The Osceola times., 1881-08-13
singular super.tltions.

Bill Nye, Of the Laramie City Boom
eIang, has been compilinga list OF super
stitions. When you come 10 make list
of them, be says, II is wonderful how
many intelligent people are the victims
of the most unreasonable whims.
For instance, We are acquainted with
lady who is well educated and far
above the average class of those who
constitute the great arm OF the super
stitious, who never allows breakfast to
be prepared in her house on washday,
or ANYTHING but giblets of Goldfish and
tidbits of superannuated grub left over
during the preceding week. Her hus-
band has struggled to convince her OF
the utter absurdity of this practice. and
tried to show her that there is nothing
in it, but all his efforts have been worse
than useless.
A friend of ours, too, who is a college
graduate, and boots most of the follies
of the day, is still so superstitious on
one point that he is slave to his sim
gular whim. He will not pass up the
same side of the street on which cred-
itor of his is coming down. He says he
never has good luck if he sees creditor
over his left shoulder or meets one face
to face Some are superstltious about
white horses, owls and so forth, but this
man saws that he never met creditor
but right away after that he heard OF
some one being dunncd.
Another acquaintance of ours is so
completely under the control of an old
voman's notion that he calls down upon
himself time and again the scorn OF his
friends. He seems to thinks that there
is something fatal about seeing a con
tribution box on Sunday. lie therefore
gets up and rushes out Of church just be-
fore the collection is taken up rather
than bring disaster down upon himself
and his family.
Still another friend OF ours, who comes
into the Office every few days, has
superstition that if he were to spit in
the cuspidor he wouldn't live to get
home. Some day he will find that he
had better reverse the theory, or he
will meet with the most horrible death
that has ever occurred in this region.
The most matterot-fact manwe know,
and one who would be considered the
very last to be affected by these tradi
,ions, says he don't care for new moons
over his left shoulder, howling dogs at
midnight, or anything of the kind; but
NDtn ne SUES a biG sApilt CIusluH
muloy COW, he is always sure 10 hear q
a new.made grave.
II is said that even President Garfield
has his little peculiarities in this line.
When we were boys together in Ohio he
would never get into watermelon patch
At midnight where there was a bull dog.
He said that wherever there was bull
dog everything was sacred. So super,
stitious was he about this kind of bird,
Garfield once said to us that he would
ust us soon rob his mothers grave as to
enter the hallowed precincts where the
bulldog reigns.
Then he showed us pair of overalls
with a seat in them that looked as
though he had sat down on buzz saw.
James G. Blaine has a superstition
about kicking an old felt hat on the lst
Of April.
Attorney General MacNeagh, who is
bald, will never brush his head with the
brush that the hired girl has borrowed
from his dressingcase. He says the long
hairs tickle his scalp, and the hired girl
5 almost sure TO lose her sitnatian. 1t
is bad sign.
Gen. Hancock is so superstitious about
seeing dark horse over his right
shoulder that it throws him into con-
vulsions.
Henry Ward Beecher says that il, in
walking out in the yard, he sees a clothes
line and saws it across his windpipe. it
is sure sign that some one will get
licked.
Gen. Sherman SAYS that he cares moth
ing fol the usual warnings and signs,
but he would go around seven blocks TO
avoid a woman with garden hose and
timber sun bonnet.
An old journalist we once knew was
30 suspicious about railroads and differ
ent lines of transit that he wouldn't take
ajourley over any railroad until he had
4 note from the Superintendent that
could be shown TO the conductor on the
way. He said be tried to make trip
nee without this p-ecaution and met
with a terrible accident. Nobody else
vas hurt. but he was thrown off the
rain and over an embankment twenty.
even feet high into frog pond eleven
iect deep. He thinks the conductor had
something TO do with it. /