Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-10-27

invoked by taking three nuts, one Of which
you name for yourself, and the other two
are named for your first and second best
loves. Place them on the hearth close to
the blaze, while you all sit around on the
rugs watching them. The working of the
charm isHndicated in the following lines
which were found in a century old book:
These glowing nuts are emblems true,
or what in human life We view;
The Unmatched couple fret an fume,
And thus in strife. themselves consumer
Or from each other wildly start,
And with q noise forever part.
But see the happy, happy pair
OF genuine love and truth sincere;
With mutual fondness while they burn,
Still to each other kindly turn;
And as the vital sparks decay,
Together gently sink away;
Till lfe's fierce ordeal being past,
Their mingled ashes rest at last"
1t seems SO strange to think that any one
would really believe IN charm of that char
acter yet the superstition once had a strong
hold ON the Scotch and English, and happy,
indeed, were the loving ones who, watching
their nuts as they shriveled and shrank in
the glowing heat on the hearth, saw that
down to the very end the nuts lay side by
side with no disposition to stray, one from
the other. Gay says:
1.-TWO hazel nuts threw into the flame,
And to each nut 1 gave sweetheart's
name.
This with the loudest bounce, me sore
amazed
That in a flame of brightest color blazed.
AS blazed the nut, so may thy passion
For-iwas thy nut that did so brightly
glow"
Then there the apple charms to try
after you have got tired of roasting nuts
that simply will not lie still, but go popping
about in a most exasperating fashion, as
much as to say that you never will marry.
Bobbing for apples is not an aristocratic
game, but you can have a jolly lot of fun at
1t If you don't care for looks or clothes. Put
dish pan-one of the great big ones-in the
center of the table, fill 1t with water till it
Is brim full, then put in 1T two apples, with
the initials of your two sweethearts on
them. and fish for them with your teeth
II they both elude you, you might well
buy your cat and parrot at once, for you
are doomed. You must not spill drop of
water in the diving for the apples, either,
| for that would go to show that you will be
wastefui housewife, and brighten your
lover away.
Finding the True Lover.
Then take a yard measure and tie at each
end long string to one of which attach a
| lighted candle and to the other an apple
Suspend this from the ceiling, or chandelier
| by string. and send both candle and apple
whirling, after lighting the candle. The ap-
pie is named, of course. and you scramble
| to catch 1t in your teeth as il comes to you,
minding to duck your head before the cam
die slaps you in the face, or sets fire to your
| bangs. After you have worn yourself out at
| that. take slightly looking apple, and sit
down and peel it evenly, thinly and careful
| ly. from the stem to the blossom end. Then
take ii up in solemn silence and twirl it
| three times around your head, repeating
mentally:
Apple sweet apple sour,
Spell his name upon the fioor.
| III the letters there 1 see,
Then know a bride I'll be.
| II you break. my heart win, too,
| For I'll know my loves not true"
Ten chances to one the apple peeling will
break spang In two about the second
swing, and another chance will go glim-
| mering, but there is still another apple
| charm. After naming put a seed of the
! same apple on each cheek, pressing it hard,
| so as To make 1t stick. The one that re-
| mains the longest is the lover that loves
| you the best 1t is well to leave this charm
to the last, for If you are bit bright you
can flip the second seed off right quick,
and then, of course, you Eave 1T all your
| own way.
If all these fail to please you, take three
| dishes and place them the table in a
row. Into one put clean water, in the sec
ond foul water. and in the third nothing.
Let some one change the positions of the
dishes after blndfolding you. and then lead
you to them to dip your finger into one.
If that one Is clear water, and you are a
| the dish of foul water. a widow is your fate,
and II into the empty dish, you are indeed
unfortunate, for YOU Will never marry.
| The same will stand for woman.
Perhaps the raisin charm will furnish you
At the Midnight Hour.
AS the hour approaches the mystic mid
| night season. turn all the men out of the
room. and set before the lady guests the
| ingredients for 'dumb-cake" an egg shell
| full of salt an egg shell full of wheat meal,
| an egg shell full of barley meal, and
| enough spring water to mix to a soft dough.
| The charm won't work with hydrant water.
Never a word must be spoken as each one
| in turn rolls the dough up, and then spreads
| ii out the table. When the last one has
| rolled the dough out fiat, each one in turn
| scratches around the edge with brand
new pin the initials of the one that she
| loves best, and the last one to scratch, III
| solemn silence lays the cake on the hearth
| to bake while the lassies sit in as remote
parts of the room as possible AS the clock
| strikes l. the lover of the girl to be married
| first will enter the room and lay his hand
upon his initials on the "dumb-cake.
| Then the girls that are left will instantly
proceed to try the tests that have been
| given them previously. One will take a
| lighted candle and go alone to dark room
1 in which there Is q mirror, and comb her
/ hair and eat an apple, saying:
over my shoulder, true love. appear,
| And save me from maiden bier.
| To your fortunes l will be true
| For l have waited long for you
| She Will have to be exceedingly clever to
! hold lighted candle, eat an apple and
| comb her hair all at the same time, but II
| she has the cause at heart she Will man
| age it, and so will her sweetheart, If he is
| bit START.
| The next girl will take a skein of blue
| yarn-it simply must be blue-and go to a
| kiln and throw the sken into II, hanging to
one end, and as she winds 1t into ball
| a bit smart.
| See me wind our heart so true
| In this skein of loves own blue.
| Speak, kind fate! break bars and bands
| And give the name of him who hands
| As she says "who hands" a voice from
| the kiln will give the full name of the loved
one, and ne will proceed to wind the yarn
! back into the original skein. There may be
| difficulties in the way of carrying this out,
! but 1t Is one of the orthodox old supersti-
| lions, and a determined lassie can accom-
| plish wonders.
| Charms for the Girls.
| For the next one there arc also difficulties.
| She must go out to a south-runnng stream,
where the three corners of the land of
| three different people meet-the old Scotch
| law says three lairds lands but this is
superstition up to date. Having found TINS