The San Francisco call., 1908-10-31

But I'll tell you one way to see who
is yo lover. It's mighty sho' certain
to come true, they say. You TEX
shirt sleeve and wet it.s Dey say de bes'
place TO do dat is where three streams
of water meet but I dunno where you
can find dat But anyway you wet de
sleeve and hang it by de fire to dry.
Den you go to bed and watch it until
midnight, and when de clock strikes
u you will see de ghos' of the man
you goin' TO marry come in and turn
dat sleeve over"
The girls laughed and Dolly said:
Don't you remember, JESSIE what
happened to Mary Black at boarding
school? You see, nanny, we girls were
kept under very strict rules and if we
did try to amuse ourselves we general
ly got into trouble"
TELL me bout dat" said nanny,
eager to add to her store of halloween
lore.
We'll" said Dolly. "the girl coaxed
the house keeper to give her an egg,
which she boiled until hard over her
alcohol lamp. Then she took out the
yolk and filled the space with salt.
She ate the egg, and went to bed back
ward, without speaking word. II
the spell worked right she was e. get
very thirsty in the night and would
dream that her true lover brought her
a glass OF water She was to see him
quite plainly, so that when she met
him she would know him. After few
hours sleep she became dreadfully
thirsty, so thirsty that it woke her up
She had not dreamed about anybody.
but she decided she must have a drink.
lover or no lover. There was no water
in her room, so she slipped out and
started down the hall TO my room. The
lights had all been turned out and the
hall was dark BY some means old
Towser. the watchdog, had managed to
get into the house and was curled up,
fast asleep. in the hall, and Of course
Mary fell over him and set UP such
screaming that all the pupils and
teachers on that hall rushed out to see
what had happened. She did not tell
them the whole story, but she told us"
Sophie Donan told me-" added Jessie,
that a girl who was visiting at her
home one halloween said that she was
going to try her fortune a new way.
SO she took a lighted candle in one
hand and a mirror in the other and at
midnight went down the cellar steps.
Sophie's young brother thought he
would play a trick on her. so he slipped
up behind her, and when she saw in the
mirror his face over her shoulder she
was so frightened that she fell down
the rest OF the steps ana broke InS
mirror and sprained her ankle"
Dem no count boys boun' to mex
trubble,r commented nanny, "jes de
same as de lowdown niggers. 'clar 1
like to war out a hickory brush on
some of dem pizen young uns 1 see
round dis yere town.
We'll. jus one mo-, chillen, an den
it viii be time for you to go to church.
Did you ever hear how yo nav cum to
To11 fcfa -
me. Yo' see, 1 was young missy's girl
an I allus went with her when she
went out of de house in de evenin'.
SO dis halloween she says, Nanny, m
goin' to try somepin' new tonight and
yo' must come along, only yo' must
hide in de bushes so no one can't see
yo'.
Where yo' going. missy? I asked
her. Down to de spring in the holler,
she says. We can't go twel midnight,
case de sperrits don't come out before.
An you get me a new tin cup dat no
body's ever drunk out Of
so, when twas long bout 12 me an
young miss went down to de spring
and, oh, but I was feared. for de moon
had done hid benin a cloud and dere
was all sorts of noises in de woods.
An ole owl was calling 'hooi hoor every
few minutes and the dead leaves was
a russlin' under our feet. an ! could
hear things a creepin' 'mong de bushes.
But bymby we reach de spring dat was
lust under a great high rock all covered
with vines and moss. Missy tole me
to go benin a tree while she kneeled
down on de grass beside the water and
filed de tin cup and set it down at
her side. Den she just put her hans
over her eyes and said dis verse;
members it all desc years,
I'm waiting by the waters brink,
Come love. and gise to me a drink;
Drink TO me and 10 you.
Then we win be lovers true.
And. chillen, sho' yo' bawn, ] see a
voung man come slippin' down from dat
rock and he leaned over iii miss and
put de cup of water to her mouf. But
she JUS gave a shrek and jumped up
and run lax deer and after her and
we never stopped till we got into he
house and up in missy's room
e Did you see him, mammyg she
says soon as she got her bref. What
was he like? An 1 tole her he was
tall and dark, and she laft soft like and
says: Dat must a-bin' de sperrit of
Dick Penfield' And / 'clar to gracious,
chillen, de mex day here he comes
a-ridin down de lane on his black
horse, and we all a-thinkin' him away
at college. And didn't them two get
married. and wasn't he Cunnel Penfeld
70 fair? Can't mex me believe dat
when she say her III verse over de
water"
Thank you ever so much" said both
the girls as nanny rose and hurried
them out of the kitchen. and they ran.
laughing over her last story, to
the parlor.
"A letter for you. Dolly" said their