The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-10-21

graspod these ends very firmly. The
 crotch stood up vertically Tn the air. Nov I'm goin' to walk around here
 In such places as seem at all likely
 said Gramp; and when I come over water the crotchIl tip away from me
 downward. The harder t pulls down,
 the more water. There ain't every one
 can find water this way. They afnt | got the electricity or something in 'em. 1 With me, its as easy as falling off | log. l over water if try, and some
 times it pulls down so nard the bark
 will be twisted off in my hands.
 Gramp wondered here and there | through the pasture hollows, and some | time the crotch remained upright and
 sometimes 1t tipped downward. But at
 length 8 spot was found where the pull
 was so satisfactorily felt that my com panion drove a stake there to remem- | Der the exact place.
 I found him digging a few days lat | CT; but after excavating great dry l hole he abandoned the job. In explana- l tion of the failure of the mystic crotch he pointed to some yellow stains | in the dirt and said there was iron
 ore in the soil. That's what raised the | mischief with me-" he declared; iron l orell attract witch nazel as powerful
 as water will"
 His belief in the hazel crotch was l as strong. as ever, and discovered that he was . veritable mine of ancient superstitions. Of course he did not pin his faith to all of them; yet there was 1 a surprising number in which he had implicit confidence. They are reported
 in his language. just as ne told them to 1 me at various times when chanced to meet him about his home. in the fields. or by the river, where he was fond of | fishing.
 Crow on the fence. Rain will go hence. Crow on the ground. Rain will come down. storms clear off at o'clock in the morning, at noon. at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, at sunset, at midnight or at sunrise"
 Gramp added that he Knew we were going to have dull day, for he had 1 heard it raining in the night about o'clock; "and," said he. "l couldn't help thinkin' O that old saying: Between twelve ana two You can tell what the day will do Ut may cloud up or clear off later in the night; but the day will be what it was between IF and l.
 "If our dog come into the house and puts his head under the mat I'm cer-
 tain sure there's goin' to be a cold snap. and 1t comes every time. When the wind dies down at sunset it will blow again the next day. "A thunderstorm ain't good for eggs that are under a hen matching. The chickens are apt to be crazy.
 March winds and May sun Makes dun cloth white, and fair maids dun.
 When you're peelin onions. hold a pin between your teeth and it'll pre- vent your cryin.
 Dream of picking fruit out of season. And you'll quarrel without reason.
 If you want to get rid of the rats
 in your house, ketch one and tar and
 feather 1t and then turn it loose. All
 the rats will leave in a hurry.
 When I was boy I'd sometimes play 50 hard I'd have a pain in my side. To cure 1t I'd lift up a stone, spit place. I wouldn't have any moro trou-
 ble from the pain after that. If you begin to tell something and forget what you were saying, that Is a sign 1t was true. Mend your clothes upon your back Poverty you'll never lack. When the world was new the devil spent a lot of time sowing 1t with
 stones. He carried the stones in his
 apron. and where you see spots that they are very thick you can know his apron strings broke there.
 ITO stop the hiccoughs see how near
 you can hold your little fingers to-
 gether without their touching.
 If you don't want 10 have the
 toothache. cut a little pit from each
 toenail and fingernail Tnen wrap the
 cuttings in a white paper or birch
 bark and put 'em in a hole bored in
 a pine tree. Close the hole by plugging
 and you won't have any trouble with
 aching teeth as long as you live. though this won't prevent your losing your teeth by decay.
 You can cure your rheumatism by putting mustard in your shoes. If you have the stomach ache Eat a piece of burnt cake.
 You can stop the nosebleed by put
 ting a piece of paper under your tongue. You can stop 1t. too, by plac- ing a key on the back or your neck. Its a good plan to fill a bottle with water at a spring on Easter morning | before sunrise. There amt any medi cine advertised in the papers that can equal such water and Is sure every time. Drink a little of it if anything is the matter inside you; and If you ! have a sore rub 1t on outside. You'll
 be surprised to see what 1t does for | you. no matter that disease you got. i When you're out drvin' in the win | ter and your feet get cold. take off your hat. Thatll warm em even if
 they're ice You see the cold air drives
 the blood from the head and your feet
 cant help but get warm. | Don't cut twig to string your fish
 on until you ketch your fish. If you do
 you won't ketch any.
 When you see the first robin in the
 spring notice whether 1t flies Up or
 down. If it flies up you will go up 1 that Is, you will have goo luck during
 the year; but If 1t flies down you will
 have bad luck. | Never carry cat across running water if you want to have good luck.
 It will ruin your life. You might just
 as well take dose 0. deadly poison | and be done with it.