Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1884-12-24

but, on the contrary, it will be cheap
when the grains do not jump.
A sign foreboding evil, which is
needed by the English, particularly, Is
that of receiving new shoes or leather
into the house during Christmas week.
An old farmer who firmly believed ia
this omen once complained that pair
of new shoes had been unwittingly
received into his house on Christmas
morning, and said it was bad job,
" he lost sight of cattle that year"
If black cat comes to the house
on Christmas Day it is thought to be
very lucky; and if it comes into the
house 1t is sure sign of money. On
no other day of the year will this
black visitor bring COED fortune. If
the first person who enters house on
Christmas Day is woman, bad luck OF
some some sort will come to that
household during the year. The
threshold of the house must be consc-
Grated by the footsteps Of man before
any of the inmates can 60 out of doors
without bringing SEINE evil upon them.
The Irish Believe that to quarrel on
Christmas day or night wild bring bad
luck IN friendship, love and money, but
good luck will come if you kiss the
Oldest person in the house first ON
Christmas morning, and the youngest
on New Years morning.
A writer in Notes and Queries :"
remarks that the old superstition of
ill-luck. if any other than male per-
son crossed the threshold of house ON
New Years morning, still survives in
Worcestershire. where a band of boys
go out early to peoples houses, waking
up some of the inmates and then enter
ing the dwellings. For this service
they receive a trifling consideration
from the believers in luck. A farmers
daughter mentioned that the orthodox
plan was for q man or boy to enter
at back door, 60 through the house
on the ground floor, and 60 out by the
front door. If it should happen that
the family were out at any merry
making on New Years Eve, and did
not return home until the morning,
then it would be necessary to ensure
good luck in the ensuing year that a
strange man or boy (not one of the
family should open the front door and
let him in, and as an example OF the
superstition that Is connected with
this practice, story is told Of poor
old bedridden women who positively
refused to allow her neighbor, who
usually looked after her, to come in
on New Years Day, but lay breakfast
less and tireless until the middle of the
day, when, fortunately, the clergyman
came to see her, who, being dark,
brought, as she thought, good luck. 1t
is said that in the north of Scotland to
ensure that male should be the first
to enter the house, it was customary to
give boys a small gratuity for placing
sand on the doorsteps and in the
passage. and bands of boys would go
from house to house collecting their
fees for sanding your steps for good
luck"
In some localities it is considered
lucky for a fair-haired man to be first
to enter the house on New Years Day,
while in others the dark. haired man is
given the preference; while still
others prefer that the first conner shall
be q bachelor; this is particularly
desired if any of the inmates are dam
sells of twenty five Summers and i've or
six Winters.
In "Notes and Queries an amusing
anecdote is related of how the father
Of a family, a farmer, living in the
Midland counties, coming home early
one New Years Day, was refused
admittance to his own house by the
strong. minded daughter because, being
red-haired and widower too, he