Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-05-04

and landlord. "One day in the year 1926,
he was riding 10 York, with view of
depositing his rents in Chaloner's Bank,
when a magpie few across his path. He
drew up his horse, paused Q moment, and
turned homeward, resolving to defer his
journey till the next day. That day, how
ever, the bank failed, and it only remained
for the gentleman to congratulate himself
on his prudent attention to the magpie's
warning.
SUPERSTITION ABOUT RATS.
That rats leave a sinking ship is one Of
our most trite proverbs. Many sailors still
believe in its truth as devoutly as in their
Bible. If a rat is seen making its way
ashore, along a rope or plank, from ship
lying in port, ten to one some sage tar will
prognosticate the loss of that ship and re-
fuse to sail on board of her. A remarkable
case in point happened once in Sunderland.
The Centurion, of that port, belonging to
Mr.. John Grimshaw, of the Improved
Patent Ropery, was being loaded in the
Wear, when a rat was seen by some one
making its way ashore from the vessel along
a rope. Acting on their firm conviction,
the crew Immediately lett the vessel. A
second crew, on being made aware Of the
ominous circumstance, likewise deserted.
At last, however, the Centurion was got to
sea, on London voyage; but she was un-
fortunately lost, on her voyage up, at the
entrance of the Thames, though the crew
was saved.
SPIDERS, LAMBS AND SWALLOWS.
A spider descending upon you from the
roof is token that you will soon have q
legacy from a friend. Fuller, in his
"Worthies," refers to this belief: "When
a spider is found upon our clothes, we use
to say, some money is coming toward us.
The moral is this: Those who initiate the
industry of that contemplate creature may,
by Gods blessing, weave themselves into
wealth, procure themselves a plentiful es-
tate" But the money that man makes by
his own exertions is a very different thing
from that which comes to him in the form of
a legacy; and that, according to the COM
mon notion, is what the spider promises
When an experienced old shepherd sees
the first lamb in the spring, he notes whether
its head or tail is turned toward him. If the
former, he will have plenty of meat to eat
during the year; If the latter, he looks for
nothing beyond milk and bread, and greens
without beef, and perhaps braxy ham. At
lambing time, when the young creatures
comes into the world with its nose and fore
feet first, he expects he will have good luck
for the season; if the tail, the revese.
It is good omen for swallows to take
possession of place, and build their nests
around it; while it is unpropitious for them
to forsake a place which they have once
tenanted. Ny father would never permit
them to be meddled with, or even allow
their nests to be pulled down when they had
quilted them for the season. Every upstairs
window in our house sheltered swallows
hamlet, six or eight nests in one window
being no uncommon sight. 1t was difficult,
under such circumstances, to keep the win
dows clean; and it was much against my
mothers will that the birds were tolerated
and encouraged; but she burst not order
their eviction, which would have greatly
displeased my father, and so the swallows
had fxity of tenure as long as we remained
there, which was 21 years. do not believe
my father had any definite notion about the
martin and the swallow being God Al
mighty's bow and arrow, according to the
common rhyme, but he must have had
misty idea that the house martin, which is
its proper name, brought good luck to the
place, or at least that its banishment would
be not unlikely to bring bad luck to it in one
form or other.
sNEEzTNG AND PERSONAL SIGNS.
Many a North-Country dame-mother,
nurse, friend or simple Acquaintance
never hears a person sneezing, and, partic-
ularly child, without calculating the brief
prayer: "God bless theeP' Sneezinig to the
left has always been reckoned unlucky; but
to the right, prosperous. Others say that
sneezing from noon to midnight is good, but
from midnight to noon unlucky; and some
have even been known to 60 to bed again if
they sneezed while they were putting on
their shoes. A single sneeze is a bad sign;
but two or three sneezes in quick succession
is q healthy one. Sneezing at meat forebodes
mischief, unless someone present at ia bic
does not Immediately cry, "God bless your
and, if he is a Catholic, also make the sign
of the cross. Both Hebrews and Gentiles,
all the world over, have believed sneezing
20 be ominous, and have been in the habit of
invoking special blessing on persons when
they sneezed, either with a view to prevent
evil consequences or to bring them good
luck.
When your cheek burns, it is a sign some
one is talking about you. When your ears
tingle. lies are being told about you. If it
is the right ear, the gossip is to your credit;
if the left, the contrary. When your ear
itches, you are certain to have some news,
either good or bad, according to which ear
1t is. When your nose itches, something
will soon happen to vex you. IF the right
hand itch, you are going to shake hands with
a friend, or receive some money due to you;
and if your left does SO, you will soon have
to pay away some cash. If you have any
white marks on your nails, commonly called
gifts" you may expect to get as many
presents as there are marks, as soon as these
get up to the nail ends, in the course Of their
natural growth. When your right eye
itches, it is a sign Of good luck; when your
left eye, of bad luck. but there is this excep-
ton, that
Left or right,
Brings good at night.
If you shiver, some one is walking over
your future grave.
DEATH odENs.
The popular omens Of death are almost in
and the appearance of any one
sufficient to foreshow the decease of any
person in the middle or lower
classes of society; for common people must be
satisfied with common things. Even super
stition knows how to pay due Difference to
rank and genealogy, and cunningly insinu-
ates herself among the aristocracy, by con-
her mysterious influence to en-
hance the honors of birth and station. Thus,
among the elite, death omens assume a
special and distinctive shape, and, becoming
q sort of household dependent, are never
heard OF but when they appear 10 do suit and
service to the respective families with which
they are connected. So that the family thus
honored, while disdaining
all vulgar omens of mortality, beholds the
appearance of its own with dismay, feeling
assured that death viii soon visit some of its
members. Some of these family omens are
curious and interesting. Lacretelle says
that, when prince of the royal family of
France was about to die, a lady dressed in
white was seen to wander round the palace.
Some of our old Northumbrian, Durham,
and Yorkshire families have had their
special barguests; and scarcely any of the
proud Scotch or Irish chieftains but had his
banshee to howl round his castle walls on
the eve of his demise.
If corpse does not stiffen after death, or
if the stiffness disappears before burial, it is
a sign that there will be another death in
the family before the end of the year.
He who hears loud stroke upon the table,
as If by q wand or club, or three successive
strokes, or the noise as of bullet dropped
,,rov, fba toh HE ie daonad man hirnself