name of the man whom you meet first after doing it. Province of Quebec.

196. With a four-leaved clover in your shoe, you will meet your lover. Michigan.

197. If the finder of a four-leaved clover put it in her own shoe, she will marry the first person with whom she crosses a bridge. Michigan.

198. Put a four-leaved clover over the door. The first person to pass beneath will be your future mate. Newport, R.I., and Michigan.

COUNTING.

199. Count sixty white horses and one white mule, then you will marry the first man with whom you shake hands. Chestertown, Md.

200. Count a hundred white horses and two white mules, and the first person you shake hands with you'll marry. Pennsylvania.

201. Count a hundred white horses during leap year. The first man that shakes hands with you after you have your hundred will be your future husband. Bedford, Mass.

202. Count one hundred gray horses (one mule stands for ten horses), and the first gentleman with whom you shake hands is your intended. Alabama.

203. After meeting ninety-nine white horses and a brown one for the hundredth, the first person with whom you shake hands will be your future mate. Newport, R.I.

204. Count five hundred colored people, and the next gentleman you meet you will marry. Cambridge, Mass.

205. Count ninety-nine negroes and one white horse, and the first boy you answer "yes" or "no" to you will marry. South Boston, Mass.

206. Count forty white horses, the first man you meet afterwards you'll marry. Champaign, Ill.

207. In crossing a bridge, if one sees two white horses on it (in different teams) and wishes at once for a man to marry her, she'll get him. Peabody, Mass.

208. Count a hundred "tips" (a bow with the lifting of the hat). The hundredth will be your future husband. Eastern Massachusetts.

209. Count the buttons of an old boot. The number of buttons indicates the number of years before marriage. Massachusetts.

210. If you count the boards of the ceiling (loft) in a strange room before going to sleep, you will dream of your lover. Newfoundland.

DAISY PETALS.

211. Pull off the "petals" of a daisy one by one, naming a boy (or a girl as the case may be) at each one, thus, "Jenny, Fanny, Jenny, Fanny," etc. The one named with the last petal is your sweetheart. The seeds which remain on the back of your hand after taking them up show the number of your children.

212. Common at the present time is the formula:—

He loves me, he loves me not.

213. To tell the fortune, take an "ox-eye daisy," and pluck the "petals" one by one, using the same words as have been given above for buttons. General in the United States.

In Ohio and other Western States where the ox-eye daisy is not common, children use instead the bloom of the despised dog-fennel.

214. Fortunes are told by pulling off leaflets of a compound leaf, such as the locust, repeating, "Rich man, poor man," etc. Central Illinois.

215. Name a daisy, and then pull off the petals (ray-flowers) one by one, saying "yes, no," and if "yes" falls on the last, the person loves you, and vice versa. Alabama.

216. A formula for daisy petals:—

He loves me, He don't; He'll have me, He won't; He would if he could, But he can't. New Brunswick.

217. If you find a five-leaf daisy (that is, one with five ray-flowers) and swallow it without chewing, you will in the course of the day shake hands with your intended. Alabama.

218. Another:—

Hate her, Have her, This year, Next year, Sometime, Never. New Brunswick.

219. Another:—

He loves, She loves, Hate her, Have her, This year, Next year, Now or never. Cape Breton.

Girls repeat the last three lines only of the above rhyme. Prince Edward Island.

DOORWAY.

220. Put the breast-bone of a fowl over the front door, and the first one of the opposite sex that enters is to be your future companion. Alabama.

221. Hang over the door a corn-cob from which you have shelled all but twenty grains. The first man that enters you'll marry. Arlington, Mass.

222. Nail a horseshoe over the door, and the first one who enters is your true love. Massachusetts.

223. Hang a wishbone over the door. The first one who enters will be your lover. Somewhat general.

224. Two girls break a wishbone together. The one who gets the longest bit will remain longest unmarried, or, as the familiar rhyme runs,—

Shortest to marry, Longest to tarry.

If the "knot" (that is, the flattened portion at the junction of the two prongs of the bone) flies away and does not stick to either prong, the two girls are to remain unmarried. Each girl puts her bit of the wishbone over a different door. The first man who enters either door is to marry the girl who has placed her bit of wishbone over the door. Prince Edward Island.

EGGS.

225. Take an egg to your window; break it over a knife; remember the day and date. Wish that your true love would come to you. If you go too high, he will be killed. Nashua, N.H.

226. Put two eggs in front of the open fire on a very windy day, and soon two men will come in with a coffin. The man at the foot will be your future husband. Chestertown, Md. (negro).

227. One or more girls put eggs to roast before an open fire, seating themselves in chairs before it. Each puts one egg to roast, and when her egg begins to sweat (it will sweat blood), she is to rise and turn it. At this time the one whom that projector is to marry will come in through a door or window (all of which must be left open throughout) and take her vacant chair. If she is to die before she marries, two black dogs will enter, bearing a coffin, which they will deposit on her chair. Quaker Neck, Kent Co., Md.

228. Boil an egg hard, take out the yolk, and fill its place with salt. Eat it before going to bed. The one you dream of as bringing you water is your future husband. Mansfield, O.

To be done by two girls in silence, going backward as they retire.

FINGERS.

229. Name each of the four fingers of one hand for some person of the opposite sex, then press them tightly together with the other hand; the one that hurts the worst indicates whom you will marry. Prince Edward Island.

GARMENTS.

230. Scatter your clothes in the four corners of the room, naming them. The man you are to marry will bring you your clothes in a dream. Maine.

231. The first time you sleep in a room, name the corners each a different (man's) name. The first corner you face on waking indicates whom you will marry.

The same thing is done with bed-posts in Ohio.

232. On your birthday, as you retire at night, take off your slipper or boot. Stand with your back to the door and throw it over your head. If the toe points to the door, you go out of the chamber a bride before the year is out. You must not look at the boot until the morning. Bedford, Mass.

233. At night before going to bed take one of your garters and tie it in a knot and hang it on the bed-post above your head. While tying repeat,—

This knot I tie, this knot I knit, To see the young man I haven't seen yet. Chestertown, Md.

234. Young girls on going to bed at night place their shoes at right angles to one another, in the form of the letter T, repeating this rhyme:—

Hoping this night my true love to see, I place my shoes in the form of a T. Northern Ohio.

235. The first time you sleep in a house, upon retiring place the shoes in the form of a T, and say over,—

My true love by-and-by for to see, Be as she (or he) be, Bear as she (or he) may, The clothes she (or he) wears every day. Boston, Mass.

236. Catch the four corners of a handkerchief up in the hand, then let some one wishing to try her fortune draw two. If she gets two corners on the same side, she will not be married. If she gets opposite ones, she will be married. Prince Edward Island and Chestertown, Md.

237. A rhyme on stockings and shoes:—

Point your shoes towards the street, Leave your garters on your feet, Put your stockings on your head, You'll dream of the man you are going to wed. Eastern Massachusetts.

238. Put the chemise, inside out, on the foot of the bed and under it a board with ashes upon it; then go to bed backwards, saying,—

Whoever my true love may be, Come write his name in these ashes for me. Winn, Me.

239. Place the heel of one shoe against the instep of the other for three nights in a row. You will dream of your future husband. Franklin, Mass.

240. On Friday night after getting all ready for bed, roll your petticoat up, and before lying down put it under your pillow, repeating this verse:—

This Friday night while going to bed, I put my petticoat under my head, To dream of the living and not of the dead, To dream of the man I am to wed, The color of his eyes, the color of his hair, The color of the clothes he is to wear, And the night the wedding is to be. Rock Hall, Md.

LETTERS OF THE ALPHABET.

241. Write names on three pieces of paper, throw them up in the air (in the dark); feel for one, put it under the pillow, and in the morning look at it to see the name of the man you are to marry. Salem, Mass.

242. Put pieces of paper, each bearing one letter of the alphabet, in water face down, and then place them under the bed. Those turned up in the morning are the initials of your future husband. Prince Edward Island and Northern Ohio.

243. Write the names of several men friends, each on a slip of paper. On three successive mornings choice is made from these. If the name drawn is always the same, it is the name of your future husband. If the lot falls differently every morning, you will never be married.

244. Write two names (of possible lovers), cross out the common letters. Touch the uncrossed letters, repeating in turn, "Love, friendship, hate," and the last uncrossed letter will indicate the state of the heart. Prince Edward Island, St. John, N.B., and Northern Ohio.

MIDNIGHT.

245. Go out at midnight and walk around a peach-tree, repeating,—

Low for a foreigner, Bark for a near one, Crow for a farmer, Screek, tree, screek, if I'm to die first. Quaker Neck, Md.

246. Eat an apple at midnight before the glass, saying, "Whoever my true love may be, come and eat this apple with me," while holding a lamp in the hand. Your true love will appear. Winn, Me.

247. Set the table in silence for two at eleven o'clock P.M., with bread and butter and silver knives and forks. Two girls sit down at twelve, and say, "Whoever my true love may be, come and eat this supper with me." Winn, Me.

PLANTS.

248. Take beans in the hand, go out of doors and throw them against the window. The first man's name that you hear spoken is the name of the man you will marry. Connecticut.

249. Put three raw beans in your mouth, go out of doors, stand in front of some one's window and listen. The first man's name you hear spoken will be either that of your future husband or of the one having the same name. Salem, Mass.

250. If a piece of brush or brier sticks to the dress, name it. If it drops, the lover is false; if it sticks, he is true. Northern Ohio.

251. Blow seeds from the dandelion until none remain, counting each puff as a letter of the alphabet; the letter which ends the blowing is the initial of the name of the person the blower marries.

252. Rub your hands in sweet fern. The first one you shake hands with afterward is your true love. Prince Edward Island.

253. Wear a piece of fern in the toe of your shoe, and the first person you meet you will marry. New Hampshire.

254. Take a live-forever leaf, squeeze it to loosen the inner and outer skin. If it makes a balloon as you blow into it, you will be married and live a long time. If it does not, you will be an old maid. St. John, N.B.

255. Stick a piece of live-forever up on the wall, and in whatever direction it leans, the lover will come from that quarter. Miramichi, N.B.

256. Take two shoots of live-forever and pin them together on the wall. If they grow towards each other, the couple will marry; if away, they will become estranged. Nantucket, Mass., and Western Massachusetts.

257. Break off a piece of dodder or "lovevine," twirl it round the head three times and drop it on a bush behind you. If it grows, the lover is true; if not, he is false. Tennessee.

258. Twist a mullein-stalk nearly off after naming it. If it lives, he or she loves you; if not, not. Newton, Mass., and Tennessee.

259. After proceeding as above, count the number of new shoots that spring up (if any). The number shows how many children will result from the marriage. Greene Co., Mo.

260. Put a pea-pod with nine peas over the door. The first one who comes under it you will marry. New England.

261. Pluck three thistles in bloom, cut off the purple part and put the remainder of the flower in water over night, after naming. The one that blooms out over night you will marry. St. John, N.B., and Northern Ohio.

262. Saturday night walk round a tall white yarrow three times, saying,—

Good evening, good evening, Mr. Yarrow. I hope I see you well to-night, And trust I'll see you at meetin' to-morrow.

Then pluck the head, put it inside the dress, and sleep with it. The first person you meet with, to speak to, at church will be your husband. Deerfield, Mass.

RING.

263. Suspend a ring by a hair from the finger. Let it swing over a tumbler. The number of strokes against the side of the tumbler indicates the number of years of age of the future husband. Prince Edward Island.

264. Hang a gold ring over a glass of water, from a hair, saying the name of some man. If the ring strikes the side of the glass three times you will marry him. Willimantic, Conn.

265. Put three saucers on the table, and walk round it blindfolded three times, then put a finger in a saucer. One saucer contains a gold ring, one soapsuds, one is empty. Repeat twice (making nine in all). If one touches the ring, she will marry an unmarried man; if the suds, she will marry a widower; if the empty one, she will be an old maid. The one touched two out of three times is the fate. Central Maine.

266. If a piece of wedding-cake is passed through a ring and put in the left stocking, then placed under the pillow and slept on three nights running, you will dream of your lover, or he or she will come to you. New England.

STARS.

267. If you look at a bright star intently before retiring, you will dream of your sweetheart. Alabama.

268. Count nine stars for nine successive nights. (If a rainy or cloudy night intervene, the charm is broken, and the project must be begun again.) The person you dream of on the ninth night will be your future partner in life. Prince Edward Island.

269. Count nine stars for nine consecutive nights, and the person you dream of the last night is your intended. Prince Edward Island and Alabama.

270. Count nine stars for nine nights in succession, and the first young gentleman with whom you shake hands is to be your future husband. Eastern Massachusetts.

271. For three successive nights look out of the window and name three stars. Walk to bed backward and without speaking. The one you dream of two nights out of three will be your husband. Central Maine.

272. Have some one call a star which you have picked out, by the name of a young man. The next time you meet this man, if his face is toward you, he loves you; if his side, he likes you; if his back, he hates you. Province of Quebec and Bedford, Mass.

TEA-LEAVES.

273. After drinking tea, turn the cup upside down, whirl it round three times, set it down in the saucer, whirl again, take it up, turn right side up, and look at the grounds. If all are settled in the bottom of the cup, you will be married right off. If they stay on the side, the number of grounds will be the number of years before marriage. The fine dust in the bottom means trouble, a wish, a letter, or a journey. Somewhat general in the United States.

274. Take a "beau" (a little stem) from the tea and put it in your shoe. The first man you meet you will marry. St. John, N.B.

275. Sticks of tea in the teacup denote beaux. Name them, and bite them, and the hardest loves you best. Massachusetts.

WALKING ABROAD.

276. Go to walk and turn back. The first man you meet you'll marry. Massachusetts.

277. If you walk the length of seven rails of a railroad track, the first man that speaks to you after you get off will be your future husband. Bedford, Mass.

278. Take a looking-glass and walk backwards to the wall, and you will see your future husband's picture. Nashua, N.H.

279. If you walk with a gentleman (for the first time), and have on new shoes and go over a bridge, you will marry him. Eastern Massachusetts.

280. If a young woman walking into a strange place picks up three pebbles and puts them under her pillow, she will marry the young man she dreams of. Carbonear, N.F.

281. Run three times around the house, and on the third round a vision of your husband will rise before you. Alabama.

WATER.

282. Float two cambric needles on water and name them. If they float together, they'll marry. If they float apart, they won't marry. Petit Codiac, N.B.

283. Girls prepare basins of dirty and of clean water. If a blindfolded girl puts a stick, with which she reaches about, into the dirty water, she will marry a widower. If into clean water, she will marry a young man. Labrador.

284. Place three basins on the floor, one containing dirty water, another clear water, and the third empty. Let the (blindfolded?) person crawl up to them on her hands and knees. The one she touches will foretell her fate. The clear water means she is to marry a rich man, the dirty water, a poor man, and the empty basin no man at all.

285. Make ready a mirror, a lamp, a basin of water, a towel and soap. Go to bed backward, not speaking afterwards, and lie awake till midnight. If your sweetheart comes and washes, combs his hair, and looks at you, you'll be married. If you don't see him, you'll see your coffin. (Both sexes.) Labrador.

286. When a pot is boiling over, put a small stick in one of the ears and name it for the one you like best. If he loves you in return, the water will cease to boil over; if not, it will continue. Double Creek, Md.

287. Let two girls wash and wipe the dishes together, then put a dish of water behind the door with a broom-handle in it. Two men will come in who will be the husbands of the two projectors. Deer Isle, Me.

288. Run molten lead into hot water; the shape of the pellets formed shows the occupation of your future sweetheart. Labrador.

289. Pour molten lead on a hearth; the shape the metal assumes in cooling foretells the occupation of one's future husband. General in the United States.

VARIOUS.

290. On accidentally making two lines rhyme, kiss your hand, and you will be so fortunate as to see your lover before nine that night. Alabama.

291. Put a looking-glass under the pillow, and you will dream of your lover. Green Harbor, N.F.

292. Tie a true lover's knot (of shavings) and place it under the pillow. You will dream of your lover, even if at that time he is unknown to you. Newfoundland.

293. Steal a salt herring from a grocery store, eat it, don't speak after eating, and the first man you dream of will marry you.

294. Make a little ladder of sticks, place it under the head at night, and you'll dream of your future husband. Patten, Me.

295. Swallow a chicken's heart whole, and the first man you kiss afterwards will be your future husband. Winn, Me.

296. Take three grains of coffee, put one notch on one, two on another, put them in a glass of water under your bed, and name them. The one that sprouts is the one you are going to marry. Alabama.

297. Light a match, and the way the flame goes shows where your future husband lives. Bedford, Mass.

298. Stand two matches on a hot stove, sulphur end down, and name them for yourself and a marriageable acquaintance of the opposite sex. If both stand or fall together, it is a sign that you will live and die together. If one fall, it is a sign that one will leave the other. Cape Breton.

299. Go out in spring and turn up a brick on the ground, and look under it at the clay. The color of the clay denotes the color of the hair of your future husband. Chestertown, Md.

300. Cut your finger-nails nine Sundays in succession, and your sweetheart will dine with you. Alabama.

301. Throw a ball of yarn into an unoccupied house, and holding the end of the yarn, wind, saying, "I wind and who holds?" The one who is to be your future wife or husband will be seen in the house. Ohio.

302. Take a hair from your head. Have some one else take one from his, cross them, and rub them over each other, and the last thing you say before one breaks will be the first thing said after you are married. Cambridge, Mass.



CHAPTER V.

HALLOWEEN AND OTHER FESTIVALS.

Any of the projects quoted in the last chapter are perhaps more likely to be practised on Halloween than at other times. However, as girls do amuse themselves by such fortune-seeking at other times, particularly the first time they sleep in a room, the various projects have been divided into two chapters, according to the way in which the various narrators classed them. That is, when a charm was said to belong to Halloween, it was so classed. When no definite time was set for trying the charm, it was simply put under "projects."

303. A Halloween custom is to fill a tub with water and drop into it as many apples as there are young folks to try the trick. Then each one must kneel before the tub and try to bite the apples without touching them with the hands. The one who bites one first will marry first. Alabama.

304. On Halloween hang an apple by the door just the height of the chin. Rub the chin with saliva, stand about six inches from the apple, and hit the chin against the apple. If it sticks to the chin, you will be married, and your true love will stick to you. St. John, N.B.

305. A girl goes to a field on Halloween at midnight to steal cabbages. The first one whom she meets on her return will be her husband. Boston, Mass.

306. On Halloween at midnight a young lady in her night-dress walks backward into the garden and pulls up a cabbage. She will see her future husband over her shoulder. Eastern Massachusetts.

307. I wind, I wind, my true love to find, The color of his hair, the clothes he'll wear, The day he is married to me.

Throw a ball of yarn into a barn, old house, or cellar, and wind, repeating the above lines, and the true love will appear and wind with you. To be tried at twelve o'clock at night, on Halloween. Maine.

308. Shortly before midnight a pure white bowl is procured, that has never been touched by any lips save those of a new-born infant. If it is a woman whose fortune is to be tried (and it generally is) the child must be a male. The bowl is filled with water from a spring-well, after which twenty-six pieces of white paper about an inch square, on each of which must be written one letter of the alphabet, are placed in the bowl with the letters turned downward. These must be dropped in as the clock strikes midnight, or all will fail. All being ready, the maiden interested repeats the lines:—

Kind fortune, tell me where is he Who my future lord shall be; From this bowl all that I claim Is to know my lover's name.

The bowl is then securely locked away, and must not be disturbed till sunrise the following morning, when she is placed before it blindfolded. She then picks out the same number of letters as there are in her own name. After these are all out the bandage is removed from her eyes, and the paper letters spread out before her. She manages them so as to spell a man's name as best she can with the letters at her disposal. The name thus found will be that of her future husband. Trinity and Catalina Bays, N.F.

309. On Halloween a girl is to go through a graveyard, steal a cabbage and place it above the house-door. The one on whom the cabbage falls as the door is opened is to be the girl's husband. Massachusetts.

310. On Halloween walk backwards from the front door, pick up dust or grass, bring it in, wrap it in paper, put it under your pillow, and dream. Pennsylvania.

311. On Halloween put an egg to roast before the fire and leave the doors and windows open. When it begins to sweat a cat will come in and turn it. After the cat will come the man you are to marry, and he will turn it. If you are to die unmarried, the shadow of a coffin will appear. Chestertown, Md.

312. On Halloween go upstairs backwards, eating a hard boiled egg without salt, and looking in the glass. You will see your future husband in the glass, looking over your shoulder. St. John, N.B.

313. On Halloween go down the cellar stairs backward, carrying a mirror into which you look. A face will be seen over your shoulder which will be that of your future husband. General in the United States.

314. On the last night of October place a mirror and a clock in a room that has not been used for some time, and at a quarter to twelve take a lighted candle and an apple, and finish eating the apple just as the clock strikes twelve, and then look in the mirror and you will see your future husband. Alabama.

315. On Halloween put a ring in a dish of mashed potatoes, and the one who gets the ring will be married first. Boston, Mass.

316. On Halloween mash potatoes and conceal in the mass a ring, a coin, and a button. Divide it into as many portions as there are persons present. The ring denotes marriage, the coin riches, and the button misfortune. Massachusetts.

317. "Silent Supper." On Halloween set a table as if for supper, with as many seats at the table as there are girls, each girl standing behind a chair at the table. The one you are to marry will come in and take the chair in front of you. Chestertown, Md.

318. On Halloween write names of three men on three pieces of paper, roll them into balls, put these into balls made of Indian meal (wet so as to roll up), put the balls of meal into a basin of water: whichever one rises to the top bears the name of the one you'll marry. Salem, Mass.

319. On Halloween, girls place three saucers beside each other, two filled with earth and water, in the other a ring. They are respectively death, cloister or unmarried life, and marriage. Convent School, Manchester, N.H.

320. On Easter Monday, put on one black garter and one yellow one, and wear them constantly, and you'll have a proposal before the year is out. Chestertown, Md.

321. Knit a garter and color it yellow. Don it on Easter Day. Wear it for a year. The wearer will be engaged before the year is out. Salem, Mass.

322. On May first look in an unused well, and you'll see the face of your future husband or wife. New Hampshire.

323. If you look into a well at exactly twelve o'clock, on the first day of May, through a smoked glass, you will see your future husband. Alabama.

324. Hold a mirror over a well on May first, and you will see the image of your future husband or wife. Talladega, Ala.

325. On Midsummer's Day wet a new garment in running water and hang across a chair, wrong side out, to dry. At twelve noon or midnight the one who is to marry you will be seen turning the garment. Labrador.

326. Place an egg in a tumbler on St. John's Day. The tumbler being half filled with water, an egg is broken into it at early dawn, and it is placed in the window, where it remains untouched till sundown. At that time the broken egg is supposed to have assumed a special shape, in which the ingenious maiden sees dimly outlined the form of her future lord, or some emblem of his calling. Newfoundland.



CHAPTER VI.

LOVE AND MARRIAGE.

ENGAGEMENT.

327. If you are a bridesmaid three times you will never stand in the middle. Baldwinsville, N.Y.

328. Three times a bridesmaid, never a bride. New England.

329. Don't let another person put on your engagement ring, taken from your finger, or the engagement will be broken. Bathurst, N.B.

330. The mother-in-law's test of the incoming daughter-in-law is to place a broom on the floor. If the daughter removes it and places it on one side, she will be a good housewife; if she steps over it, she will be a bad housewife. Labrador.

331. A girl will have as many children after marriage as she has "holders" given her before marriage. Eastern Massachusetts.

ATTIRE OF THE BRIDE.

332. If you try on your wedding dress before the ceremony, you will not be happy. Cambridge, Mass.

333. The bride should wear a borrowed garter, and also a yellow garter. Boston, Mass.

334. If a bride wear a yellow garter tied on by a girl friend, the latter will be married inside the year. Eastern Massachusetts.

335. The bride should wear

Something old, Something new, Something borrowed, And something blue. Very common.

336. Wear no black at a wedding; it foretells ill luck. Massachusetts.

337. To be married in a brown dress is good luck; black is bad. Bathurst, N.B.

338. To be married in anything but white garments indicates bad luck for the bride, white being emblematical of innocence.

They say that white is a heavenly hue.

Another has added,

It may be so, but the sky is blue. Massachusetts.

339. White is emblematical of holiness and truth. Blue is emblematical of peace and security; bright green of true learning, as being the uniform clothing of nature. Maine and Massachusetts.

340. A bride must not look in the glass after her toilet is complete, i.e., she must add a glove or some article after leaving the mirror. Maine and Massachusetts.

341. It is bad luck for a bride to keep any of the pins that she used when she was married. Alabama.

342. You will be unhappy if you lose your wedding ring. General in the United States.

343. If the bride just before leaving the house throws her bouquet over the banisters, the one who catches it is next to be wedded. Philadelphia, Pa.

344. If a drop of blood gets on a garment in making, it will be one of your wedding garments.

LUCKY DAYS.

345. Marry in Lent, Live to repent. New York.

346. The day after a wedding is called the bride's day, the next day the groom's day; the condition of the weather on these days will indicate whether their lives are to be happy or otherwise. Salem, Mass., and Queen Anne Co., Md.

347. The wedding day is the bride's day, and the weather foretells her married life. The following is the bridegroom's, and his married life is shown in the same manner. The third day shows how they will live together. New York.

348. The two days before the wedding are the bride's days. If they are pleasant, she will have good luck, etc. Waltham, Mass.

349. Marriage days.

Monday—a bad day. Tuesday—you will have a good husband and will live long. Wednesday—a grand day; you will have a good husband, and will live happily, but will have some trouble. Thursday—a bad day. Friday—a bad day. Saturday—no luck at all. Sunday—no luck at all. Baltimore, Md. (negro).

350. Wednesday is the luckiest day on which to be married. Saturday is the unluckiest. Friday is also unlucky. Bathurst, N.B.

THE MARRIAGE CEREMONY.

351. Happy is the bride that the sun shines on. Northern Ohio.

352. If it rains on the wedding, the bride will cry all her married life. Talladega, Ala.

353. To marry in a storm betokens an unhappy life. Peabody, Mass.

354. It is unlucky to drop the ring at the marriage ceremony. New York.

355. A bride must step over the church sill with her right foot. Orange Co., N.Y.

356. A double wedding is unlucky; one of the marriages will be unhappy. Massachusetts.

357. The pair to be married should stand in line with the cracks in the floor, and not at right angles to them. Omaha, Neb.

358. When a couple are married and are driving off, if old shoes are thrown after them for good luck, and one of the shoes lodges on the coach or carriage, it is a sign that one of the party will die before the year is out. Waltham, Mass.

359. After the marriage ceremony is performed, the one that walks first from the altar is the one who will die first, either bride or groom. Alabama.

360. Old slippers or rice must be thrown after a bride for good luck. General in the United States.

361. If the younger sister is married before the elder, the latter will have to dance in a pig's trough. Western Massachusetts.

362. Runaway matches will prove unlucky. New York.

363. It is a sign of ill luck to take off the wedding ring. General in the United States.

COURTING AND WEDDING SIGNS.

364. If your apron string becomes loosened, your true love is thinking of you. New York.

365. If your apron drops off, you'll lose your beau. The same is true if you lose your garter. Stevens Point, Wis.

366. If you sink a bottle in water, it will weaken your love. Massachusetts.

367. Step over the broom, and you will be an old maid.

368. If a girl wet her apron in washing, it is a sign that she will have a drunken husband. Labrador, Scilly Cove, N.F., and New England.

369. To hang clothes wrong side out is an antidote for a drunken husband. Maine.

370. If a girl finds a cobweb in the door, it is a sign that her beau calls elsewhere. Northern Ohio.

371. To find many cobwebs in the kitchen means that there is no courting there. Boston, Mass.

372. When the collar slips around and the opening comes to the ear, your lover is thinking of you. Salem, Mass.

373. If you button your dress up unevenly, it is a sign that your lover is thinking of you. Miramichi, N.B.

374. If you begin to button your dress unevenly, you will be a widow. Central Maine.

375. If you are cross when you are young, you will be an old maid. Alabama.

376. If you fall up stairs, you will have a new beau. Winn, Me.

377. Tumble up stairs and you'll not get married within the year. (Hence old maids were formerly said to be careful how they went up stairs.) New England.

378. Stumbling either up or down stairs means you'll be married inside a year. Cape Breton.

379. If you sit on a table, you will not be married that year. New England, New York, and Alabama.

380. Dropping hairpins from your hair means that your beau is thinking of you. General in the United States.

381. If a lady dons a gentleman's hat, it is a sign that she wants a kiss.

382. If your lips itch, it is a sign some one will kiss you. Boston, Mass.

383. If the outside of your nose itches, some one out of town loves you, and if the inside of your nose, then you are loved by some one in town. Western Massachusetts.

384. If a gentleman and lady are riding and are tipped out, they will be married. Nashua, N.H.

385. Make a rhyme when talking, and you'll see your true love before Saturday night. Massachusetts.

386. Should your shoestring come unloosened,

'T is a sure sign and a true, At that very moment Your true love thinks of you. New York.

387. If your shoe comes untied, your sweetheart is talking about you. Alabama.

388. If you want to sneeze and can't, it is a sign some one loves you, and doesn't dare to tell it. Boston, Mass.

389. If you can't drink a cup of tea, you must be love-sick. Labrador.

390. Stub your toe See your beau. Massachusetts and Maine.

391. If four persons cross hands in shaking hands on taking leave, one will marry before the year is out. Prince Edward Island, Eastern Massachusetts, and New York.

392. If hands are crossed at the table while passing a dish, a wedding will follow. The top hand belongs to the person who will be married. Pennsylvania.

393. To have two teaspoons in a saucer signifies marriage in a year.

394. If a gentleman stayed to dinner and by accident got two knives, two forks, or two spoons, at his plate, he would be married within a year, and there was no help for it. Connecticut.

395. Knock over your chair on rising from the table, and you won't get married that year. Peabody, Mass., New York, and Talladega, Ala.

396. If a girl sew a button on the clothing of a marriageable man, she will marry him within the year. New England.

397. If you have a dress with rings for a figure in it, it is a sign you will be married before it is worn out. New York.

398. If you have hearts in a figure in a dress or in a shawl, you will be married before it is worn out. New York.

399. If you have a new dress and there are roses in it, the person who owns the dress will be married before the dress is worn out. Salem, Mass.

400. Pins in the front of a dress waist are a sign that the wearer will be an old maid. New Hampshire.

401. If, in making a dress, the thread kinks badly, the person for whom it is made will either die or get married before the dress is worn out. Alabama.

402. If you have a dress tried on, and any pin catches in the underclothing, every pin means that it is a year before you will be married; hence dressmakers are especially careful to pin the dress in such a way that it will slip off easily. Boston, Mass.

403. If you have good success in building a fire, you will have a smart husband; if bad success, a lazy husband. St. John, N.B., and Ohio.

404. If a lock of hair over the forehead ("widow's lock") be cut before marriage, the girl will be a widow. Labrador.

405. Get a lady friend to knit you a yellow garter. She must ask a gentleman unknown to you to knit ten rows. You will meet and marry the gentleman within a year.

406. The exchange of one yellow garter means a proposal in six months. Washington, D.C.

407. If a girl wears a yellow garter (which has been given to her) every day for a year, or every day and night for six months, at the end of that time she will be married. Montreal, P.Q.

408. If you burn a lover's letter, he will never marry you. Central Maine.

409. If, at a dinner, a single person is inadvertently placed between two married people (husband or wife), it means marriage for him or her within a year.

410. If you pass between two men on the street, you'll marry both of them sometime. Champaign, Ill.

411. If you drop a knitting-needle, you won't be married during the present year.

412. If you break many needles in a garment, it will be worn at a wedding.

413. If you draw blood from a prick of the needle while making a garment, it is a sign you will be kissed the first time you wear it. Boston, Mass.

414. Should needles break while sewing on a new garment, it is a sign that the owner will be married before it is worn out. New York.

415. When a young man goes to see a girl for the first time, and the signs of the zodiac are in the heart, they will one day marry. Harmony, Me.

416. If you step on a cigar stub, you will marry the first man you meet. Salem, Mass.

417. Two spoons in a cup is the sign of a wedding. Bathurst, N.B., and Wisconsin.

418. If you get two spoons in your cup or saucer, you'll marry a second husband or wife.

419. If a couple out walking together stumble, it is a sign that they will be married. Labrador.

420. Sit on the table, Married before you're able. Mattawamkeag, Me.

421. If a girl gets the last piece of bread on a plate at the table, she will have a handsome husband. Massachusetts.

422. If all of three dishes at the table are eaten, all of the unmarried people at the table will be married within the year. Northern Massachusetts.

423. "If the tea-kettle boils, you will boil your beaux away," is an old saying. Salem, Mass.

424. If you have a cup of tea handed to you, and there are little bits floating on top, they represent the number of husbands you will have—one, two, or three.

425. A girl that takes her thimble to the table will be an old maid. Northern Ohio.

426. Three in a row, Meet your beau. The one in the middle will have him. Massachusetts.

427. Three lamps in a row, the one who sets down the third will be soon married. Massachusetts.

428. Three lamps in a row foretell a wedding in the family. New York.

429. To look into a tumbler when you are drinking is a sign that you will be an old maid. If you look over the side, you are a flirt. Massachusetts.

430. To wash the hands under a pump denotes that you will be a widow. Chestertown, Md.



CHAPTER VII.

WISHES.

431. If you take a baby in your arms for the first time, and at the same time wish, you will get your wish before the year is out. Quebec.

432. Take your Bible and wish. If it opens at "and it came to pass," you will get your wish.

433. Wish upon a candle on blowing it out. If it glows long, you will get your wish. If it smokes, it signifies a death. Ohio.

434. If a speck of carbon comes on the wick when burning, and you wish for something, wet your finger and touch the speck. If it sticks to your finger, you will get the wish, and vice versa. Plymouth, O.

435. Swallow a chicken's heart whole and make a wish. It will come true. Pennsylvania and Ohio.

436. Throw an egg out of the second story window and wish. If it does not break, you will get your wish. Deer Isle, Me.

437. Throw an eyelash over your shoulder. If it falls from your finger in doing this, your wish will come true. If it remains on the finger, your wish will not come to pass. New York.

438. Find a stray eyelash; place it on the back of the hand with a wish; blow it off. If it blows off at the first trial, the wish will come true. St. John, N.B., and Pennsylvania.

439. Put a loose eyelash on the back of your hand. It signifies a letter. Wish from whom the letter may come, carry it three times around your head, then throw it over your shoulder, and you will get your wish. New England.

440. Put an eyewinker down inside your clothes, wish, and you'll get your wish. Maine.

441. Put an eyewinker on the back of the hand, knock that hand with the other so as to throw the eyewinker over the shoulder, and at the same time wish. If the eyewinker is not seen again, the wish will come true. Stoneham, Mass.

442. If you wish on the first thing you eat in the season, the wish will come true.

443. Wish with two paper slips or grass blades, the ends only being shown. The longer wins.

444. Wish on a load of hay, and you'll be sure to get it. Winn, Me.

445. Wish when you see a hay-cart, don't look at it again, and you'll get the wish. New Jersey.

446. See a white horse; don't look at his tail, but wish.

447. Wish on a "calico" horse.

448. You may wish on a row of empty barrels, or on a piebald horse, but you must not look on the object a second time.

449. Wish on a load of empty barrels, and you will get your wish. Peabody, Mass.

450. Write the names of one hundred people who (by request) have bowed to you, bury the paper in a secret spot, and at the same time wish. If no one sees you, you will get your wish.

451. Wish while holding a lighted match until it is extinct, and you'll get the wish.

452. If by chance two use the same words, lock the little fingers, and wish before speaking, saying "Shakespeare" at the end. Eastern Massachusetts.

453. Let two persons break the wishing-bone of a fowl; the one who gets the longest piece will get his wish. New Jersey and Ohio.

454. If you say two sentences that rhyme, make a wish, then if you make a rhyme unintentionally and wish before you speak again, your wish will come to pass. Baldwinsville, N.Y.

455. When you first see a sleigh in the fall of the year, make a wish, and you will get it. Winn, Me.

456. Wish at the first snowflake of the season, and you will get your wish. Westport, Mass.

457. Put a ring on the finger of another person, saying, "I wish it on until such a time," and if it is not removed before the expiration of the period named, the wish will come to pass. Connecticut and Ohio.

458. When you see a falling star, wish. New Jersey.

459. To wish on a star, when you see the first star come out, say:

Star light, star bright, First star I see to-night, I wish I may, I wish I might Have the wish I wish to-night.

Wish what you please and it will come true, but the wish must not be mentioned to any one. Eastern Massachusetts.

460. Count nine evening stars in succession, and you will have your wish. Massachusetts.

461. Capture a floating thistledown, breathe on it, make a wish to see or hear from an absent friend, blow in his or her supposed direction, and it will carry your message. Ohio.

462. Make a wish while throwing a leaf into running water. If it lands right side up, you will have your wish or good luck. Lebanon, N.H.



CHAPTER VIII.

DREAMS.

ANIMALS.

463. To dream of cod or caplin is a sign of rain[TN-3] Newfoundland.

464. To dream of a good catch of fish is a sign of rain. Heart's Content, N.F.

465. To dream of catching fish is good luck. Prince Edward Island.

466. If you dream you catch fish, it is a sign you will make a good bargain, according to the size of the fish.

467. To dream of catching a fish means money. Cape Breton.

468. To dream of flies means sickness. Massachusetts.

469. To dream of flies is good luck. Peabody, Mass.

470. To dream of lice is a sign of death. New Harbor, N.F.

471. To dream of lice is a sign of enemies. Topsail, N.F.

472. To dream of lice is a sign of "coming wealth." Alabama.

473. To dream of lice means sickness in the family. Ohio.

474. To dream of snakes means enemies. Cape Breton. General in the United States.

In some localities it is said if you kill the snake in your dream you will conquer your enemies.

475. To dream of porpoises is bad luck. Labrador.

476. It is lucky to dream of pigs. Bruynswick, N.Y.

477. Dreaming of (or seeing) rats (numerous) is a sign of death. Heart's Content, N.F.

478. To dream of a rat is the sign of an enemy. Boston, Mass.

479. To dream of rats is a sign of thieves. Central Maine and Chestertown, Md.

480. It is a sign of bad news to dream about a white horse. Quebec.

481. To dream of a white horse three nights in succession is a sign of the death of an elderly person. Central New York.

482. To dream of a white horse is a sign some one of the family will die within a year. Maine.

483. To dream of three white colts is a sign of a young person dying. Central New York.

484. If you dream of a black horse, it is a sure sign of death. Peabody, Mass.

485. To dream of a black horse is a sign of a wedding; of a white horse is a sign of a letter. Cape Breton.

486. To dream of a horse is a sign of a letter. Miramichi, N.B.

487. To dream of horses is a sign of wind. Topsail, N.F.

488. Dreaming of cows is a sign of a hostile, angry woman. Bay Roberts, N.F.

489. To dream of dogs and horses is a sign of good luck. St. John, N.B.

490. To dream of catching a bird is a sign of a letter. Cape Breton.

491. If you dream of a bird in a cage you will have trouble with your beau. New England.

492. To dream of cats means enemies. Cape Breton.

493. To dream of a cat means an enemy. If in the dream you conquer the cat, you will conquer the enemy. Miramichi, N.B.

COLORS.

494. To dream of white things is lucky (or sign of death?). Newfoundland.

495. Dreaming of white things is a sign of snow in summer. Labrador and Newfoundland.

496. Dreaming of working on white cloth is a sign of death. Newfoundland.

497. To dream of white or red is unlucky. To dream of black is lucky.

DEAD PERSONS.

498. To dream of a dead father is lucky. Labrador.

499. To dream of a dead mother is unlucky; it brings sorrow. Labrador.

500. To dream of the dead is a sign of hearing from the living. Topsail and New Harbor, N.F.

501. To dream of the dead is a sign of rain. New Harbor, N.F.

502. To dream of seeing a deceased friend means rain within a few days. Talladega, Ala.

503. To dream of a dead person means a letter next day. Northern Maine.

504. If you dream of the dead, you'll hear from the living. Prince Edward Island; General in the United States.

EARTH.

505. To dream of walking in a garden is a sign of a graveyard.

506. To dream of ploughed ground indicates that a grave will be dug for some member of the family before the year ends. Western New York.

507. To dream of seeing fresh earth bodes misfortune. Northern Ohio.

508. To dream of digging ground, or white potatoes, is a sign of death. Harbor Grace, N.F.

509. To dream of seeing the ground unseasonably ploughed means death. Nova Scotia.

EGGS.

510. To dream of eggs means you will get a beating,[TN-4] Prince Edward Island.

511. Dreaming of eggs is a sign of anger; if broken, all over. New Harbor, N.F.

512. To dream of whole eggs is a sign of a "fuss;" of broken eggs is not. Chestertown, Md.

513. To dream of a nest full of eggs and a bird sitting on them means you will receive something new. Cape Breton.

FIRE AND SMOKE.

514. It is bad luck to dream of fire. St. John, N.B.

515. To dream of fire portends sickness. Eastern Massachusetts.

516. If you dream of fire, it is a sign of trouble in the family. Alabama.

517. If you dream of fire, you'll have a row. Massachusetts.

518. To dream of fire is a sign of anger. Newfoundland and Labrador.

519. To dream of fire means hasty news. To dream of smoke means trouble. Miramichi, N.B.

520. Dream of flame out of season, You will be angry without a reason.

521. If you dream about a large blaze of fire, you will get some money unexpectedly. Alabama.

522. Dreaming of smoke indicates trouble. Alabama.

523. To dream of smoke means death. Wisconsin.

HUMAN BEINGS.

524. To dream of a baby is a sign of death.

525. To dream of babies is unlucky or is a sign of trouble. General in the United States.

526. To dream of carrying a child is unlucky.

527. It is bad luck or death to dream of naked clinging (climbing?) children. Labrador and Newfoundland.

528. It is ill luck to dream of a priest. Central Maine.

529. If you dream of a negro, you will surely quarrel.

530. If you dream of being kissed by or being very intimate with a woman friend, it means a disagreement.

531. If you dream of a person of the opposite sex three nights in succession, you are sure to marry him. Alabama.

532. If you dream of a gentleman, you will never marry him. Bedford, Mass.

533. If you dream of a person as going two ways at once, it is a sign the person dreamed of will die before the year is out. Boston, Mass.

534. To dream of a naked man is a sign of the death of a woman, and vice versa. Baltimore, Md. (negro).

535. To dream of a drunken husband or man is unlucky. Labrador.

536. To dream of men is lucky. Newfoundland.

537. To dream of women is unlucky. Bay Roberts, N.F.

METEOROLOGICAL PHENOMENA.

538. To dream of walking through snow means sickness. St. John, N.B.

539. To dream of a snowstorm is a sign of the speedy death of a relative. South Framingham, Mass.

540. To dream of snow in spring (May) is a sign of a good catch of fish. Trinity Bay, N.F.

541. If a fisherman dreams of its raining, it is a sign of a good catch of fish. Green Harbor, N.F.

542. Anything dreamed "on the east wind," i.e., when the east wind is blowing, will come true. Chestertown, Md. (negro).

MONEY AND METALS.

543. To dream of silver money is a sign of sickness.

544. To dream of small change (money) is bad luck. Newfoundland.

545. To dream of gold or silver is good luck; of paper is bad. Boston, Mass.

546. If you dream of gold, it is a sign of an increase of property. Alabama.

TEETH.

547. To dream of teeth is unlucky. Eastern Massachusetts.

548. It is death or bad luck to dream of teeth falling out. Newfoundland and Northern Ohio.

549. To dream of losing a tooth means a death. Nova Scotia and Cape Breton.

550. To dream of pulling out your teeth means sickness. Eastern Massachusetts.

551. To dream of losing a tooth means losing a friend. Virginia.

552. If you dream of having a front tooth drop out, you will lose a near relative within a year. If a back tooth, a distant relative.

WATER.

553. To dream of smooth water means good luck; of rough water means ill luck. St. John, N.B.

554. Dreaming of running water means approaching death to the dreamer or some near relative.

555. To dream of clear, sparkling water means good luck. Miramichi, N.B.

556. To dream of milky or roily water means death or disaster. Miramichi, N.B.

557. To dream of seeing muddy water signifies that you will have trouble. Alabama.

558. To dream of clear water means prosperity; of muddy water means trouble. Boston, Mass.

559. To dream of washing is a sign of a move. Cape Breton and Wisconsin.

WEDDINGS AND FUNERALS.

560. To dream of marriage is a sign of a funeral. Topsail and Carbonear, Trinity Bay, N.F.

561. If you dream of a marriage, it is the sign of a death; and if you dream of a death, it is the sign of a marriage. Alabama.

562. If you dream of a marriage, you will hear of a death next day. Talladega, Ala.

563. If you dream of a wedding, you will hear of the death of a friend in that month. Pennsylvania.

564. To dream of a wedding means death. Mifflintown, Pa.

565. Dream on a piece of wedding cake. Write names on slips of paper and pull them out. The one you pull twice is the one you will marry. Massachusetts.

566. Sleep on a piece of wedding cake, and the one you dream about will be your future partner in life. New Brunswick.

567. Sleep on a piece of wedding cake, and if you have the same dream three nights in succession, your dream will come to pass. New York.

568. To dream of a funeral means a wedding.

MISCELLANEOUS.

569. To dream of raw meat is a sign of ill luck.

570. To dream of eating meat is a sign of sickness. Boston.

571. To see while asleep fresh meats of any kind is a warning of death. Alabama.

572. To dream of blood is a sign of sickness. Alabama.

573. To dream of blood is a sign that some one will "scandalize" you. Baltimore, Md. (negro).

574. To dream of onions is good.

575. To dream of flowers is a sign of sickness. Alabama.

576. To dream of

Fruit out of season, Trouble without reason. Northern Ohio.

577. To dream of cherries is evil.

578. To dream of an anchor means good luck. St. John, N.B.

579. To dream on land of a vessel (with sails set?) is a sign of a funeral. Labrador and Trinity Bay, N.F.

580. To dream of small beads or sewing silk is lucky. Labrador.

581. What you dream the first night you are in a strange house will come true. General in the United States.

582. If you dream the first night you are in a strange bed, your dream will come true. If the dream was of a sweetheart, you will be married. Trinity Bay and Bay Roberts, N.F.

583. To dream of losing the sole of your shoe indicates the death of a near friend. Cape Breton.

584. To dream of seeing any one wear worn-out shoes means the death of a near relative. Cape Breton.

585. To dream of a hole worn in a boot is a sign of being sick. Newfoundland.

586. To dream of bad boots is unlucky. Newfoundland.

587. Saturday night's dream, Sunday morning told, Will come to pass before it's a week old. Maine and Massachusetts.

588. Saturday night dreamt, Sunday morning told, Sure to come true Before a month old. Eastern Massachusetts.

589. Relate the dream before breakfast, and it will come true. General in the United States.

590. If you dream the same thing three times, it will come true.

591. Dreaming of handling new-made boards is a sign of a coffin. (A carpenter's notion.) Heart's Content, N.F.

592. If you dream of seeing a boat drawn or sailing on land, it is a sign of death. Cape Breton.

593. If you dream that you see an empty coffin, you will see it filled within a year.

594. To dream of dough in a bread pan is the sign of a coffin. New Brunswick.

595. To dream of dough in a black pan is a sign of a corpse. Miramichi, N.B.

596. To dream of bread is good luck. Boston, Mass.

597. To dream of going in a carriage means you'll travel with a friend. Cape Breton.

598. Pick up a stone in a strange place and put it under the pillow for three nights. If you dream, it will come true. Newfoundland.

599. To dream of being in a new house is a sign of death. Harbor Grace, N.F.

600. Place the heel of one shoe against the instep of the other three nights in a row, and you will dream of your future husband. Franklin, Mass.

601. To dream that your sweetheart has the ague means that he loves you.

602. To dream you are a fool is good luck and increase of wealth.

603. Dreaming of persons being sick is a sign of being well. Newfoundland and New Hampshire.

604. To dream of a death is a sign of life.

605. To dream of the devil is a sign of good luck. Trinity Bay, N.F.

606. To dream you cry means you will laugh. Boston, Mass.

607. Dreams go by contraries. General in the United States.



CHAPTER IX.

LUCK.

CARDS.

608. At cards, if your luck is poor, walk round your chair three times, lift it, sit down, and your luck is assured. General in the United States.

609. At cards, it is bad luck to play against the grain of the table. General in the United States.

610. At cards, it is unlucky to turn up your hand before the dealer is through. Alabama.

611. At cards, it is common to blow on the deal, without looking at it, for good luck. Providence, R.I., and Salem, Mass.

DAYS.

612. It is unlucky to travel on Friday. New York and Pennsylvania.

613. Never begin a piece of work on Friday; it is bad luck. General in the United States.

614. Seafaring men will not sail on Friday. Somewhat general in the United States.

615. If you begin a piece of work on Friday, it will be a very short or a very long job. St. John, N.B.

616. It is bad luck to cut your finger-nails on Friday. Pigeon Cove, Mass.

617. As with the superstitious generally, Friday is a very unlucky day. Housekeepers will prefer paying a quarter's rent extra to going into a house on that day. It is, of course, most unlucky to be married on it. Wednesday is the day considered most favorable for the purpose. Newfoundland.

618. If you cut your nails on Sunday, you'll do something you're ashamed of before the week is out. Maine.

619. If business is transacted on Sunday, you will lose by it on the coming week. New York.

620. Pancake Day is Shrove Tuesday. If you do not eat pancakes on that day, you will have no luck throughout the year. The hens won't lay, etc. Chestertown, Md.

621. When the two figures that tell one's age are alike, as 22, 33, etc., some great change in life is to be expected. Nashua, N.H.

DRESSING.

622. If you put on any garment wrong side out, as, for example, a pair of stockings, never change it, as to do so brings ill luck. This direction is intuitively followed by many people who are entirely free from conscious superstition. General in the United States.

623. If you put a garment on wrong side out, you mustn't speak of it, or you will have bad luck. Maine.

624. If you put a garment on wrong side out, or a hat on wrong end before, spit on it before turning, to prevent bad luck. Maine and Ohio.

625. If a garment is put on wrong side out, it is lucky, but unlucky to turn it. Prince Edward Island and Massachusetts.

626. To clothe the left foot before the right one is a sign of misfortune. Ohio.

627. If you button up your dress wrong, i.e., do not begin with the button and button-hole opposite each other, it means bad luck, or good luck if worn uneven until after sunset. Cape Breton.

628. The putting of the left shoe on the right foot, lacing it wrong, or losing a button, are all bad signs. Alabama.

629. Walking across the room with one shoe off is a sign of ill luck. Alabama.

630. When putting on your shoes and stockings, if you complete dressing one foot before beginning to dress the other, it is a sign you will be disappointed. Northern Ohio.

HORSESHOES.

631. It is good luck to find a horseshoe. General in the United States and Canada.

632. The luck is especially good if the loop end is towards you, that is, if you meet it. Miramichi, N.B.

633. If you find horseshoes and pick them up, you will have a horse.

634. The more nails in the horseshoe, the more luck. Western Pennsylvania.

635. To find a horseshoe nail is good luck, especially if the head is towards you. Miramichi, N.B.

636. If horseshoes are put up over a house for luck, the points should not be placed downwards, or the luck will slip through.

PINS.

637. See a pin and pick it up, All the day you'll have good luck; See a pin and pass it by (or "let it lie"), All the day your luck will fly. Eastern Massachusetts.

638. See a pin and pick it up, All the day you'll have good luck; See a pin and let it lie, Come to sorrow by and by. New York.

639. See a pin and pick it up for luck. If the head is towards you, the luck is slow in coming; if the point is towards you, the luck is quick and sharp. Boston, Mass.

640. If you see a pin crosswise, that is, across your path, it means a ride if you pick it up. Boston, Mass.

641. "I have known a young lady form a habit of stooping in consequence of keeping the eyes fixed on the ground, in the streets of New York city, in order not to miss the good fortune that might come of picking up a pin. The pin must be thrust into a tree or post, in order to keep the luck as long as it remains fast." New York, N.Y.

642. Find a pin and let it lie, You'll want a pin before you die. Alabama.

643. See a pin and let it lie, You'll want that pin before you die. Peabody, Mass.

SALT.

644. It is unlucky to pass salt across the table.

645. Spilling salt is unlucky; throw some over your left shoulder, or burn a pinch to avert ill luck. Northern Ohio.

646. It is bad luck to spill salt unless it is burned. Virginia.

647. If you spill salt, throw some over your left shoulder, and then crawl under one side of the table and come out on the other, to prevent bad luck. Bucks Co., Pa.

648. Spilling salt at table is ill luck to the one towards whom it is spilled. Iowa.

649. If you spill salt, you will have a whipping. New England and Canada.

SWEEPING.

650. If the broom is moved with the rest of the household furniture, you will not be successful. The broom should be burned while standing in the corner, being watched meanwhile, to prevent the house from taking fire.

651. Never sweep the floor after sunset; it is bad luck. Alabama.

652. Carrying ashes out of the house after sunset is bad luck. Virginia.

653. It is ill luck to sweep dirt out of doors after sunset. Virginia.

654. Dirt must not be swept out of doors after dark, or it will bring disaster to the master of the house. This belief is common among negroes and superstitious whites. Chestertown, Md.

655. Sailors are unwilling that their friends should sweep after dark, because in that case their wages will be swept away by sickness or otherwise. Westport, Mass.

TURNING BACK.

656. It is unlucky to turn back for anything after you have set out to go anywhere. Prince Edward Island.

657. Returning to the house for something and starting again without sitting down is bad luck. Virginia.

658. It will prove unlucky if you return for a forgotten article after you have left the house; but if you seat yourself before leaving the house again, the misfortune will be averted. New York.

659. To avert ill luck or disappointment that will come if a person comes back to a house for something forgotten, he must sit down a minute. General in New England.

660. To go back into the house for something after starting on a journey is unpropitious. To have it brought out is all right. Iowa.

661. If you have to go back to the house after something forgotten, you must not sit down, but stand a moment or two, or else it is bad luck. Cape Breton.

662. If you start anywhere and go back, it is bad luck unless you make a cross-mark and spit in it. Alabama and Kentucky.

MISCELLANEOUS.

663. If two persons shake hands across the gate, they are bringing on themselves ill luck. Alabama.

664. It is unlucky to pass under a ladder. Canada.

665. Go under a ladder and you will be hanged.

666. Walking under a ladder is considered very unlucky. In the outposts girls will climb the rockiest cliffs to avoid such a contingency. On one occasion in St. John's, where a ladder extended across the sidewalk, of one hundred and twenty-seven girls who came along, only six ventured under it, the rest going along the gutter in mud ankle deep. Newfoundland.

667. If, in passing, one parts two people, it is a sign of disappointment to the parter.

668. When two or three people go between different posts, in the entrance of gardens, cemeteries, etc., it is a sign they will be separated or disappointed. General in the United States.

669. Sing on the street, Disappointment you'll meet.

670. To count the steps of stairs, as you lie on your back, indicates the number of your troubles.

671. To fall upstairs means good luck; downstairs, ill luck. Massachusetts.

672. To stumble downstairs, or on going out in the morning, means bad luck. Peabody, Mass.

673. Opals are unlucky. General in the United States.

674. The opal is unlucky, unless set with diamonds. New York.

675. Don't let the tea-kettle boil so as to make a bubbling or thumping noise, as some say it is unlucky. Eastern Massachusetts.

676. A tea-kettle boiling so as to make a bubbling sound is said to boil away luck, and should be removed from the flame. Eastern Massachusetts.

677. Never let your dish-water come to a boil, as every bubble means bad luck to the family. Eastern Massachusetts.

678. Sewing in the twilight is an ill omen. Chatham, N.H.

679. To look over another person's shoulder into a looking-glass means disappointment. Deer Isle, Me.

680. When going fishing, fishermen wear white mittens for luck. Portsmouth, N.H.

681. It is unlucky to lose a glove. Bathurst, N.B.

682. It is bad luck to have any one step across the fishing-pole; you will catch no fish. Talladega, Ala.

683. Crawl under a fence, and you will have bad luck. Western Masssachusetts.[TN-5]

684. To step over the feet of any one who is sitting is ill luck.

685. Getting out of bed with the left foot first, or taking anything with the left hand when the right is disengaged, is a sign of bad luck. Alabama.

686. In getting out of bed in the morning, the right foot is always to be placed first. Ohio.

687. To get out of bed left foot first makes one cross. "He got out of bed left foot first," is a universal saying.

688. In going in at the house door, always put the right foot foremost. This practice is observed by many intelligent people.

689. To sing at the table is a sign you will be disappointed.

690. It is an ill omen to leave the table while eating, to light the lamp. Western Massachusetts.

691. To lay the knife and fork crosswise is ill luck. Peabody, Mass.

692. When you drop a knife or fork, and it sticks up in the floor, you will have good luck.

693. It is lucky to find a rusty knife or other steel instrument. Maine.

694. If a knife be spun round, care should be taken to spin it back again, otherwise it insures bad luck.

695. Often verses of Proverbs xxxi. are assigned to girls and boys respectively according to the day of the month of the birth. Labrador and Brookline, Mass.

696. It brings bad luck to the bearer of a ring to have it taken from her finger by another person. Massachusetts.

697. Measuring one's waist, as for a dress, will bring ill luck.

698. To turn a loaf of bread upside down is ill luck. Northern Ohio.

699. To find a four-leaved clover is lucky; but five-leaved, unlucky. General in the United States.

700. When a vessel is launched, break a bottle of wine over her for luck. The bottle is to be broken by a lady. General in the United States.

701. Never carry clean wet clothes from one house to another, as it will bring ill luck. Chestertown, Md.

702. Do not go into your new house by the back door; if you do you take disaster with you.

703. Never build on a spot where a house has been burned. The second house is likely to go in the same manner. Maine and Massachusetts.

704. Light coming in at the window is a bad sign. Peabody, Mass.

705. The opening of an umbrella in the house is a sign of bad luck. General in the United States.

706. If you drop your umbrella, you will have ill luck if you pick it up yourself; but the ill luck may be averted by having some one else pick it up. Prince Edward Island.

707. To carry a hoe through the house is ill luck. Alabama.

708. To light three lights with one match is good luck for a week. Peabody, Mass.

709. The falling of a chandelier foretells a disaster in the family. New York.

710. Breaking a looking-glass shows that you'll have seven years of ill luck. General in the United States.

711. If a chair be turned about on one of its forelegs, there will be bad luck in the house all that year. Talladega, Ala.

712. A mare-browed man, that is, one whose eyebrows meet, is unlucky and can cast spells. Newfoundland.

713. It is unlucky, when going deer-hunting, to meet a red-haired man. Newfoundland.



CHAPTER X.

MONEY.

714. A group of bubbles on a cup of coffee signifies money. United States.

715. A mass of bubbles floating on a cup of coffee signifies that money is coming to one. If he can take up the bubbles on his spoon, it indicates that he will get the money, but if they escape he will not. Prince Edward Island.

716. If a group of bubbles are floating on the tea or coffee cup, take them up in a spoon, and swallow them unbroken, saying, "Save my money." Plymouth and Salem, Mass., and New Brunswick.

717. If when you stir your coffee at breakfast you will try to catch the bubbles on top, you can have as many dollars as you can catch whole ones. Alabama.

718. To find money and keep it insures good luck through the year. Talladega, Ala.

719. Put the first piece of money you get in the morning into your stocking, and you will have more to add to it before night. Alabama.

720. If you find a piece of money the first day of the year, you will have good luck all the rest of the year. Alabama.

721. If paper money is folded lengthwise first, it will insure the possession of money. If folded the short fold first, money will not remain in the pocket. Alabama.

722. To make a sale in the first place where an agent calls is good luck. For example, a magnifying-glass worth three dollars was sold for seventy-five cents, in order to stop a run of bad luck by making a sale. Massachusetts.

723. If your initials spell a word, it means that you will be rich. Massachusetts and Ohio.

724. If the right hand itches, it is a sign you will receive money; if the left, you will spend money, because R stands for receive, and L for let go. New York.

725. If the left hand itches and you rub it on wood, you'll receive money before the end of the week.

Rub it on wood To make it good. Very common in New Brunswick and New England.

726. Itching in the palm of the hand means that it will soon receive money. Clap the closed hand into the pocket. Mt. Desert, Me.

727. If you place your money according to value, i.e., lay it in order, you will be rich. Bedford, Mass.

728. An old superstition pertaining to clothing is, that before putting on new clothes a sum of money must be placed in the right-hand pocket, which will insure its always being full. If by mistake, however, it be put in the left hand pocket, the wearer will never have a penny so long as the clothes last.

729. There's a "bag of money," or a "pot of gold," at the end of the rainbow. General among children.

730. If you sew in the twilight, you will never be rich. Miramichi, N.B.

731. If you mend or sew on a garment while wearing it, you will always be poor. Bathurst, N.B.

732. Always shut the doors, or you will never own a house. Salem, Mass.

733. Sparks in the soot on the back wall above a coal fire bring wealth. Rhode Island.

734. Say "Money" three times at sight of a meteor, and you'll get it, or wish and you'll get it.

735. When you see a shooting star, say "money." As many times as you are able to repeat the word during the fall of the star, so many dollars you will have in your pocket. Connecticut.



CHAPTER XI.

VISITORS.

736. Having a piece of bread and taking another is a sign some one is coming hungry. Maine, New York, and Pennsylvania.

737. If you drop a slice of bread with the buttered side up, it is a sign of a visitor. Bathurst, N.B.

738. If a broom falls across the threshold, it means a visitor is coming. Massachusetts.

739. Three chairs in a row is a sign of a caller. Bedford, Mass.

740. Two chairs chancing to be placed back to back denote that a visitor is coming. Danvers, Mass.

741. One chair in front of another means a stranger. Peabody, Mass.

742. If you go around the chimney without sitting down, you will bring company to that house. Guilford, Conn.

743. Company on Sunday means company all the week. New England.

744. If you have company on Monday, you will have company every day in the week. General in the United States.

745. If you drop the dish-cloth, it is a sign you will have company. General in the United States.

746. If you almost drop a dish-cloth and catch it before it falls, it is a sign of a visitor. Bathurst, N.B.

747. If you drop a dish-rag, some one is coming hungry. Alabama.

748. If the dish-cloth on falling to the floor spreads out, the visitor will be a lady; if it falls in a heap, it will be a gentleman. Cape Breton and Central Maine.

749. If you drop the tea-towel, it is a sign of company. Pennsylvania.

750. If you go in at one door and out at another, it is a sign of company. New York and Ohio.

751. Going out through one door of the house and in through another means a visit from agreeable company.

752. If you go in at one door and out of another of the house of a friend, a stranger will enter the house soon. Central New Hampshire.

753. If you go in at the back (or front) door of a house, and out at the front (or back) without sitting down, you will bring company. Guilford, Conn.

754. If you forget anything on your departure from a visit, you will go there again. Eastern Massachusetts.

755. If the fork is dropped at the table, a man will call. Pennsylvania.

756. If you drop a fork, and it sticks in the floor and remains in a standing position, it is a sign that a gentleman will call; but if a knife, a lady will call. General in the United States.

757. Should you drop a knife or scissors so that they stick into the floor and stand up, it is a sign of company. New York.

758. The dropping of any sharp-pointed instrument which sticks up in the floor, such as a knife, a pair of scissors, etc., foretells company coming from the direction in which the article leans. Massachusetts.

759. If the scissors drops there will be visitors; if the small blade sticks in the floor it will be children; if the large, adults. Nashua, N.H.

760. A needle dropping on the floor and sticking up means visitors. St. John, N.B.

761. If a knife be dropped at table, a woman will call. Pennsylvania.

762. If you drop a knife at table, a lady will come during the evening; if a fork, a gentleman is coming. Talladega, Ala.

763. If you drop a knife, your visitor will be a woman; if a fork, it will be a man; if a spoon, it will be a fool. Pennsylvania.

764. If you drop a knife, it is a sign a lady is coming to see you. If a fork, the visitor will be a man; if a spoon, your cousin. New York.

765. Two knives beside a plate mean a lady stranger; two forks, a man. Peabody, Mass.

766. To put two spoons in your teacup is a sign of a stranger. Maine and Massachusetts.

767. Two forks or spoons crossed on a plate signify that a stranger is coming.

768. If you wash the sugar-bowl, you will have company. Eastern Massachusetts.

769. To have too many plates on the table means guests.

770. If an extra plate be accidentally placed upon the table, some visitor will come hungry. Northern Ohio.

771. If you are offered an article of food at the table, which you already have on your plate, but forgetting that you have it, take some more, it is a sign that a stranger is coming to your house before you eat another meal. Quebec.

772. If stems of tea-grounds are found in the cup, it denotes that visitors are coming. If you wish them to come, bite the heads off and throw them under the table. Deerfield, Mass.

773. If the stems of tea-grounds come on top of the cup, visitors are coming. Bite one, and if it is hard, it will be a man; if soft, a woman. New Hampshire.

774. If successful in the attempt to take stems from your tea, a friend is going to visit you. Alabama.

775. If a tea-stem is on top of the cup, put it in your shoe, and you will have company. Massachusetts.

776. If a tea-stem floats in the tea, it is a sign you will have a visitor. If it is hard, it is a man; if it is soft, it is a woman. If it is long, the visitor will be tall; if short, the visitor will be short. New York.

777. To learn about visitors from tea-grounds: Lift the leaf out and press it against the left hand, naming the days of the week. Upon whichever day the leaf chances to cling and rest, company may be expected. To complete the spell, pat the leaf down your neck and wish. Plymouth, Mass.

778. If your eye quivers, a stranger is coming. Labrador.

779. If a stray hair blows persistently across the eyes, it's the sign that a stranger is coming. Massachusetts.

780. The shin-bone itching means guests.

781. The nose itching signifies visitors. General in the United States.

782. The nose itching foretells company. If on the right side, it means a man; if on the left, a woman. Central New York.

783. If your nose itches, you will see an old friend whom you have not seen for some time. New York and Pennsylvania.

784. If your nose itches, it means you'll

See a stranger, Kiss a fool, Or be in danger. Peabody, Mass.

785. To sneeze at the table indicates a stranger. Peabody, Mass.

786. To sneeze before breakfast is a sign you will have a caller before night. Eastern Massachusetts.

787. Sneeze before you eat, See a stranger before you sleep. Cape Breton.

788. As many times as you sneeze before breakfast, so many calls will you have before tea (or bed-time).

789. If you sneeze on Saturday, you will have company on Sunday. Massachusetts.

790. Water spilled on the doorstep means a stranger. Ohio.

791. To slop water near a door is a sign of a stranger. Peabody, Mass.

792. A sudden shower of sparks from the fire betokens a visitor. Cape Breton.

793. When you see the soot burning in the back of the chimney, it is a sign of your being visited by a stranger. Alabama.

794. If you crock[TN-6] your knuckles, company will come. Massachusetts.



CHAPTER XII.

CURES.

AMULETS.

795. Green glass beads worn about the neck will prevent or cure erysipelas. Chestertown, Md.

796. Gold beads were formerly a protection against the "King's Evil" (scrofula), and nearly every maiden and matron wore ample strings of beautiful large beads. Adams, Mass.

797. Gold beads worn about the neck will cure sore throat. Windham, Me.

798. Gold beads worn about the throat were thought to cure or or prevent goitre. Northern Ohio.

799. A string of gold beads is still held to be a preventive of quinsy, sore throats, and so on. New Hampshire.

800. A string of gold beads worn on the neck will cure or prevent quinsy. Prince Edward Island.

801. Red beads about the neck cure nose-bleed. Cazenovia, N.Y.

802. For nose-bleed wear a red bean on a white string round the neck. Bedford, Mass.

803. A black silk cord about the neck cures croup. Cazenovia, N.Y.

804. A key worn hanging about the neck by a string prevents nose-bleed. Central Maine.

805. Wearing brown paper on the chest will cure sea-sickness. Newton, Mass., and Chestertown, Md.

806. Tie a piece of black ribbon around a child's neck, and it will prevent croup. Waltham, Mass.

807. Brass earrings or rings are thought by negroes to keep away rheumatism. Alabama.

808. To cure rheumatism, wear a brass ring on the finger. Boston, Mass.

809. Wearing brass rings will prevent cramp. Alabama.

810. A brass ring worn on the finger will cure rheumatism. Chestertown, Md. (negro).

811. Sailors wear gold earrings for weak eyes or to strengthen the sight. Brookline, Mass.

812. A common custom among negroes is to wear a leather strap about the wrist as a cure for rheumatism, sprains, etc., and to give strength. Chestertown, Md. (negro).

813. As a cure for nose-bleed, tie a string about the little finger. Cape Breton.

814. A leather string commonly worn around the neck is supposed to prevent whooping-cough. Chestertown, Md.

815. A red string tied about the waist cures nausea or sea-sickness. Massachusetts.

CHARM.

816. To keep fire always burning on the hearth will prevent cholera among chickens. Alabama.

817. If a fish-hook pierces the hand, stick it three times into wood, in the name of the Trinity, to prevent festering or other evil consequences. Newfoundland.

818. If you scratch yourself with a rusty nail, stick the nail immediately into hard wood, and it will prevent lockjaw. Salem, Mass.

819. A man who "stuck a nail in his foot" was told by a neighbor to pull it out, grease it, and hang it up in the "chimbly," otherwise he might have lockjaw. New Brunswick.

820. To cure nose-bleeding, write the person's name on the forehead. Newfoundland.

821. For rheumatism, carry a horseshoe nail in the pocket. Central New York.

822. To get rid of rheumatism: "You go in de lot an' go up to fence. Den put you breas' on it and say, 'I lef you here, I lef you here,' tree times, den you go 'way and don't you never come back dere no more." French Canadian.

823. To cure fits, the first time the child or person has one, tear off the shirt of the patient and burn it up, and no more fits will return. Chestertown, Md. (negro).

824. If you don't want the cramp in your foot, turn your shoes bottom up at night. Nashua, N.H.

825. To keep off nightmare, put your shoes at night with the toes pointing away from the bed. Central New York.

826. To ward off nightmare, sleep with shears under the pillow. Central New York.

827. Nightmare is caused by the nightmare man, a kind of evil spirit, struggling with one. It is prevented by placing a sharp knife under the pillow, and stuffing the keyhole with cotton. Windham, Me.

828. Sores can be cured by those who possess magical powers going through certain incantations, which are to be followed by applications of oatmeal and vinegar. Newfoundland.

829. For a sty on the eye, take a small piece of paper, rub it on the sty, go across the road three times, and say each time,—

Sty, sty, go off my eye, Go on the first one that passes by.

This is a sure cure in two or three days. Talladega, Ala.

830. To cure a sty repeat at a cross-roads,—

Sty, sty, leave my eye, And take the next one that passes by. Massachusetts, Indiana, and California.

831. Toothache may be cured by conjurers, who apply the finger to the aching tooth, while muttering a charm, or tie a number of knots in a fishing line. Newfoundland.

832. Toothache may be cured by a written charm, sealed up and worn around the neck of the afflicted person. The following is a copy of the charm:—

I've seen it written a feller was sitten On a marvel stone, and our Lord came by, And He said to him, "What's the matter with thee, my man?" And he said, "Got the toothache, Marster," And he said, "Follow me and thee shall have no more toothache." Newfoundland.

833. For toothache take an eyelash, an eyebrow, trimmings of the finger-nails, and toe-nails of the patient, bore a hole in a beech-tree, and put them in. The sufferer must not see the tree, and it must not be cut down or burned. Cape Breton.