The Yale expositor., 1911-10-19

A similar test of fate is made by means of the
socalled fortune cake in which are baked a
ring thmble, and silver dime. Each maiden
in turn cuts slice of it, and she who secures the
piece that contains the ring may expect to be the
first bride. The one who gets the coin will have
q rich husband but she to whose lot the thmble
falls is doomed to spinsterhood
There number of ways of performing the
famous mirror experiment but the correct method
is to take a candle go alone into dark room and
eat an apple before looking glass The hour
must be midnight exactly. else nothing will hap
pen. But, II these directions strictly obeyed,
at the very stroke of II the young will
see in the mirror the face OF her future husband
looking over her shoulder.
or course it may be strangers face. but that
only makes it more interesting and romantic.
Bobbing for apples is favorte Haowe en-
amusement, and as a means of diversion is highly
regarded The apples are placed In a tub Of
water and they float about, each person tries
in turn to capture one of them by biting it. 1t is
not an easy task. and the frantic efforts of the
participants in the game bound to excite
much merriment. 1t is required that the hands
shall be held behind the back. and the under
standing is that any young woman who fails to
secure an apple will never get a husband
Occasionally as variation on this method, an
apple Is suspended by string in a doorway or
from a chandelier. and one person after another
tries to get hold of it with the teeth as it bobs
about. The difficulty of the task is greater in
proportion to the size Of the apple. For some
reason never satisfactorily explained apples play
a very important part In most of the doings con.
nected with this witches festival and even the
seeds of the fruit counted, like daisy petals,
for magical purposes.
The seeds in apple of course vary in num-
Der, and hence the opportunity for speculation
AS she counts them. the maiden recites: "One, |
love- two, love; three love- say; four love
with all my heart: five. | cast away; six he
loves; seven, she loves; eight both love; nine he
comes ten. he tarries; eleven, he courts; twelve
he marries; thirteen. they part: fourteen, die OF
broken heart"
future husbands occupation In life may be
ascertained by pouring melted lead into a glass
at midnight Halloween. AS 1t chs, 1t will
take the shape of the tools he uses. Another plan
that may be adopted by the inqusitive damse
Is to fill her mouth with water. take a handful OF
salt and run around the block. The first name
she hears as she regans her starting place will
be that of her destined spouse When merry
party OF girls take part together In this expert
ment 1t Is sure to make lot of fun; for most of
them are bound to giggle thus losing the water
they hold In their mouths, and incidentally they
forget the salt they hold in their hands and drop
1T. Naturally under such circumstances the
charm fails to work.
story is told of American girl travelling in
Ireland. who CHANGED to visit on Halloween a
humble dwelling. The old woman whose home it
was told her that she would show to her her fu-
ture husbands face, If she would pay a shilling
The maiden willingly complied whereupon the
old woman bade her look In the mirror II see
nothing but my own face" said the girl Never
mind. my DEAR, quoth the old woman. 1T will
be your husbands face when you get married"