Wichita eagle., 1889-08-09
..zs:SNNllag
Daily - saSse
SOME SUPERSTITIONS.
"A FEW OF TIE POPULAR FEARS,
FANCIES AND FAIRY TALES.

vent Disease-Cnlucky to Go Under
Iadder-In and Out the Same Door.
s, The probable truth is that there is not
one of The Globes readers who does not
at least half believe in some superstition.
Somewhere in your lives you have
little private closet where you keep one
or more pet superstitions locked up out
of sight of your friends, and, for the
most part, out of your own sight. But
now and then you unlock the door, or
they get out through the keyhole; then
they look at you in the twilight with
their weird eyes, full of the mystery OK
the past, and you find yourself on your
knees before them. Perhaps you are
half ashamed of them, because you do
not more than half believe in them, but
when hey get you alone they master
you. You are like Nine. de Stael. A
friend said to her one day, "Do you be-
lieve in ghostsF' ''No," she replied, ''but
] am afraid OF them, though"
LONESOME LADY.
Col Ingersoll dedicated his first vol
ume of lectures TO Eva A. Ingersol,
woman without superstition. In the
early mining days in California, when
selfish rascaity seemed to be the rule,
an old miner who had been repeatedly
''heeced" was very much eStonished at
the remarkable honesty of e. young man
who had just paid back some money
which had been given him by mistake
Thinking he could not have many COM
panions in such deeds the old man
stepped up to him, laid his hand on his
shoulder and said, Stranger, don't you
find yourself awfully lonesome about
these parts?' So [ have often thought
that if Mrs IngersoIl is really altogether
without superstition" she must some
times find herself lawfully lonesome.
| remember, when a boy, that one Of
my brothers used to wear about his neck
a red wooden cord to prevent the nose
bleed. The only thing clear in my mind
on the subject was that it did not pre-
vent it. At any rate it used to bleed
very often, while the rest of us, who did
not wear one, were never troubled at all.
except in those cases that all who have
been boys will understand, where post,
or the ice in skating, or SNOWFALL, or
some other boys fist came in somewhat
violent contact with the most prominent
feature of our faces. l suppose, how
ever. that there was some fanciful con-
nection between the red of the string
and the red of the blood, and an incipient
suggested that "liks would
cure like"
I also remember, when child, how
some of the larger boys used to carry
about a horse chestnut in their pockets
as a preventive of rheumatism. This is
one of the mysteries 1 have never faith
omed. Only it does seem a willful per-
versity for people tosuffer so, just to save
the trouble of carrying horse chestnut.
just as it seems pure malice In any one
ever to die when one looks through an
apothecary shop, reads the advertise
ments in the newspapers, or knows how
DR.. Cullis cures people by simply praying
for them, and then telling them they are
we'll.
WHAT BAD DREAMS MEAN.
a friend told me the other day that
when boy he always felt it incumbent
on him to spit three times whenever he
saw a dead cat. The origin of this l will
not stop now to trace.
Not long since lady acquaintancew was
walking along the street with a friend,
when she suddenly felt herself pulled off
the sidewalk into the street. The occa-
sion Of this sudden maneuver was the
other lady's superstitious fear Of Walking
under ladder that leaned against the
wall in front Of them. have learned
that this superstition is very common
and, perhaps, it is not worth my while to
disturb it. For it might be decidedly
"unfuoky" to walk under ladder-pro-
vided a man weighing 200 was on it and
it should slip; or in case an unsteady
man with "drop too much" should in
dulge in a further drop too much of a
loose lying brick from his bod. Though
in the case of the colored brother, who
stood serene while the brick lay in frag-
lnents at his feet, and who merely ex-
claimed, Look out, dar! Eff yo' doan't
want yo' bricks broke jes' kee. EN- off o
dis chile's he'd~ it was only the brick
that was ''unlucky."
Ihave an old acquaintance in Maine
who used TO stick his jackknife in the
headboard on going to bed TO prevent his
having the cramp. That is the sole in
stance of that sublime faith with which
! am acquainted. But have known Of
people who warded off the same uncom-
Portable nightly visitant by scrupulously
arranging their slippers bottom up at the
foot of their bed.
4 lady not long since went into n
ieweiry store Being at a corner it opened
on two streets. When she started to go
out, the salesman said, Madam! you
have forgotten" why what?' said she,
thinking of purchase or purse. But you
came in at the other door," he replied.
Then it flashed over her; and though she
went ON her way, she remembered that
it was ''unlucky" to enter by one door
and so out by another. However it may
be about other places, l am really inclined
10 think that it is uulucky for Lady to
go into a jewelry store, no matter which
door she goes out of: unlucky for the
man who has TO pay the bills
Then. again, it is unlucky TO have a
bad dream three nights running. This Is
one of the signs that believe in thor
oughly. "Ahar you say, then you, too.
are superstitious as well as the rest Of
U.s." Yes, | believe it is very unlucky TO
have a bad dream-even one night It Is