The Portland daily press., 1893-09-19
STAMPED LINENS,

ture gives us more than one reference to
an itching palm, which would indicate
that even great and enlightened writer's
like SHAKESPEARE were not entirely ABOVE
the minor superstitions that were an
article of faith with the ignorant.
| The breaking of a looking glass is a
sure omen Of coming trouble for a period
| of seven years; but the severity OF this
| infection is somewhat mitigated by the
| belief that the trouble is not be want
| of the necessaries of existence. Neverthe-
less, this is of all portents the most des-
perately evil To have ones teeth set
wide apart is a sure indication OF luck,
as also is the meeting OF a plebald
| horse; but the killing of cricket is omi-
| nous of bad fortune, while the turning OF
| featherbed on Sunday is sure to pro-
| duce evil results. The belief that crlck-
cts bring good luck to house is univer-
| sal; while the idea that their destroyers
| are tormented by having holes eaten in
| their stockings, would appear to be ia
| vored by some few localities only. A
| sudden shivering is sign that goose
| is walking over ones grave. But one
,, need feel little concern on this account,
| for no worse can be portended than that
we are to be comforta bly, buried on land,
| and not sunk in the unhallowed depths
| of the much sounding sea.
| There is an idea still extant that it the
| sole of the foot itches we are to walk
| over strange ground; if the knee, we are
| to genufect in an accustomed meeting
| house; if the elbow, we are to share our
slumbers with a stranger; all of which,
f., when compared with the terrors of break
| ing mirror, present an aspect which is
| decidedly trivial, if not entirely I'M
/ worthy of notice. AS regards backbit-
| ing and scandalizing, there are various
!, omens. Some consider that tingling
of ones ear is a sign that a slanderer
| is at work, while others attribute the
same Specification to the burning of a
| a tingling in the right ear portends that
somebody is praising, while to experience
| the sensation in the other aural append
| age signifies that somebody is occupied in
| vilifying. There is certainly terror in
believing that we may not have button
| sewn on garment while 1T is on our
back without mourning the ill opinion of
our neigh bors, but there is a possibility
| that venomous togues may still find oc-
cupation if we invariably take off our
coats for necessary repairs, or even
never have them mended at all.
To see a new moon for the first time
| through glass is VIGOROUSLY unlucky, al
though it is not certain that we may not
| counterfeit any i'll effects likely to accrue
by at once turning over the money we
have in our pockets, il any. To sit
| down thirteen at meal is sure indi-
cation that one of the party will die be.
fore the year is out. 10 this there is a
sort of antidotal comfort to be found in
the belief that if an unmarried person
chance to sit between man and his
wife at dinner, he will infallibly be q
! married before the year is out. Indi-
vidual taste may determine whether this
| is to be considered matter for congratu-
| lation or the reverse. To walk beneath a
| ladder is .notoriously to invite calamity.
! About this singular belief there is that
| need of uncertainty which seems to add
| a mysterious charm to the bulk of SINH
| lar credulities. The calamity sought to
be avoided by carefully abstaining from
passing beneath the slope of ladder
may mean broken head or fractured
limb, or it may be reduced to the ridicu-
lous extreme Of a drop of paint upon a
coat OF bonnet. The belief in the virtue
of the four-leaved shamrock is as firmly
planted as the certainty that st. Patrick
killed the noxious. creatures of the
Emerald Isle. There is, perhaps not an
| Trishman living who does not firmly, be.
lieve that the finding Of this freak of
nature does portend. good luck. We have
similar fancy in our own island But
| the oman comes from the clover, not the