Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1903-10-29

RANKS

With the crackle of nuts, the grotes-
que mask and the shrek Of witches, |
will once again be cele-
brated by the merry making world |
Saturday night, though some will OBJ
serve it Friday night so as not to
break the Sabbath From festival
once surrounded by elaborate ancient
rites and sacred observances, All Hal
low Eve has popularity come to mean
a time when the small boy iuduIgcs
in innumerable mad and merry pranks
from tying up the doorknob to bobbinG
for apples, and when bachelors and
maids test all the magic rites aud mys-
tic symbols OF this momentous night
to discover what their fate will be.
1t is the night when fairies dance.
witches ride and ghosts walk, strange
dreams foretell prosperity or a diver
sity, and when lovers dreams and
diyinations are most potent. Even in
this advanced twentieth century, the
same omens and tokens of the Hal
low 'eu OF yOre are tested and the very
up-to-date young college woman is
quite ready with the rest to fling aside
dignity and learning and play at all
the familiar tricks and charms and
feel again little primevsl thrills of
terror course up and down her back as
the hour grows ghOstly.
If you take candle, 90 alone in a
dark room at midnight and eat an ap-
pie before looking glass, the face of
your future husband will appear over
your shoulder and you can see his re-
Election in the glass. So they say.
Another way to get view of your
husband or wife-to-be is to go TO bed
on Halloween with q glass of water
in which small silver of wood has
been placed, standing on a table by
your bedside. In the night you will
dream of falling from bridge into
river, and of being rescued by your
future husband whom you will see as
distinctly as though viewed with wax
ing eyes.
Or, wet a shirt-sleeve, hang 1t up to
the fire to dry and lie in bed watching
it till midnight, when the apparition
of your future life-partner will come
in and turn the sleeve.
An up-to-date Halloween test is to
hang up ribbons representing the var
ious colleges. The girls are blindfold-
ed and each picks out a ribbon, the
colors of which will indicate the alma
mater of the husband to-be This trick
could be carried out with cards paint
ed in water colors with the various
college colors or names.
Children born on Hallowe en- are
said to be able to see and converse
with fairies, witches and other super
natural beings. Sir Walter Scott makes
use of this idea in The Monastery.
II on this evening you shake hands
with very blonde man you will have
proposal-but not necessarily from
the blonde-before the bells shall have
rung in the new year of 1904.
If your lover should, under the
potency Of the magic evening, propose
marriage on this night. let him bind
you at once by tying a blue ribbon
upon your wedding ring finger, that
both he and you may be true. 1t might
be we'll when dressing for the evening
to see that you have somewhere about
your person the requisite bit of rib
bon.
If you are not quite decided in your
mind as to which OF two lovers you
prefer, think of both just before you
fall asleep and if you dream of one,
your fate is decided.
Just at midnight, and you must by
nc means retire before that magic hour
on October 3lst. listen for the sounds
OF bells from the nearest church steeple
(if there are mono in your neighbor-
hood you can't do this). Should you
hear a full and distinct peal, begin on
your trousseau; but if there be dull
and mutfled sound, possess your soul
in patience for another year.
BY the way have you a four leaved
| clover? 1t doesn't matter if it be a
dried or pressed one. Put it in your
shoe on Saturday morning and wear it
until you retire at night 1t will bring
You good luck through tho following
Y, ar.