Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1897-04-29
SIGNS AND OMENs.


berries before this season must wish as
thew take the first one," said pretty
youns hostess of Drexel boulevard
house as she entertained q large COM
psny of girls at breakfast one morning
recently.
"What is the sign" asked yellow
haired girl at her left. That it could
be anything else than a "sign" never
occurred to the bouquet of buds and
blossoms gathered about the big round
table.
"Oh, whatever you wish for when
you taste fruit for the first time each
season comes as true as life" answered
the young woman earnestly from the
heed of the table.
Her guests each Immediately picked
up luscious looking berry by its long
green stem, dipped it in the fine sugar
and ate it as solemuly as if performing
some religious ceremony.
is it only with Strawberries that the
sign is good?" inquired the only girl at
the table who had on spring hat and
looked directly.
"No, no." responded her Wis avis,
tits good with everything ss it comes
in. The first cherry, the first peach,
YOU taste, pear or plum. Any wish you
make will surely come true. ALI you
need to do is to eat the fruit slow ly and
wish while it melts in your mouth. OF
course, you mustn't speak while you
are eating it, but then you wouldn't
anyway, you know. Why, I remember
the first time | ate peach two years
ago. Let me see-was it two years sgo?
No, it was three; it was the
summer l had tan colored broad
cloth. Well, that summer there was
something l wanted dresdfully. |
uever wanted anything 80 awfully ip
my life and l just thought, of course,
couldn't have it. But thought /
would try wishing for it, anyway. 1t
couldn't be any worse to go without it
with wishing than it would be without,
so just thought | would try it."
did you get ?" anxiously inquir-
ed her neighbor, and all the other girls
were attention.
YES, but the strangest part of it
was GOT it within two hours of the
time | made the wish. Just think o.
it, and never thought l could have it
at all"
Whether the eyes of the maidens
were blue, black or brown, every pair
at the table had the same look of in
quisitveness in them. One young wo
tnan looked as if she would venture
question, but before she had time to
form it politely the high church young
woman, who was attired in gray aud
adorned with a tremendous bunch O!
violets, announced:
Harriet broke looking-glass on
Friday"
"a looking-glass! moaned every
girl at that table, and "How awful !"
How terrible !" "How frightful !"
came from all sides.
eyes, she is just about i'll over
it," responded the young wo-
man, as she arranged her bunch
of violets so that they looked
a trihe larger. "She knows now
that it is no good for her to try to do
the slightest thing. She has just got to
have bad luck for seven years. 1t is
just terrible to think of Just imagine
all the horrible things that can happen
in seven years It's frightfully long
time, even with good luck, and Hat.
was so popular too. She will be 100
old to have any fun sfter the seven
years are over"
Each girl looked sympathetic for at
least moment, and then the girl with
d blue stock asked:
why didn't she protect herself by
saying Good luck p ="
"Who ever heard of such thing
with broken mirror ?" asked the
hostess, as she made faint struggle
TO reach the bell under the table. "You
can't avoid the bad luck and there is
no use trying. Why, the days l see a
pin lying with its point toward me l
might as we'll give up and go to bed.
just have bad luck in everything at
tempt to do. If go to my French les
son my teacher corrects every other
word / say, and if attempt to play for
anyone am sure to miss half the notes.
No, there are some things you just can't
avoid and there is no use making the
effort
Then while they ate chicken salad
aud ices they discussed the many
things that one had to avoid in
lie to make it ny sort OF sue
cess. 1t was dec ed that nothing
was quite so uncomfortable as to see
The new moon over ones left shoul-
der. The prettiest girl in the party in
sisted that as it grew time for the
mouth to change she always watched
her calendar closely. Then she was
careful for two or three evenings to GO
out of the front door and scan the west
for the silver crescent. As she lived on
the west side of the street this was a
good deal of trouble, but she assured
her friends she was rewarded, for she
had but once in twelve months seen
the new moon over her left shoulder
and she insisted she deserved all the
, bad luck she had that mouth for hel
carelessness in not watching sufficient
lx. ole for t,., nhor