Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1872-12-05
Guar llnllovv Eve.
BY Lou.

spells which upon that night ss6ould
disclose the future partner Of our
"woes and weals."
And now at last the mythical eve
had come, and about five O'Clock of the
raw, chill day, cousin Anna and my
sell, :seatad BY t4d icoldf6ftable, 9lbw
ing gratis, Our hfppered feet resting
comfortably upon the tenders, were
startled by Ethics business-like ring,
and immediately FASTENED to. divest hei
of her street wraps and then drew hel
into the: soft GLOW, of anthracite: Then
came a perfect defuge of questions and
ordinations. cIs
what have you heard since ! saw
you ~ -. @!HflfEi.;
do you suppose We viii see*ahy.
thing 2"
II have q new. oharm.'s, IN
"Do you know the folks say that we
will but prove the frailty of mirrors,
and Lily eQ0n9h break our necka2na <s
TO t6iS list there was an indignant
chorus Of three, and then we calmly
q use the word in the only sense we
three tire giSls understood it, enumerated
First, Ethie, by her right of senior,
spoke. Ethie with her great, brown,
fun-loving eyes, sparkling face, and
dark cur]s (of said oslrls more anon),
who, moreover, had her name enrolled
on. certain editorial stat, and some
times wrote poetry.
"Mrs. Sanders told ,sme to-day that
the surest charm known in bonnie
Scotland was, to- take in the left hand
tallow candle, in the right mirror,
and thus armed and equipped, to walk
backward down the cellar stairs repeat
ing the wooing words my true love,
my true love, wherever you may be.
pray you come look in the glass
with me. Sol shall try that" Then
cousin Anna lifted up her voice; Anna.
our beauty, with her long, dark, wavy
hair, deep, fathomless eyes, creamy
complexion, and lips scarlet like June
berries. Glove and I found charm
book up gmret the other morning, and
one of the innumerable tests seems
quite adapted to my housewifely at
tainments, ;vi1:s + am TO set a tsble for
two this evening, and when the hour
o'trial' arrives, 10 exclude all light
from the room, seat myself at the t.
ble,- and having prepared hot coffee,
pour and dress two cups, when my flu
turity is surely to appear to partake OF
my hospitality" T3&3 -. ;, -
"And Lou, what have you now in
WE'VE" queried Ethie, her eyes dancing
in anticipation of the fun.
"Tako courage Ethie," Lou replied,
running her fingers through her short
mass of light-brown hair, "for rhyme
between the day and night brings your
lover to your sight,"
"Me? Well, as hot coffee at ni*ht
always gives me a horrible headache,
and science declares that backward To-
comotion is not conducive to brilliant
intellect, / think shall try the old and
time-honored charm of sitting. before q
mirror, combing my hair with one hand,
and eating an apple"
"With the other oneg" gravely inter-
posed Ethie while loftily answered,
Don't be irreverent to the Fates,
Ethie."
The midnight escapades talked over,
We Turned cur attention to the miner
details.
Said Anna, "There are tie chestnuts
to roast, " and then explained to MS
thuswise: 1--WE are each to place four
chestnuts on the hearth, having named
them respectively, one for ourself, one
for stranger, and two for our heart
tancies: At the close of the expert:
ment the one remainingin closest prox-
unity to our maiden representation is
the one Fate appointed
Then We thought of the salt. cake to
be eaten, the partaker thereof to retire
silently backward to her rest! just at
this: point the tea-belly rang, and we
gathered. at the cheerful evening meal.
which passed with many" a lest and
many soornful remarks of incredulitv
from our household cynic, brother
George aged mine, who remarked as
we roseFdrom tea cts just like girls !;
they're III silly, and I'm glad I amt
one of en-. A very, agreeable gem
tleman caller passed our evening enjoy
ably, to as at least, until the clock
struck ten, when he took his leave.
wishing us I'LL success. in = our attempt
to raise. the spirits and hold high earni-
val amid the "we sma' hours.'
AT length the sensible az people of
the house had all retired, and silence
solemn and deep brooded over ali
things; although for the romantic I an,
sorry to say this same dead silence was
broken quite frequently by merry peals
of sfhsh laughter from the large kitch-
en- where we three in white appeared.
with hair brushed straight from wave
or curl, sat round the fire, the gas
burning but the candle ready at hand
for the midnight assault. = :;
First We pulled molasses candy. then
we popped corn, undertaking this labor
not as a charm save against school
girls direct calamity hunger. Now
came the inevitable chestnut charm.
and twelve shining brown elves were
soon trembling in the "tlivire passion
upon the hearth, as Anna said, while
Ethie answered, II do not wonder attbe
passion, but think were I compelled
to dance SO lively to the time Of that
fire, my passion would scarcely be of the
divine ORDER" and 1 frowned upon her.
and muttered "Ethie-riel crea.
ture !" thou art prevention of all
things.
Then silence fell around. Three
chine were dropped in three palms.
and three pairs of eyes watched onr
wretched victims in their commissions
"Quite an allegory,"I suggested, nudg.
ing Ethie as more violent contortions
seized upon one of her chosen; but
she only shrugged her graceful
deigning no reply. There
was a sudden report, like unto pistol.
three sudden starts followed by three
shouts, as Ethics stranger
with "you don't catch me in anv
such trap" air sprang to tue farthest
end OF the kitchen, while Miss Ethie
herself (by proxy flew frantically to
the opposite end. One of her chosen
from the "dear five hundred" skipped
contentedly to Annals side, and the
one, in calm intense scorn
at Miss Els atrocious behaviour,
stayed upon the funeral pyre, and
shriveled and blackened in pure mar
tyrdom. Anna and I experienced but
little difference in our love affairs, the
g naughty men, remaining close clus-
tered by our side all ut one time, until
with three terrific shouts, probably of
agony or triumph, the soul burst it's
narrow confines and "shuffled off, the |
s/tcU.
At the close of the chestnut charm,
not one Of us could decide which mas
,nline had approached nearest her
'@'y'alty, while / was satisfied that the |